Canadian and international artists will
present a diversity of lens-based projects in public spaces
starting in May and in museums and galleries through 2021 as health
restrictions permit
TORONTO, April 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, the Scotiabank
CONTACT Photography Festival announced the full program for its
25th edition of the city-wide event. Every year, CONTACT enlivens
greater Toronto with photo-based
exhibitions and outdoor installations by Canadian and international
artists. CONTACT is presenting a diverse slate of powerful projects
and virtual features that dynamically engage viewers during these
challenging times. This year's Festival extends beyond its
customary month-long event in May to roll out programming
throughout the year, as it responds to fluctuating public health
guidelines. Full details are now available on CONTACT's redesigned
website, including insightful photo essays for each of the 41
projects in its Core Program.
All indoor exhibitions planned for May will open later in the
year, as government guidelines related to the COVID-19
pandemic permit. Artists featured in Core Program exhibitions at
artist-run-centres, galleries, and museums include: Laia Abril, Dawoud
Bey, Persijn Broersen & Margit Lukács,
Fatma Bucak, Dana Claxton, Nicole
Coon, Jenni Crain,
Susan Dobson, John Edmonds, nichola feldman-kiss, Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, Timothy Yanick Hunter, Onyeka Igwe, Emmanuelle Léonard, Christina Leslie, Wardell Milan, Sebastein
Miller, Chris Myhr,
Bidemi Oloyede, Jon Sasaki,
Krista Belle Stewart, Miao Ying,
Rehana Zaman, and
Tereza Zelenkova. Toronto
Photo Laureate and artist Michèle Pearson Clarke is curating a group
exhibition featuring works by Nicholas
Aiden, Lacie Burning, Séamus Gallagher, Tom Hsu, Christopher
Lacroix, Wynne Neilly &
Kyle Lasky, Isabel Okoro, Michelle
Panting, and Brianna
Roye.
A selection of Core Program outdoor projects will be on view as
of May 1 in spaces across the city,
adhering to public health regulations, with other installations'
dates to be confirmed, pending government lockdown guidelines.
Artists presenting Core Program outdoor projects include:
Sara Angelucci, Jeff Bierk & Jimmy
James Evans, Dayna Danger,
Gohar Dashti, Max Dean, Kim
Hoeckele, Sasha Huber,
Lili Huston-Herterich, Vid Ingelevics & Ryan Walker, Leyla
Jeyte, Aaron Jones,
Erik Kessels & Thomas Mailaender, Luther Konadu, Esmond
Lee, Ange Loft, Peter Morin, Esmaa Mohamoud, Ebti Nabag,
Taiyo Onorato & Nico Krebs, Frida
Orupabo, Andrew
Savery-Whiteway, Thirza
Schaap, Fallon Simard,
Skawennati, Greg Staats,
Malgorzata Stankiewicz, and
McAlister Zeller-Newman.
Winners of the 2020 and 2021 New Generation Photography
Award, recognizing outstanding photographic imagery by emerging
Canadian lens-based artists age 35 and under, are Dustin Brons, Chris
Donovan, Noah Friebel,
Dainesha Nugent-Palache, Curtiss Randolph, and Katherine
Takpannie, whose works will be featured in an outdoor
installation at Ryerson University.
Click here for further information.
"Collaborating with artists and cultural partners across greater
Toronto, CONTACT affirms artists'
roles in building awareness and stimulating meaningful dialogue
about important issues, whether individual, collective, or global.
Many 2021 projects envision more inclusive realities and honour
diverse voices—visually transporting viewers to places of
understanding, empathy, and resilience," said CONTACT Executive
Director Darcy Killeen.
In addition to CONTACT's Core Program, Juried Call
Exhibitions are planned at established galleries,
and Open Call Exhibitions present work by emerging artists at
galleries and alternative locations across the city. Several of
these exhibitions can be seen outdoors, in storefront windows, or
virtually, while other venues plan to safely welcome visitors by
appointment as government guidelines permit. Visit CONTACT's
website for regular updates, and check venues' websites or call
ahead for the most accurate information on public hours or
closures.
While CONTACT is not currently planning any onsite events or
gatherings this year, it is offering new ways to engage with the
Festival on its redesigned website, with virtual exhibitions,
conversations, workshops, and more, throughout the month of May and
beyond. For the first time, the website will feature brief audio
talks about selected outdoor installations, providing unique
insights into the projects as described by the artist(s) and/or
curators. QR codes posted at selected sites will connect visitors
directly to these audio tracks, making them accessible both on
location and from home.
Highlights of the Core Program outdoor projects opening
May 1 include:
Jeff Bierk & Jimmy James Evans, For Jimmy
Billboards at Dupont St/Emerson Ave
& Dupont St/Perth Ave, May 1 –
30
With a practice grounded in respect and consent, Toronto artist Jeff
Bierk creates images evolving from an ongoing collaboration
with his close friends who live on the city's streets, highlighting
the strength and resilience of this community. Bierk presents
billboard-sized portraits honouring his friend Jimmy James Evans, one of his earliest and
closest collaborators.
Kim Hoeckele, epoch, stage,
shell
Billboards at Dupont St/Dovercourt Rd & College St/Dovercourt
Rd, May 1 – 30
New York-based artist Kim Hoeckele confronts viewers with her nude
body which echoes moments shaping the Western art-historical canon
and notions of beauty. She proposes a messier standard: one mixed,
eroded, and patched together. Hoeckele's billboard photomontages
challenge viewers to consider the psychological violence caused by
the idealization of women's bodies.
Lili Huston-Herterich, A
Room with Four People
Billboards at
Runnymede Rd/Ryding Ave, May 1 –
30
Rotterdam-based artist Lili
Huston-Heterich presents a series of photographs drawing on methods
of character and narrative development through the arrangement of
found clothing as bodily forms. Each image represents one
character, with their name and characteristics presented as
overlaid text, with typefaces mimicing the signs of local
businesses. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition In an
Archipelago, at nearby Pumice Raft.
Thirza Schaap, Plastic
Ocean
Davisville Subway Station, May 1 –
30
Dutch artist Thirza Schaap addresses
the global plight of plastic waste in the world's oceans.
Positioned along the Davisville subway platform, her images of
carefully composed sculptures appear beautiful and delicate but on
closer inspection reveal they are constructed from bits of
scavenged plastic the artist has found along the seashore.
Check the CONTACT website for updates on when additional outdoor
projects will be on view in the coming the months. Highlights
include:
Esmaa Mohamoud, The Brotherhood FUBU (For Us, By
Us)
Westin Harbour Castle Conference
Center, on display through 2023
Focusing on the physical connection between Black male bodies by
amplifying the symbol of the durag, Esmaa Mohamoud confronts the
dynamics of gender and race. Her massive photographic mural, the
first phase of a two-part commissioned project, asserts a
commanding occupation of public space. Foregrounding two men within
an expansive scene, the Toronto-
and Markham-based artist opens a
powerful dialogue about systemic inequity while signaling positive
change.
Group Exhibition, Force
Field
Fort York National Historic Site,
Garrison Common
Force Field is an Indigiqueer, immersive intervention
within the Fort York National Historic site in Tkaron:to, featuring
images by Dayna Danger
(Métis/Saulteaux/Polish), Ange Loft
(Kahnawake Mohawk), Peter Morin
(Talhtan Nation), and Fallon Simard
(Anishinaabe-Metis). Through a series of curved panoramic
billboards arranged in a circular formation, the installation draws
inspiration from a medicine wheel, as each artist responds to one
of the four directions and their associated natural elements.
Frida Orupabo, Woman with
book / Woman with snake
460 King Street West North
façade
Exploring questions of race, gender, culture, class, and their
complex intersections, Frida Orupabo
fuses varied archival materials to question colonial and modern
representations of Black womanhood. Positioned on the façade of a
Victorian-era building, monumental images by the Oslo-based, Nigerian-Norwegian artist portray
Black women's bodies as sites of knowledge and empowerment.
Skawennati, Calico & Camouflage: Assemble!
Yonge-Dundas Square
Working within the 3D virtual realm, Tiohtia:ke/Montreal-based Mohawk artist Skawennati
creates projects that posit Indigenous futures. In Calico
& Camouflage: Assemble!, a new site-responsive
installation, cyberpunk activist avatars reinforce the fusion of
personal fashion and protest. Occupying digital screens and
concrete columns at Yonge-Dundas Square, they powerfully uphold
Indigenous presence in Tkaron:to/Toronto.
Max Dean, McAlister Zeller-Newman, Andrew Savery-Whiteway and Chris Hampton, Still—Your Bubble
With a trailer transformed into a mobile photo studio, this
new public art project by Toronto
artists Max Dean, McAlister Zeller-Newman, Andrew Savery-Whiteway, and writer Chris Hampton is inspired by the itinerant
photographers of the 19th century. The studio will travel across
the city, inviting the public into the trailer to have their
picture taken and processed, with the photographs serving as
mementos. To ensure social distancing, the role of photographer has
been taken over by animatronic figures known as 'Andy and the
lads.' Visit the CONTACT website for details about where and when
to see the mobile trailer.
CONTACT is also co-presenting the Hot Docs screening of
Still Max, April 29, 10
a.m.– noon - Directed by Katherine
Knight.
Facing a cancer diagnosis, multidisciplinary artist Max Dean asks, "How do we fix ourselves?"
Discarded animatronic figures from a decommissioned Ontario Place
attraction and wild imagination drive this vivid journey of
resilience and creativity in the face of illness. Purchase Hot Docs
Festival tickets online here.
CONTACT will offer a variety of virtual programs beginning in
May and continuing throughout 2021.
Virtual Exhibitions showcase over 20 juried and open-call
solo and group exhibitions on view May
1, including:
Laura Kay Keeling, The
Advantages of Tender Loving Care
Examining
aspects of reciprocal care, Keeling seeks to understand how people
form connections with each other and with nature, and how they
capture and cherish memories and moments in time. This exhibition
features the first in Keeling's new series of moving images and
collages that merge sourced imagery with scanned floral
elements.
Maximum Exposure 2021
Maximum
Exposure the annual capstone exhibition for Ryerson University's School of Image Arts, features
innovative work by 200+ emerging artists working in photography,
video, and digital media. This year's Max Ex also
includes its first ever public art installation, an image wrap
installed on the IMA building, at the centre of the university's
campus at Gould and Bond streets in Toronto.
2021 Sheridan Honours Bachelor of Photography Graduating
Class, GRADWORK
GRADWORK highlights diverse perceptions of the conceptual,
technical, and aesthetic possibilities of photography as a
professional medium. In addition to the virtual exhibition, work of
the 2021 graduates will also be displayed outdoors in Toronto's downtown west end. Clickhere for
information about locations.
Martha Davis, DREAM SCENES:
SENIORS ON THE GREEN SCREEN
Senior citizens collaborate with photographic artist Davis to
create their "dream scene" using the magic of green-screen
photography. In doing so, they fulfill long-held fantasies,
virtually. Engage with these feisty seniors as they meet royalty,
go on safari, walk a tightrope, hobnob with celebs, ride a bucking
bronco, "diss" politicians, and much more. 92 is the new 29!
Conversations– artists and curators discuss their CONTACT
projects online. Highlights include:
McMichael Canadian Art
Collection: Celebrating the Group of Seven with Jon
Sasaki and Sarah
Milroy, May 7, 3–4
p.m.
Sarah Milroy, Chief Curator,
McMichael Canadian Art Collection,
in conversation with Toronto-based
artist Jon Sasaki on the 101-year anniversary of the Group of
Seven's first exhibition, discuss reframing the genre of landscape
painting through the lens of photography. Moderated by Jennifer Withrow, Head of Exhibitions &
Publications, McMichael Canadian Art
Collection, this virtual talk will mark the opening of the
exhibition Jon Sasaki: Homage.
Thirza Schaap in conversation
with Sara Knelman,
May 8, 1–2 p.m.
A conversation between photographer Thirza Schaap and
curator Sara Knelman, presented in conjunction with Schaap's
project Plastic Ocean at Davisville Subway
Station.
Erik Kessels &
Thomas Mailaender in
conversation, May 14, 1–2
p.m.
www.eventbrite.ca
Erik Kessels and Thomas Mailaender discuss their collaborative
artistic practice and use of re-appropriated images in relation to
their outdoor installation Play Public, presented
at The Bentway's Canoe Landing site.
IMAGE/IMAGINE(ING) A WILD GARDEN: Sara Angelucci in conversation with Charlie Briggs May 26, 12–1 p.m.
Artist Sara Angelucci discusses her upcoming public
installation Botanica Colossi at the Peel Art
Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA) with horticulturalist and
arborist Charlie Briggs. In her project Nocturnal
Botanical Ontario, Angelucci images plants that grow in
the Pretty River Valley in southern Ontario, surrounded by the
Niagara escarpment and a provincial park. Her compositions uncover
the ecological impacts of settler colonialism and global trade.
Virtual Workshops – online instruction in photography,
film developing, photobook design and production, and portfolio
mapping by professional photographers and publishers. Highlights
include:
Self Publish Be Happy presents: How To Design a Photobook
with Brian Paul Lamotte,
May 29, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
Gallery 44 presents: Liz
Ikiriko – Field of Vision – Mapping the Portfolio,
May 29, 1–3 p.m.
eventbrite.ca
25th Anniversary Partners
CONTACT's 2021
Core Program is developed through collaborations with partners
across Toronto, including: A Space
Gallery; Aga Khan Museum; Art
Gallery of Ontario; ArtworxTO: Toronto's Year of Public Art 2021–2022; BAND
Gallery; The Bentway Conservancy; Brookfield Place; Campbell House Museum;
City of Toronto; Doris McCarthy Gallery; Fort York National
Historic Site; Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography;
Gallery TPW; Harbourfront Centre; John B.
Aird Gallery; Justina M. Barnicke
Gallery, Art Museum at the University
of Toronto; Koffler Gallery;
McMichael Canadian Art Collection;
Mercer Union, a centre for contemporary art; MOCA Toronto; National
Gallery of Canada; Peel Art
Gallery, Museum and Archives; The Power Plant Contemporary Art
Gallery; Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art; Pumice Raft; Ryerson
Image Centre; Scotiabank Photography Award; Todmorden Mills
Heritage Site; Trinity Square Video; Waterfront Toronto; The Westin
Harbour Castle; and Yonge-Dundas Square.
CONTACT gratefully acknowledges the support of ArtworxTO, Canada
Council for the Arts, Institut Français, Istituto Italiano di
Cultura, La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso, Mondriaan Fund, Ontario
Arts Council, Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Partners in Art,
Pro Helvetia, Toronto Arts Council, and all funders, donors, and
program partners.
About Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival
CONTACT
fosters and celebrates photography with its annual Festival across
greater Toronto in May and
year-round programming in the CONTACT Gallery. CONTACT presents
lens-based works by acclaimed and emerging artists, documentary
photographers, and photojournalists from Canada and around the
world. The Core Program includes primary
exhibitions (collaborations with major museums, galleries, and
artist-run centers) and public installations (site-specific public
art projects). These are cultivated through partnerships,
commissions, and new discoveries, framing the cultural, social, and
political events of our times. The Juried Call and Open Call
exhibitions present a range of works by local and international
artists at leading galleries and alternative spaces across the
city. CONTACT presents a wide range of programs including a
book fair, lectures, talks, panels, workshops, and symposia during
the Festival and hosts exhibitions and programs at its Gallery
throughout the year. The Festival is free and open to the public,
with some exceptions at major museums.
CONTACT, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997, is
generously supported by its title sponsor Scotiabank, and Scotia
Wealth Management, as well as 3M
Canada, NIKON Canada, Beyond
Digital Imaging, BIG Digital, Four By Eight Signs, Pattison Outdoor
Advertising, Toronto Image Works, and Transcontinental PLM. Media
Partners: Akimbo Aperture, Art Papers, Artdaily, Artnet, ARTnews,
Blog TO, British Journal of Photography, Canadian Art, CBC Toronto,
Contemporary And, Hyperallergic, JAZZ.FM91, Maclean's, Momus,
NOW Magazine, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Life and Toronto
Star.
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