Meet Rial Rye | Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rial Rye and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rial, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my success as an artist has been having a supportive community of artists around me. For me, creating art is all about expressing emotions, thoughts, and feelings that I might not be able to express in other forms. And often it is a very vulnerable feeling to put your inner world onto canvas for the world to see. But, when you have a community that you know you can count on to understand where you’re coming from, it makes it much easier to lean into that vulnerability and create from a place of authentic expression.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a queer, multi-racial man of Enslaved African, Native American, and Ashkenazi Jewish descent, I’ve never quite fit into any of the molds that society tries to put us each into. I spent much of my youth as a bit of a nomad; I moved from California to Nevada, to Washington, and to Illinois, before settling in Greenville, South Carolina as a young teen. Every time I relocated, I felt the need to strategically disclose and conceal different aspects of my multiple identities to new audiences, in order to be accepted. My work is inspired by those experiences of transgressing racial and gender binaries and the paradox of simultaneous isolation and belonging inherent in being of many communities and of none. That is why I blend stylistic elements from the Cubist and Surrealist art movements, to blur traditional boundaries both aesthetically and thematically. I get excited when viewers see something in my art that I hadn’t seen myself, because it makes me feel like my art has connected with someone that may have shared those same experiences that I had.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite place in the city is the Atlanta Botanical Garden, inside of Piedmont Park. The natural beauty of the flowers, mixed with the rotating art exhibits, and staples like the Earth Goddess sculpture never fail to inspire me. As a child I loved to read, and one of my favorite books was Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. The Botanical Garden is as close as I’ve ever come to finding my own. Nothing is better than walking through the Botanical Garden after grabbing weekend brunch at Henry’s on 10th.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Someone who deserves a special shoutout is Jeffrey Wilcox Paclipan. I reached out to Jeffrey on Instagram when I first moved to Atlanta, because I admired his art and was seeking advice about the art scene here. Even though we didn’t know each other, he was so incredibly supportive and went above and beyond to meet with me, introduce me to other artists, show me studio spaces, and help me get familiar with the city. His support was pivotal to me becoming comfortable in Atlanta, to embrace my identity as an artist, and to express my creativity to its fullest. I’m so glad that I reached out to him, because he’s become a wonderful mentor and true friend. Thank you, Jeffrey!

Website: rialrye.com

Instagram: @rial_rye

Facebook: facebook.com/people/Rial-Rye/

Other: TikTok: @rialrye