White Elephant, 2021, detail. Aluminum, polystyrene, porcelain, underglaze, synthetic hair, epoxy, textiles, motor, electronics. 244 cm x 152 x 212 cm. A gigantic seated figure in bespoke white knitted sweater and woolen trousers, with a porcelain head that rapidly spins 360 degrees when triggered by motion detector. Commissioned by Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area (CAFKA) for their 2021 public sculpture biennial. White Elephant is inspired by the artist’s investigation into the historical moment of racial recognition in Canadian (and world) culture, in particular, Canada’s grappling with its white supremacist/colonial settler history and our currently evolving comprehension of what it means to be “white.” https://www.cafka.org/cafka21/shary-boyle-toronto-white-elephant

White Elephant, 2021, detail

White Elephant, 2021, detail

White Elephant, 2021, head rotating 360 degrees

White Elephant, 2021, detail, head rotating 360 degrees

White Elephant, 2021. Artist combing sculpture’s hair with brush on extension pole

Cracked Wheat, 2018. Created for the front grounds of the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada. Ceramic, steel, fiberglass, bronze. 275 cm x 122 cm x 122 cm

Cracked Wheat, 2018. Created for the front grounds of the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada. Ceramic, steel, fiberglass, bronze. 275 cm x 122 cm x 122 cm

Cracked Wheat, 2018. Created for the front grounds of the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada. Ceramic, steel, fiberglass, bronze. 275 cm x 122 cm x 122 cm

Cracked Wheat, 2018. Created for the front grounds of the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada. Ceramic, steel, fiberglass, bronze. 275 cm x 122 cm x 122 cm

Cracked Wheat, 2018. Created for the front grounds of the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada. Ceramic, steel, fiberglass, bronze. 275 cm x 122 cm x 122 cm

Cracked Wheat, 2018. Created for the front grounds of the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada. Ceramic, steel, fiberglass, bronze. 275 cm x 122 cm x 122 cm

Sea Change, 2015. For the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, in response to their Inuit Art Collection. Porcelain, china paint, luster, plexiglass. 60 x 40 x 40 cm

Sea Change, 2015. For the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, in response to their Inuit Art Collection. Porcelain, china paint, luster, plexiglass. 60 x 40 x 40 cm

Sea Change, 2015. For the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, in response to their Inuit Art Collection. Porcelain, china paint, luster, plexiglass. 60 x 40 x 40 cm

Sea Change, 2015. For the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, in response to their Inuit Art Collection. Porcelain, china paint, luster, plexiglass. 60 x 40 x 40 cm

Buttermint Equilux, 2012. For Louis Vuitton Maison, Toronto, ON, CA. Five slip-cast, lace-draped porcelain figurines, installed with custom turned-wood pedestals and velvet stage curtains. Installation dimensions approximately 187 x 215 x 60 cm.

Buttermint Equilux, 2012. Installation view. For Louis Vuitton Maison, Toronto, ON, CA. Five slip-cast, lace-draped porcelain figurines, installed with custom turned-wood pedestals and velvet stage curtains. Installation dimensions approximately 187 x 215 x 60 cm.

Buttermint Equilux, 2012. Installation detail, Little Green Bat. For Louis Vuitton Maison, Toronto, ON, CA. Five slip-cast, lace-draped porcelain figurines, installed with custom turned-wood pedestals and velvet stage curtains. Installation dimensions approximately 187 x 215 x 60 cm.

Canadian Artist, 2012. Installation, website and poster for the Bank of Montreal Project Room, Toronto, CA. 44 plaster bas-relief portrait busts and a single porcelain portrait in a ‘family tree’ formation. Each invented bloodline of five represented generations is represented by a coloured silk ribbon, and can be traced through its individual genetic course to the central subject. Installation: plaster, gold leaf, porcelain, hair, ribbon. Dimensions variable, approx. 300 x 210 x 20 cm. Integral website component: www.canadian-artist.ca

Canadian Artist, 2012. Poster design by Lisa Kiss. For the Bank of Montreal Project Room, Toronto, CA.

Canadian Artist, 2012. Installation detail. For the Bank of Montreal Project Room, Toronto, CA. Plaster, gold leaf, porcelain, hair, ribbon.

Canadian Artist, 2012. Installation detail. For the Bank of Montreal Project Room, Toronto, CA. Plaster, gold leaf, porcelain, hair, ribbon.

Canadian Artist, 2012. Installation detail. For the Bank of Montreal Project Room, Toronto, CA. Plaster, gold leaf, porcelain, hair, ribbon.

Canadian Artist, 2012. Installation detail. For the Bank of Montreal Project Room, Toronto, CA. Plaster, gold leaf, porcelain, hair, ribbon.

The Rejection of Pluto, 2008. For the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, CA. In response to the Florentine artist Giovanni Battista Foggini’s (1652–1725) bronze sculpture from the AGO collection, “The Rape of Proserpine by Pluto”. Porcelain, china paint, lustre, mirror, LED lights. 20 × 25 × 36 cm

The Rejection of Pluto, 2008. Detail. For the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, CA. Porcelain, china paint, lustre, mirror, LED lights. 20 × 25 × 36 cm

The Rejection of Pluto, 2008. Detail. For the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, CA. Porcelain, china paint, lustre, mirror, LED lights. 20 × 25 × 36 cm

The Rejection of Pluto, 2008. Detail. For the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, CA. Porcelain, china paint, lustre, mirror, LED lights. 20 × 25 × 36 cm

To Colonize the Moon, 2008. In response to the Florentine artist Giovanni Battista Foggini’s (1652–1725) bronze sculpture from the AGO collection, “Perseus Slaying Medusa”. Porcelain, china paint, lustre, diamond, mirror. 25 × 29 × 40 cm

To Colonize the Moon, 2008. Detail. For the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, CA. Porcelain, china paint, lustre, diamond, mirror. 25 × 29 × 40 cm

To Colonize the Moon, 2008. Detail. For the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, CA. Porcelain, china paint, lustre, diamond, mirror. 25 × 29 × 40 cm