Ryan Ko is a Korean American artist with a studio practice based in Arizona. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Arizona State University. His work explores the concepts of memory, absence, and the bond and inherent distance between family members and the deceased. Through the integration and reimagining of familial archival images, his work is inquisitive in nature; Can we form memories with those that are already gone, and can we find them in places they have never been? Do we separate from death, discovery, and longing, or do we surrender to it?
Ko has displayed multimedia installations and pieces across Arizona and New Mexico, including a dual exhibition at Modified Arts in Phoenix, AZ. In 2021, his video piece "I Hope I Recognize You When I See You!" was exhibited at the CAV Gallery in Las Cruces, NM. Ko is currently an MFA Candidate at Cranbrook Academy of Art with a focus of Photography.