Lyla Rye: Swing Stage at Olga Korper Gallery

I am so very pleased that my friend and mentor Lyla Rye opens Swing Stage at the Olga Korper Gallery tomorrow night. Lyla is a gifted sculptor, video and installation artist, who often draws on her background in architecture as inspiration for her space altering works. This particular installation is a play on the jaw-dropping structural beauty of the Olga Korper Gallery and is presented by the Koffler Centre of the Arts.

Lyla Rye: Swing Stage
Koffler Gallery Off-Site at Olga Korper Gallery
17 Morrow Avenue, Toronto

Opening reception Thursday, July 14, 2011 6-9 pm, Artist Talk at 7 pm
Show runs until August 20, 2011

By the way, Lyla is not only incredibly talented, but she is humble, sweet and funny. I've never seen her without a smile on her face. And she is also an extraordinary teacher who brings out the best in her students.

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The Opening: All is Vanity

All is Vanity Installation Shot

It was a bit of a blur but I'm happy to report that there was a great turnout at the opening of my show at Loop Gallery yesterday afternoon. The tv crew from Artsync arrived a little before 2 pm to film a short interview. I wish I could remember what I said and am hoping that I sounded reasonably coherent. I had no idea whether to look at the tv camera or the interviewer and fear that I might have looked a little shifty eyed!

JJ Lee and Ingrid Mida at Loop Gallery

I had a fantastic response to my work. People seemed to be quite taken with the mysterious, haunting and fairy-tale quality of the photographs. But more important to me than the many compliments I received was knowing that my work evoked a response in those who had previously lost someone they loved. With each photograph in the series representing a step in the cycle of grief, several people either teared up as I spoke or told me that they had been on this journey. This meant that my work had emotional power, a significant marker in my development as an artist.

The show continues at Loop Gallery until February 13, 2011. I will be at the gallery on Saturday, January 29th at 3 pm for a Question and Answer session moderated by installation artist, teacher and friend Lyla Rye.

Ingrid Mida and Lyla Rye at Loop Gallery