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As co-founder of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, I am always excited to see how the festival has developed from its humble beginnings. With the entire month of May full of hundreds of photography exhibits and events around Toronto, we have picked some of our favourite exhibits to share with you before this amazing festival comes to a close.
It’s always a pleasure to visit the galleries on Morrow Ave. This hidden gem in the city’s West end is home to some of Toronto’s best galleries and coincidentally two of CONTACT’s best shows. The exhibit No Man's Land by Canadian based photographer Lynne Cohen, takes place at Olga Korper's stunning space, this intelligent and visually striking exhibit is one of our favourites. The work explores a variety of interior spaces which are visually devoid of physical beings but are filled with human presence.
Just a few steps away is Peak Gallery run by the always interesting curator Zack Pospieszynski, featuring returning artist Andrew Wright. His exhibit CORONAE again shows the intelligence and talent of this hidden space and the artists represented. Wright, an artist based in Ottawa continually questions the medium of photography, for CORONAE the artist has taken roles of 35mm film and punctured a single whole in the film canister. The images created are stunning visual compositions in colour and light - creating a new way of thinking about techniques in this medium.
Finally, featuring the work of four international artists, MOCCA’s Dynamic Landscape doesn’t disappoint. Always a highlight of the CONTACT festival, this years presentation is as strong as years past exhibiting the work of artist’s Viviane Sassen, Scarlett Hooft Graafland, Olga Chagaoutdinova, and Dayanita Singh. The artists explore the contentious relationship we as humans have with nature – and the way we interact with it.
When at MOCCA don’t miss the amazing retrospective of Fred Herzog. Organized by the National Gallery of Canada this exhibit examines the work of what The Globe and Mail describes "...as an often under appreciated gem to Canadian photography".
The Scotiabank CONTACT closing party will take place next Tuesday, May 31st at The Spoke Club where you can join CONTACT staff, photographers, artists and guests to celebrate the close of this important festival and where the recipient of the $5000 BMW Exhibition Prize will be announced.
*Image Credit
Fred Herzog, Blank Man Pender, 1958.
Photo courtesy of Equinox Gallery