THE RIVER CAN RUN

February 24 → April 6, 2024
pt2 Gallery Oakland, California

The river carries me, and I am the river.
I was made of delicate substance, mysterious time.
Perhaps the source is within me. Perhaps the days emerge,
fatal and illusory, from my shadow.

—Jorge Luis Borges, “Heraclitus”

The mystery of time has perplexed us for ages. What is considered a distinctly modern concern is, in fact, a persistent thread in human thought. Centuries ago, someone, somewhere, was also running out of time. This intrigue sparks curiosity; it inspires philosophers, writers, scientists, and artists to investigate the way of its current. Many of us think of time as an external power, something that happens beyond our control. In my search for understanding, the words of Heraclitus echo in my mind: 'No one steps in the same river twice.'

For Ryan Whelan, time has been a constantly underestimated force. His relationship with time is born from an environment where the clock ticks loudly—where one lives in a hurry, with a persisting feeling that today is already too late. The River Can Run speaks of this kind of temporality—it is both a reflection and a starting point. Rather than seeking mere reconciliation with time, Ryan aims to move with the river that Heraclitus speaks of. To discover the rhythm in its flow, create space for introspection, and laugh at the absurdity of it all.

It often happens that an idea is born from another; unknowingly, we are conversing with what was said sixty or two thousand years ago. Jorge Luis Borges, a writer eternally intrigued by the fleetingness of time, said we are composed of that 'delicate substance,' that of 'mysterious time.' He believed that the spring from which the river of time emerges is actually within us; we have no choice but to run with its torrent. Coming to the realization that we are at once both eternal and ephemeral is the contradiction that ultimately shapes our existence. The River Can Run is about recognizing ourselves as part of the river, becoming water in its currents, accepting life's transitory nature, and moving harmoniously with the beat of the Earth.

Text by Liz Hernández

"But for the time being I am in the center of everything that screams and teems. And it's subtle as the most intangible reality. For now time is the duration of a thought."

- Clarice Lispector

As I step into the room filled with motion, the gentle hum of a motor greets me. A soft chorus of movement becomes the background to this moment with myself. At the center, a figure moves purposefully with repeated and continuous action. A deep gesture of fatigue is carved on its face. It looks tired but not defeated; I inevitably see myself mirrored in its condition.

Steel spirals surround me, each spinning on the walls at different speeds. They are symbolic of the many timelines we inhabit. Have you noticed how difficult it is to be present in the now? The world requires us to exist in many time frames, all happening simultaneously. We are too distracted. Each passing minute becomes a turning point, a constant realignment in the ever-changing landscape of modern life. The urgency of deadlines and the struggle for success demand us to act immediately. We always seem to be in a rush, but for what exactly?

It often feels that I lack the time to live my own life. No matter how hard I try, I can’t catch up. When did time become such a prized currency, and why do I never have enough? Amidst this powerful current, I seek stillness. I look for a break from the unwavering battle against the march of time. As I make my way through the room, I surrender to the flow of its cadence. I find freedom in accepting that living requires me to be in constant transformation, always departing, like the river that flows without a beginning or end, guided by the unseen hand of the universe.

"Is my theme the instant? the theme of my life. I try to keep up with it, I divide thousands of times into as many times as the number of instants running by, fragmented as I am and the moments so fragile - my only vow is to live born with time and grow along with it: only in time itself is there room enough for me."

-Clarice Lispector

Ryan Whelan

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Ryan Whelan
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