Ryan Preciado (b. 1989, El Monte, California) makes works in conversation with his communities’ social and material histories. For Preciado, the process of designing and constructing a work is one of piecing together visual references, artistic influences, and lived experiences into a useful object rife with metaphor. His signature Chumash chair reinterprets Børge Mogensen’s iconic Spanish chair, itself inspired by American Shaker designs, in domestic white oak; its arms are based on the shape of the paddles used to pilot the tomol, a canoe traditional to his Indigenous ancestors. A longtime admirer of California car culture, he often favors brightly colored automotive paint as a surface treatment. With each sculpture, Preciado infuses the history of material culture into disarming designs that welcome daily, sustained participation. He lives in Los Angeles. 

Recent shows have been held at Palm Springs Art Museum (2024); Karma, New York (2024); Matthew Brown, Los Angeles (2023); and Canada, New York (2022, with Matt Connors). Preciado’s work was included in Acts of Living, the 2023 edition of the biennial Made in L.A. at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. In 2021, the artist curated the group exhibition Downhearted Duckling at South Willard Gallery, Los Angeles. Preciado’s work is included in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Preciado’s exhibition So Near, So Far is currently on view at the Palm Springs Art Museum, California through May 12, 2025.