Philadelphia, PA, United States
Erik Ruin is a Michigan-raised, Philadelphia-based printmaker, shadow puppeteer, paper-cut artist, etc. His work oscillates between the poles of apocalyptic anxieties and utopian yearnings, with an emphasis on empathy, transcendence and obsessive detail. He frequently works collaboratively with musicians, theater performers, other artists and activist campaigns. He is a founding member of Justseeds Artists' Cooperative, and co-author of the book Paths Toward Utopia: Graphic Explorations of Everyday Anarchism (w/ Cindy Milstein, PM Press, 2012), His performance work has been seen in festivals and living rooms across the US and Europe.
Other Media
It’s been my great pleasure to collaborate with the Philly-based abolitionists Amistad Law Project on a series of animations illustrating practical alternatives to police and prisons. In the words of…
Dancer Asimina Chremos and I have been collaborating (alongside my audio-visual band the Ominous Cloud Ensemble) on a performance rooted in the work of poet Paul Celan, esp his work…
Hey all- we’re in the final few days of Print Lottery 2012, an uniquely structured benefit for AS220 Community Printshop. Members of the public can purchase a $100 ticket, guaranteed…
We’re in the last 3 days now of my Kickstarter campaign to fund a portfolio project i’m curating & publishing on the theme of heresy. Witches & Mad Prophets will…
Hey all- I’m trying to raise funds right now for a really exciting portfolio project on the theme of religious heresy featuring Justseeds artists Bec Young, Dylan Miner, Mazatl and…
OPENING THIS THURSDAY-Staring at the Cracks art installation by Erik Ruin with Brett Story and Dan Blacksberg at 4212 Chestnut, West Philly (below Scribe Video Center). (see below the jump…
I created this image a while back for my old friend Marie Mason, who’s currently serving out a 22-year prison sentence for charges related to two acts of property destruction…
I just put up a show of prints in South Philly, with a print from just about everyone in Justseeds- and must say it looks great! It’s at a brand-new…
Leonard Jefferson is a prolific artist who has used his art to provide analysis and commentary concerning Pennsylvania’s criminal justice system and his lived experience behind bars. His art is…
I’ve been creating a mix of music & other auditory ephemera every day for the month of January 2010. They’re all posted here in downloadable form. This project is a…
I’ll be in a 5-person group show at the Printmaking Council of New Jersey & paticipating in a panel discussion at the opening this Saturday. please come by if you…
This just in from our friend John Duda in Baltimore, an automated insurrectionist rant generator! Guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment! John explains: “The purpose of this little program is…
The Dirt Palace site just posted some nice-looking pics from my installation in their window, which just came down. You can check it out in slideshow format on Flickr. The…
i recently completed a residency at AS220 in Providence, RI. during my month there I worked on a large-scale but intricate banner project. the first three weeks were entirely spent…
I was flipping through various comics anthologies the other day (looking for wordless comics for a friend’s thesis project) when i rediscovered the work of Carol Moiseiwitsch. I remembered her…
Over the past year, I’ve been sporadically doing projections for my friends in the Lesser Known Neutrinos, West Philly’s premier psychedelic synth-punk band. I just recently chanced upon some nice…
Seeing Nicholas’ post of that Chicago project reminded me of this- one of my favorite street art projects in Detroit- or ever, really…. This is, I believe, the old United…