Baker Artist Portfolios

Ryan Schmal Murray creates conceptually-driven artwork that combines digital and physical media. His work addresses the search for moments of meaning by turning pop-culture media/technology on itself and transforming everyday objects and experiences into subtle psychedelia.

Murray was born in Pittsburgh, PA. He received his BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and his MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Murray’s artwork has been exhibited internationally in galleries, museums, screening tours, and film festivals. Festivals include the New York Film Festival: Convergence, FIVARS: Festival of International Virtual and Augmented Reality Stories, 360 Film Festival (Paris), Antimatter [Media Art] Festival, Chicago Underground Film Festival, the Festival of (In)Appropriation, and the Milwaukee Underground Film Festival. Exhibits include Light City: Baltimore, CICA Museum, and the Delaware Contemporary. He was the recipient of a 2016 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award for Digital Media. Murray lives in Baltimore, MD and serves as Professor and Chair of the Electronic Media and Film at Towson University.

Artist Statement

I make video and virtual reality artworks. Instead of producing moving image media for entertainment, I emphasize perceptual and conceptual experiences. This allows the viewer to quietly discover moments of meaning while taking in the phenomenological experience of watching media. I give viewers these flashes of critical revelation by turning pop-culture media/technology on itself and transforming everyday objects and experiences into subtle psychedelia. In opposition to media that tries to placate and numb, my work aims for the nearly-numinous moments of clarity that appear when we mutate media and see everyday objects and experiences in a new light.