Diyar Mayil

Diyar Mayil is an artist working in sculpture, installation and performance. Her work addresses issues of comfort, discomfort, adaptation and acceptance of different bodies in public and private contexts.  She is the Laureate for the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellowship (2022) in Contemporary Art and the recipient of Liz Crockford Award (2023). Her work has been supported by Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts de Montréal and has been shown at La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse, Printemps numérique, Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, NARS Foundation in NYC , Centre Clark and Circa Art Actuel in MTL. Upcoming commitments include Solo exhibitions at Articule and FoFA Gallery in Montréal. She holds a BFA and MFA from Concordia University. Originally from Istanbul, she now lives and works in Montreal.

My sculptural works and performances begin with the body. Most recognizable yet mysterious, the body is highly political. I work with the themes of alienation and subtlety to explore the intersection of the human body and politics. Conceptually and materially conflating familiar with strange, gentle with perilous, I am interested in evoking associations of both comfort and discomfort. My hope is to create an intuitive dialogue between the viewer and my work that might translate into new bodily orientations and sensibilities.