b. 1972, Bitburg, Germany

Sterling Ruby is known for his multidisciplinary work that spans sculpture, handmade ceramics, painting, drawing, collage, and video. Described by Roberta Smith as ‘one of the most interesting artists to emerge in this century’, he takes inspiration from the culturally verboten, drawing on violence, urban gangs, graffiti, prison systems, and waste in order to probe the human psyche – to exploit the moment at which individuality meets societal constraint. Ruby’s works seem to rejoice in their own materiality, and are often unashamedly scratched, defaced, or covered in dirt.

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