The life size white imperial stormtrooper from the original 1977 Star Wars film hung on a wooden cross titled ‘Crucified Stormtrooper’ was due to go on sale for £12,000 and is by Ryan Callanan, an artist who, under his street artist pseudonym of RYCA, has worked with Kasabian and Fatboy Slim.  

 

St.Walbrook, the historic dome shaped church designed by Christopher Wren in 1672 based in the heart of the City of London will host Art Below's 'Stations of the Cross' until 23rd March and includes crucifixion themed artworks by Francis Bacon, Sebastian Horsley and Ben Eine. 

 

This will be the third crucifixion themed exhibition to be curated by Ben Moore in support of the Missing Tom Fund set up to find Tom Moore (brother of Ben Moore) who has been missing since 2003.  

 

Curator Ben Moore says 'I welcome artwork that raises debate and ultimately creates more awareness towards finding my brother Tom. I also think its symbolic that in Star Wars 'The Force Awakens' (2015) we saw a stormtrooper escape from the dark side to come and support the rebellion and the 'crucified stormtrooper' plays into the notion of forgiveness.  It also resonates with the official religion of Jedi which now has 200,000 people signed up!'

 

Art Below’s  2015 ‘Stations of the Cross’ Exhibition at London’s St.Marylebone Parish Church included a life-size body cast of Pete Doherty nailed to a cross entitled ‘For Pete’s Sake’ and attracted media attention worldwide.

 

The First Stations of the Cross Exhibition took place at St.Marylebone Paris Church - 6th March to 17th April 2014 and was showcased on billboard space across the London Underground and included work by Antony Micallef, Mat Collishaw, Polly Morgan, Paul Fryer Alison Jackson and Bran Symondson.

 

Revd Jonathan Evens of St Stephen Walbrook says  'This is an exhibition of images designed to provoke thought from artists grappling with their response to the challenge and scandal of Christ's cross. Among these, Ryan Callahan's Stormtrooper Crucifixion may be viewed as being among the more controversial images in the exhibition. For me this image raises similar questions to those which CS Lewis raised in his science fiction trilogy i.e. that, were other races to exist on other planets, would Christ be incarnated among those races in order to die for their salvation? Lewis’ view, which he sets out in the story running through the trilogy, is that Christ would do so. For Christians, Ryan Callahan's image can lead us a similar conclusion. I commend these images to you as image that can open our ideas and minds to new reflections on the eternal significance of Christ's sacrifice.’

 

ENDS

 

 

 

For Interview requests and high resolution images please contact: tani@tburnsarts.com / 0207 377 5665  

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from the ‘Stations of the Cross’ exhibition go to the ‘Missing Tom’ fund, which was started up specifically to raise money to support the search for Thomas Moore. Tom left his family home in 2003. He was aged 31 years old. His friends and family have not heard from him since then. Now 15 years on, with the support of the Missing People Charity his family continue to search for Tom.  www.missingtom.com

 

Ben Moore, Founder of Art Below, has had over 10 years experience working with artists, museums, charities and arts organisations, initiating and managing partnerships to deliver new public arts projects. In 2006 he founded public arts organisation Art Below.  He has produced and curated public exhibitions in London, Tokyo, Berlin, and Los Angeles working with high profile international and British artists including Turner Prize Winners and Royal Academicians.  Recent projects and  exhibitions curated by Moore include Art Wars, Stations of the Cross, and 'Queen Themed'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Moore_(curator)

'Stations of the Cross' 2014 was the first crucifixion themed exhibition curated by Ben Moore. The exhibition took place at London's St.Marylebone Paris Church - 6th March to 17th April 2014 and was showcased on billboard space across the London Underground and included work by Antony Micallef, Mat Collishaw, Polly Morgan, Paul Fryer, Wolfe Leinkewicz, Sebastian Horsley, Alison Jackson and Bran Symondson.  See here

 

 

Ryan Callanan (RYCA)  graduated from art school in 2002 and was inspired to create his first print Ona Islam after visiting the acclaimed London exhibition of Banksy works, ‘Santa’s Ghetto’ in 2006. Other sources of inspiration include cults classic Star Wars franchise, Pop Art and the Renaissance.
Drawing inspiration for his career as a 3D sign writer, RYCA incorporates a wide use of materials including resin and glass into his sculptural pieces.
RYCA’s   ‘Acid Cup’ made headlines in 2014 when he made a handcrafted replicate of the World Cup trophy, to coincide with the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Big Beat DJ and Brighton hero Fatboy Slim loved RYCA’s sculpture so much he took one on tour with him as he played a host of huge gigs around the country.
He has exhibited worldwide and collaborated with a number of well respected artists including Ben Eine, David Walker and Stik. In 2006 He created Reservoir Troopers (red) that sold out. www.instagram.com/ryca_artist

 

On show is a pastel drawing that Francis Bacon donated to his Italian lover Cristiano Lovatelli Ravarino between 1977 and 1992.  Many of the works are concerned with the image of crucifixion often referenced by Francis Bacon in his art to embody life’s horror as he could not find a subject as valid to embrace all the nuances of human feelings and behaviours.  Francis Bacon Collection. The Francis Bacon Collection of the drawings donated to Cristiano Lovatelli Ravarino.

 

Art Below is a London based public art enterprise. With a wide range of international artists and its various campaigns in cities worldwide, the organization has an important position within the movement of contemporary art in public space. Art Below uses billboard space in underground stations to display artworks in London and overseas. The group has nurtured an international community of artistic talent and has displayed the works of over 3,000 artists in London, Tokyo, Berlin, New Orleans and Los Angeles. www.artbelow.org.uk