RICKY LEE GORDON
Colour creates energy, Sri Lanka
“I believe colour creates energy, energy creates inspiration and inspiration creates change. But, more than anything, my intentions and passion make the difference - showing someone that you believe in turn makes them believe.”
Gordon took his first creative steps almost two decades ago creating graffiti across areas of poorer communities in Johannesburg, which unveiled stark contrasts to his upbringing in privileged gated suburbs dominated by white South Africans. These early experiences prompted him to seek to use his artistic energies in socially positive ways, with the aim of trying to affect communities for the better.
Since then, creativity has expanded and unfolded into a incredible journey across almost all continents of the planet, reaffirming his belief in unity inspired by experiences in meditation and Buddhist dharma – the law of nature.
In 2018 Gordon settled in Sri Lanka. He’d never consciously intended to make the island his home and creative base, but he fell in love with the tropics. He took a house in Nilwella and lived there while rebuilding it slowly to study the natural rhythms of the surroundings, making plans for the house and studio’s design that would be in harmony with the sun, the ocean doorstep and the local community.
The resulting space and work encompass the sum of those formative experiences. Sunyata Sri Lanka is an expression of Gordon’s search for stillness away from an ever-frantic world, combined with a desire to open his doors to artists who share his vision.
Aleph Geddis, Alby Guillaume (aka Remed), Celeste Young and Caledonia Curry (aka Swoon) are some of the overseas creatives who have taken up residency since Gordon opened up the studio.
Gordon has always hold great respect for local artisans, who uphold age-old crafts that he has sought to incorporate throughout the space. His public works grace spaces from Berlin to Bali and New York to Penang, perennially looking to connect with the people and environments his artwork emerges into. Each is an opportunity to spur thought, reflectiveness, and possibly even constructive change.
“I believe colour creates energy, energy creates inspiration and inspiration creates change. But, more than anything, my intentions and passion make the difference – showing someone that you believe in turn makes them believe.”
His layered works capture vibrations of depth and harmony, fusing spirituality and creativity into an expression of his unique way of being. Today, Gordon continues his pursuit of a way of life that is at once mindful, creative and in symbiosis with nature’s rhythms.
His large-scale murals can be seen in cities all over the world, from New York to Istanbul and Madagascar to Kathmandu. His achievements in public art have made it on CNN, Mail & Guardian’s ‘200 young people in SA who make a difference’, Winner of the International Art and healing network award for 2011 and National Geographic's list of ‘11 street art greats’ alongside the likes of Banksy.
