Ryley Clarke is an emerging artist, photographer and filmmaker living and working in Naarm, Melbourne, Australia.

Ryley weaves together cinematic, affective, and experimental narratives. Illuminating stories of the lived experience, his practice shines light on phenomena that influences the human condition. Through his storytelling, Ryley examines the spirit of our existence, seeking to interpret a way of life that surrounds us. Using the camera to mediate and to draw closer, he engages with the world through a personal and lyrical documentary lens. In his practice, he delves into the relationship between photography and cinema to examine the emotionality and relational forms of life, society, and the human experience.

Ryley’s latest projects focus on the experiences of growing up in a dystopian society and the journey of restoring and leaving behind a childhood home. His work grapples with themes of coming of age, dystopian futures, environment, the search for self-identity and familial spaces.

In 2023, Ryley graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Photography) (Honours) from RMIT University. His work has been exhibited at RMIT’s First Site Gallery, FortyFiveDownstairs, and the Centre for Contemporary Photography. He has published his work in the British Journal of Photography, Photo Collective and Fresh Eyes. Ryley’s photographs has been recognised in multiple awards, and is the recipient of the Baillot & Balfour Endowment Award and the People’s Choice Award for the Geelong 2024 Photographic Portrait Prize.

EDUCATION

  • 2023 - RMIT University, Bachelor of Arts (Photography) (Honours) - Honours First Class

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

  • 2023 - Off the Well Worn Path, FortyFiveDownstairs

  • 2023 -Off the Well Worn Path, First Site Gallery

  • 2023 - Off the Well Worn Path, Head-On Photography Festival

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

  • 2023 - Hillvale Photo Trophy, Hillvale Gallery

  • 2023 - Der Grief Past and Present 15th Anniversary, Pavilion 333 at Pinakothek der Moderne

  • 2023 - Iris Award, Perth Centre for Photography

  • 2023 - Australian Photography Awards, Bodriggy Brewery

  • 2023 - Bluethumb 2023 Art Prize, Bluethumb Gallery

  • 2023 - Centre for Contemporary Photography 2023 Summer Salon

  • 2023 - RMIT 2023 School of Art Graduate Exhibition: Fine Art & Photography Honours

  • 2023 - Ballarat International Foto Bienalle 2023 Gradfoto

  • 2024 - Geelong 2024 Photographic Portrait Prize, Liminal Gallery

  • 2024 - Yellow Dot Fundraiser Exhibition, RACV City Club

  • 2024 - Clyde & Co Art Award, Clyde and Co

  • 2024 - Be-longing, Merri-bek Summer Showcase, Counihan Gallery

AWARDS  RECOGNITIONS

  • 2023 - Fresh Eyes International Talent 2023 (Finalist)

  • 2023 - Hillvale 2023 Photo Trophy (Finalist)

  • 2023 - Iris Award 2023 (Finalist)

  • 2023 - ProfiFoto New Talent Award 23/2 (Finalist)

  • 2023 - Australian Photography Awards 2023 (Finalist)

  • 2023 - Bluethumb 2023 Art Prize Photography Award (Finalist)

  • 2023 - CCP x Media Arts Lawyers Prize for Best Music Photography (Recipient)

  • 2023 - RMIT Photography Honours Lightscapes Award for Outstanding Folio (Recipient)

  • 2023 - Ballarat International Foto Bienalle 2023 Gradfoto (Finalist)

  • 2024 - Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award (Nomination)

  • 2024 - Geelong 2024 Photographic Portrait Prize (Recipient - People Choice Award)

  • 2024 - Clyde & Co Art Award (Finalist)

FEATURED IN

  • FreshEyes, PhotoCollective, The British Journal of Photography, Savage Thrills, Melbourne Millieu, The Music, Pomegrante Press, Art Almanac, Capture Magazine and more!

PROJECTS  COLLABORATIONS

  • A Night out With Hockey Dad, Off the Well Worn Path, A Hanging Branch Connects Us, Dark Signs of A Red Summers Shadow, Moments Like this Never Last, Dreamin’.

  • URBNSURF, Abbotsford Convent, UNIFED Music Group, BOOM! Image Studio, Savage Thrills, Yours and Owls Records, Red Hill Entertainment, Konsu Agency, The Music, and more…

CLIENT LIST

  • 2025 - A1 Darebin Art Salon, Bundoora Homestead Gallery

  • 2025 - Fresh Eyes 2025 Annual Edition

  • 2025 - From Somewhere Behind the Pine Trees, Liminal Gallery

  • 2025 - Cinematic Pictures, Millepiani Gallery

  • 2025 - 1854/BJP Issue #7920 The Portrait Issue

FORTHCOMING