Riaan van Zyl continues to push the boundaries of contemporary art and classical techniques and concepts. Van Zyl takes inspiration from commonplace, ordinary ideas and likes to showcase his impression and apprehension of things around him, effectively capturing their context and value with a de-constructed eye. At first glance his work looks abstract and confusing but the results have their own very personal syntax, punctuation and orchestration. They become almost a performance of movement rather than a standard drawing.
Riaan is focused on having people look at everyday things in a different light. He loves working in experimental mediums such as old car oil and anthracite, for example, as well as playing with new and old mediums
He has exhibited internationally and locally in more than 30 solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions, and his works hang among some of the most prestigious art collections around the world.