The Deceiving Eye

Saturday, September 23, 7 pm – 7 am, Open Studio shop window installation.

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The Deceiving Eye is an experimental animation composed of cyanotype prints. The video features a non-narrative series of short, looping vignettes inspired by phenakistoscopes (early, analog animation devices that were circular). These abstract sequences play on motifs related to nature, the body, personal fantasy and technology. Blending print media and animation, the piece reflects on both the wonder and tension around technology in our contemporary moment.

Siu’s approach to animation incorporates visuals from diverse techniques including hand-cut paper, painted strokes, nature forms, internet sources, and AI generation. By combining hand and machine made processes, unexpected imagery manifests in the poetic language of cyanotype. Through the expressiveness of this medium and approach, Siu creates a personal lens that anchors the contrast between the digital and the physical within a softer, more intimate perspective.

The artwork title is drawn from the English translation of “Phenakistoscope” which derives from its use of optical illusion to produce the effect of animation. Through advances in print media, phenakistoscopes became widely available to the public in the 19th century. These technologies introduced mass audiences to animation for the first time – unfolding new ways of imagining our world. Inspired by this, The Deceiving Eye references phenakistoscopes as a symbolic metaphor for the mysterious possibilities and new questions technology arises.

Image (detail): Shop Window installation, Ron Siu, The Deceiving Eye, 2023, animation composed of cyanotype prints.

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Ron Siu is an artist currently based in Tkaronto (Toronto), Canada. He graduated with his BFA in Drawing & Painting at OCAD University in 2019. Working expansively, Siu’s practice incorporates elements of printmaking, painting and experimental animation. Through these diverse media approaches, Siu explores themes of fantasy, desire and imagination, often through a Queer lens. His work has been shown in exhibitions across Canada and internationally in the UK and Germany. Siu has also participated in multiple residencies, including being an artist-in-residence at Centre[3] in Hamilton and Atelier Circulaire in Montreal.

Please note that this is a window installation and the studio and galleries will be closed during the event. The installation will be visible to the public through Open Studio’s Shop window.