KYLE CHOY W R I T T E N BY
R YA N J. M I T C H ELL
An internal reflexivity permeates the work of Kyle Choy.
ers when they realize that the soft fabric of a mattress has
Each discrete element that composes a piece questions the
been replaced with hard foam or a reading lamp is an
nature of the work itself, asking viewers to investigate what
inoperable imitation of some other object. This unpredictable
it is they are actually seeing. A cast of a tree trunk, for
quality draws viewers closer to the work and invites
example, appears true to its model until one notices a
them to investigate its construction, its varied textures,
set of eyes etched into the bark. The folds of a bedsheet
the pieces rooted in reality and those drawn from a world
in disarray rendered in solid paint deceive the eye into
of illusions. Choy seems to understand viewers’ desire to
believing they are fabric until one comes within inches of
look their way through the process of defining his pieces
the sculpture. Choy situates his work between image and
and comprehending how each element creates the
illusion, crafting scenes and objects that defy any singular
whole. The artist defeats their attempts at comprehension
defining narrative or material. His manipulations of wax,
by changing the placement of a work’s different parts or
foam, and acrylic coalesce into phantasmagoric branches
grafting a section of one work onto another, thus ensuring
that ensnare a canvas, and seemingly mundane objects
that each piece remains undefinable, an occupant of
such as an unmade bed or a bedside table destabilize view
spaces in-between with the ambiguity to provoke fascination and confusion
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TYLER SCHOOL OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE MASTER OF FINE ARTS CATALOG 2022