NYC Art Review

There’s a certain thrill in discovering an artist just before they blow up. It’s the art world’s equivalent of catching a band in a basement before they’re headlining festivals; that moment when instinct overrides hype. Right now, that moment belongs to Tay Byers.

She’s not yet a household name in the New York art scene, but she’s already buzzing in the right rooms. And her story is the kind of enigmatic, unexpected narrative that turns curiosity into cultural momentum. After nearly a decade working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, Byers vanished from public life in 2020. What followed was a five-year hiatus marked by silence, transformation, and, as we’re now seeing, reinvention.

Now, seemingly overnight, she’s resurfaced in New York City not as an actress or filmmaker, but as a visual artist. Her debut project, The Between, opens November 6 in a private Midtown gallery space. If that name rings no bells yet, it will soon. Early word is that the work is both emotionally arresting and technically bold. It’s reported to be an immersive experience combining spatial audio, installation, and mixed-media works designed to evoke the feeling of liminality: the suspended state between life and death, presence and absence, anticipation and loss.

This isn’t just a new project. It’s a new medium, a new voice, and a new emotional register.

What makes Byers’s work particularly striking is how deeply it’s rooted in personal experience. In press materials, she describes The Between as having been catalyzed by the loss of her brother in 2023 after a prolonged coma. That grief, unprocessed, cyclical, anticipatory, forms the emotional core of the work. Where her former career revolved around narrative and performance, her current approach invites viewers to occupy emotional states directly. You don’t watch her work. You feel it around you.

And yet, despite the potency of her vision, Byers remains largely under the radar…for now. That’s partly due to timing; five years away from the public eye has meant no exhibitions, no festival circuits, no gradual ascent. She didn’t climb the usual ladder. She built a new one. Her shift from Hollywood-adjacent spaces into fine art is uncommon and, to some in traditional circles, perhaps even unclassifiable. Is she a filmmaker turned visual artist? A conceptualist with a background in narrative? A storyteller working with materials instead of scripts?

The answer might be yes to all of the above, and that complexity is part of the appeal. For those paying attention, it also signals a very rare thing: the opportunity to engage with a rising artist not after the press has declared her “one to watch,” but just before. Her debut exhibition is intimate by design: one night only, timed entry, with capacity limited to preserve the immersive experience. No fanfare. No big gallery debut. Just the work, the space, and a select group of people curious enough to lean in early.

That makes The Between less of an art event and more of a cultural litmus test: are you paying attention to what’s next? Can you spot the shift before the system catches up?

For those in curatorial, collector, or press circles, this is the moment to take note. Not because of a viral moment or a big-name backer, but because the work demands it.

There’s a richness and maturity here that defies the usual “emerging artist” label.

This isn’t the beginning of an artistic journey. It’s the unveiling of one that’s been quietly developing under the surface for years.

Byers has kept a low profile leading up to the exhibition, choosing to let the work speak first. Those close to the project describe her approach as intentional and introspective, shaping an experience that’s less about spectacle and more about resonance. Early glimpses of the process suggest a practice that’s careful, layered, and precise- much like the artist herself.

If you’re looking for the next art-world story before it hits the headlines, this could be it. Tay Byers isn’t just arriving, she’s re-emerging. And this time, she’s speaking in a new language entirely.

Our full review of The Between will be posted after the November 6th exhibit, so mark your calendars and return here or subscribe to be notified instantly to hear our thoughts on this promising newcomer.