Lyla Rye
Lyla Rye is a Toronto-based artist working in installation, sculpture, video, and photography to explore architectural space and perception. With a background in architecture, she creates immersive encounters that engage viewers physically, optically, and conceptually. Rye holds a BFA from York University and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. She has exhibited across Canada and internationally including at The Whitney Museum of American Art, Karachi Biennale in Pakistan, The Power Plant, Koffler Gallery, Mercer Union, The Textile Museum of Canada, TRUCK Contemporary and Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art. Her work is included in noteworthy private and public collections such as The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Cadillac Fairview Corp and The Tom Thomson Art Gallery.
Recent Exhibition: Slash and Burn
Slash and Burn, a series of walnut ink paintings were inspired by images of clearcuts which were sent to the artist from tree planters. Lyla Rye created 85 works in varying sizes over the course of one year.
Sizes: 4 x 6 inches – 12 x 12 inches; 85 drawings, 2024 - 2025
The artist wishes to thank John Dickson and Connie Chisholm for their support.
This series of eight short videos centres on a Black Willow tree situated between a pedestrian walkway and a construction site. With its twisted trunk, scars, and persistent signs of life, the tree embodied themes of aging, regeneration, and resilience. Each video, conceived like a poem—concise and lyrical—illuminates a different facet of the tree.
Composers were invited to interpret each video, exploring how sound might alter our perception of the imagery. Seven of the videos feature original sound compositions, shaping the experience through audio, while one remains intentionally silent. As the tree was lost during the course of the project, the videos now stand as odes to its presence.
Composers: Pianist Eve Egoyan, percussionist and composer Debashis Sinha, sculptor John Dickson, musician Max Turnbull, artist and creative technologist Dan Tapper, and songwriter/vocalist, Meg Remy.
The artist wishes to thank The Toronto Arts Council for their support.
Slow Pixels Series
