ABOUT RIAL RYE
Rial Rye (b. 1987) is a self-taught, Atlanta-based artist whose work examines how historical record-keeping systems privilege those whose identities fit within their taxonomies. As a queer multiracial person, Rye uses an autoethnographic approach to challenge the primacy of institutionally recognized systems of legacy creation — including procreation, surname inheritance, and land ownership — which have been, and continue to be, systemically denied to queer, femme, and BIPOC individuals. Rye’s work blurs traditional artistic classifications, employing ancient, contemporary, and futuristic aesthetics to retroactively construct an artifactual history in which to situate his work’s present and project it into the future, while unapologetically using his own name as a visual element and guerrilla method of documenting his existence. 
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Rye is a resident artist at the Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center. His work has been displayed in diverse venues across the United States, including solo and duo exhibitions at ArtPrize 2023, The Creative Arts Guild of Georgia, and The Artistry Workshops & Gallery, and group exhibitions hosted by The Coca-Cola Company, The Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, Steffen Thomas Museum of Art, ArtFields 2024, The Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Furman University, Agnes Scott College, Swan Coach House Gallery, and The City of South Fulton. He has been the topic of numerous articles in popular press, including a feature on Atlanta artists to watch in Whitehot Magazine, one of the world's leading arts publications, and a cover story by The Georgia Voice, the southeast's premier LGBTQ+ media outlet.
CURRICULUM VITAE
SOLO & DUO EXHIBITIONS
  • [2026] Title TBA. Lyndon House Arts Center. Athens, Georgia, United States.
  • [2025] All These Mixed Emotions. The City of Madison Public Arts Commission. Madison, Georgia, United States.
  • [2025] Title TBA; with Emmanuelle Chammah. Spruill Center for the Arts. Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] Artifacts of What?. The Artistry Workshops and Gallery. Greenville, South Carolina, United States.
  • [2023] New Works; with Jeffrey Wilcox Paclipan. ArtPrize 2023. Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States.
  • [2023] Rial Rye, Celebrating International Sculpture Day. The Creative Arts Guild of Georgia. Dalton, Georgia, United States
  • [2017] Birds of a Feather; with Räkan Smith. The Artistry Workshops and Gallery. Greenville, South Carolina, United States.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
  • [2024] Patterns of Place. Inaugural Atlanta Art Fair. Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] 42nd Annual Juried Competition. Pickens County Museum of Art & History. Pickens, South Carolina, United States.
  • [2024] Found Family. Thompson Gallery of Art at Furman University. Greenville, South Carolina, United States.
  • [2024] Mayor's Pride Exhibit. The Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] Queer Perspectives. Steffen Thomas Museum of Art. Buckhead, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] Midtown Atlanta Outdoor Art Gallery. Midtown Alliance. Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] Colors of Love. Coca-Cola International Headquarters. Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] Inauguration of the Avondale Arts Center. Avondale Arts Alliance. Avondale Estates, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] & yet again & again. Agnes Scott College. Decatur, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] Mpingo (Swahili: "Ebony Wood"). South Fulton Southwest Arts Center. South Fulton, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] AF24 Competition. ArtFields. Lake City, South Carolina, United States.
  • [2023] Little Things. Swan Coach House Gallery. Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
  • [2023] Mayor's Pride Exhibit. The Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
  • [2023] Festival of Fine Arts. The Creative Arts Guild of Georgia. Dalton, Georgia, United States.
  • [2023] A Collection of Queer Art. Avondale Arts Alliance. Avondale Estates, Georgia, United States.
  • [2023] Metro Montage XXIII. Marietta Cobb Museum of Art. Marietta, Georgia, United States.
  • [2023] Second Chances for Art. South River Art Studios, Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
  • [2017] Arts Underground. The Studio Unknown. Greenville, South Carolina, United States.
RESIDENCIES & AWARDS
  • [2025] Public Arts Grant. The City of Madison Public Arts Commission. Madison, Georgia, United States. 
  • [2023-Present] Studio Artist Program. The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
  • [2023] Best 3D Work; Festival of Fine Arts. The Creative Arts Guild of Georgia. Dalton, Georgia, United States.
  • [2022] Runner-Up, Creative Professionals; Scarecrows in the Garden. Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
​SELECTED PRESS
  • [2024] Rattlesnake Art Magazine. The Art of Rial Rye. By Leah Smolin and Joseph Smolin.
  • [2024] The Greenville Journal. The Artistry to Host 'Artifacts of What?' Exhibit. By Jeannie Putnam. Article Link.
  • [2023] Whitehot Magazine. New York Who? Spotlight on Rial Rye, Ellex Swavoni and Wihro Kim - 3 Hot Atlanta-Based Artists Featured in Atlanta Art Week, 2023. By Clare Gemima. Article Link.
  • [2023] (Cover Story) The Georgia Voice. Feeling Comfortable Being Uncomfortable with Rial Rye. By Adalei Stevens. Article Link.
  • [2023] Rough Draft Atlanta. Duality on Display: The Artwork of Rial Rye. By Isadora Pennington. Article Link.
CURATORIAL EXPERIENCE
  • [2024] Atlanta Imported. The Creative Arts Guild of Georgia. Dalton, Georgia, United States.
INVITED TALKS
  • [2024] Black and LGBTQ+ in the South. ​Steffen Thomas Museum of Art. Buckhead, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] We Are Magic: Exploring the Aesthetics of Biracialism and Otherness. Chit Chat Club at The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] Neurodiversity in the Arts. The Haugabrooks Funeral Home Historical Site. Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
  • [2024] Hambidge Silent Art Auction. The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences. Rabun Gap, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] Accessibility Benefit Auction. The Leather Archives and Museum. Chicago, Illinois, United States.
  • [2024] Founders Day Auction. Steffen Thomas Museum of Art. Buckhead, Georgia, United States.
  • [2024] Fine Arts Ball Auction. Greenville Museum of Art. Greenville, North Carolina, United States.
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