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Lyla Rye, A Meditation (detail), 2019, three channel HD video installation (22 minutes, 30 seconds). Image courtesy of artist

Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles

Artist Lyla Rye

March 21, 2022 - July 3, 2022
Queen's Square Gallery

Lyla Rye is a Toronto-based artist who uses video and installation to explore how we experience space and time. The works in this exhibition focus on illusions of space that can be created in the digital world, and in each, Rye employs different forms of representation to reveal when those illusions break down. Through these works, Rye subtly addresses how media and technology influence the perception of images. 

In Illusion’s Obstacles, Rye presents embodied experiences that explore the disembodied experience of contemporary screen culture. In contrast to the rapid pace of image creation and consumption in the digital world, Rye encourages slow viewing and close observation, and by extension, renewed attention to the physical world around us.

A Meditation features audio by Debashis Sinha.

The artist would like to thank the following individuals for their assistance on the body of work presented in Illusion’s Obstacles: Walker Akhlaghi, Bhreagh Campbell, Aurelie Collings, Lisa Cristinzo, John Dickson, Holly Dunlap, Corinna Ghaznavi, Emma Goudie, Catherine Heard, Lee Henderson, Niloufar Hosseinkhani, Jacquie Jacobs, Pam Joyner, Anna Lefsrud, Yifan Liu, Anthony Magnani, Shelley McEwen, Pam Patterson, Leena Raudvee, Heather Riley, Lena Rye, Ellen Samler, Rachel Sekler, Claire Stewart, Lulu Turnbull, Ellen Gould Ventura, Nava Waxman, Termeh Yeghiazarian

The artist would like to acknowledge the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

Lyla Rye  began her studies in architecture. She works in installation, sculpture, video and photography to explore our experience of architectural space. Using angled forms, images, and the space itself, she creates encounters that require active viewing. Whether sculptural or video-based, the installations engage physically, optically, and conceptually, hailing us to our perception of time and space. https://www.lylarye.com/

Rye received a BFA from York University and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. For over 20 years her work has been exhibited in galleries across Canada and internationally including San Francisco, New York, Adelaide (Australia), Paris, and Berlin. She has exhibited at The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Power Plant, Southern Alberta Art Gallery, The Mendel Art Gallery, The Textile Museum of Canada and Koffler Gallery among others. Her work is included in collections such as The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, York University, Cadillac Fairview Corporation, Tom Thomson Art Gallery and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. She has founded and exhibited with a number of collectives including NetherMind, 5 things hic and Persona Volare. Recent exhibitions include Abide at TRUCK Contemporary Art in Calgary, The Karachi Biennale in Pakistan and solo exhibition A Meditation at PREFIX Institute of Contemporary Art in Toronto

  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
    Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
    Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
    Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
    Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
    Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
    Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
    Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
    Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
    Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
    Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
    Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee
  • Lyla Rye: Illusion's Obstacles (Installation, Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen's Square), 2022. Photo by Scott Lee

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