In the shuffle of getting from exhibit to exhibit, I managed to struggle into a door and realized immediately after that there was a giant open garage door right next to where I was standing. I flitted into 129 Tecumseth St and walked through the stark gallery. Greeted by a friendly gallery employee, I was briefed quickly on how the artists were sharing an exhibit with the theme of “found objects”. Memorandoms by James Nizam is a series of celebrated sculptures that showcase the use of furnishings and seemingly random pieces, as art.

In Memorandoms, James Nizam’s photographs focus on the former Little Mountain Housing Project–the oldest public housing development in Vancouver–recently demolished to make way for a higher-density combination of market condominiums and social housing. Over the course of several months, Nizam documented a series of ephemeral sculptures that he constructed from accumulations of remnants such as doors, drawers, shelves, and various other architectural furnishings. Within these images, the sculptural figure comes to life, introducing the idea that through the performance of transformative, memorializing gestures, loss can be reanimated with purpose and meaning.

My first stop was by far the front runner for Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Events – Edward Burtynsky‘s exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum titled “Oil” had me hungrily waltzing the exhibit. Every image had an incredibly and inexplicable visual depth to it. Every photo presented a lingering message.

Oil-filled footprints, images of Alberta oil sands, and over-commercialization. Excess. Motor Culture. Every image was vivid and mesmerizing. I do have to admit to a slight bout of shame, where I didn’t realize that photography within the photography exhibit was strictly prohibited (I guess I was so wrapped up into the exhibit that the sign was unbeknownst to me). Rest assured, once I realized I tucked the camera away for some quality observation time. You’d enjoy it too.

OIL is on until July 3, 2011 – so you still have some time to immerse yourself.

Learn more about the exhibit here: http://scotiabankcontactphoto.com/events/486

A well valued visit to the Brothel Without Walls and Probing McLuhan exhibit proved it to be worthy of the primary exhibition status at the CONTACT Photography Festival. Image after image of bright and saturated coloured photos, intelligible and thought provoking quotes decorated the stark walls of the University of Toronto Centre (UTAC). By far my favourite gallery, inclusive of photography, written art, video, and an abundance of risqué all in one place. At first glance, much of the display doesn’t hint at anything other than PG13. A second look projects the true graphic nature of much of the exhibit.

 

In 1964 Marshall McLuhan wrote of the photograph as “the brothel without walls” just one year after creating a center for culture and technology at the University of Toronto, where he was a professor for over 30 years. McLuhan described photographs as “dreams that money can buy” which could be “hugged and thumbed more easily than public prostitutes.” The exhibition The Brothel Without Walls considers McLuhan’s metaphor within today’s global village, where it appears that the illusions images create are often preferable to reality.

 

McLuhan famously proclaimed, “the medium is the message”; in other words, the scope of a medium’s effect on human affairs is a result of how it functions as an extension of ourselves, and the change that it provokes. The advent of television and its subsequent domination over printed forms of communication, the shift from analogue to digital photography and the increasing popularity of image repositories on the Internet are all part of the pressures reshaping photography’s influence today.

 

Curated by Matthew Brower and Bonnie Rubenstein.

 

Presented in partnership with the University of Toronto Art Centre.

 

Hold any interest in quotable quotes? My suggestion is this one: “I may be wrong but I am never in doubt”. Pick yours.

A fanatic and advocate for graduate art (nothing like fresh talent), I did some moseying over to Yorkville to the Drabinsky Gallery, a two level wonder filled to the brim with photography and video (literally, every tip and turn of the gallery held incredible pieces). A backdrop?

This student-driven exhibition introduces an exciting group of talented emerging artists from the prestigious photography program of the Ontario College of Art & Design. This exhibition showcases a variety of photographic perspectives from the thesis work of these promising recent graduates.
Including work by:

 

Heather Appleby, Nasrin Arghavani Fard, Olivia Cataford, Sam Catalfamo, Caitlin Cox, Dianne Davis, Sherri Dawson, Alex Illich, Jeffrey Kum, Meryl McMaster, Amanda Mendham, Tue-Si Nguyen, Elena Prospero, Darren Rigo, Niki Ross, Danielle Schon, Logan Shishido, Salina Stange, Kate Subak, Brandon Titaro, Jesse Todd, Stella Uhm, Victoria Vitasek

 

Curated by Danielle Schön and Brandon Titaro

Nothing quite like the feeling of marveling at a work of art, and wondering what the photographer had done to accomplish the final product. The favourite? Several horizontal-inclined images with individuals overlaid on top of a homey backdrop (second image in thumbnails). A retro look with a fresh aesthetic. Did anyone else check out the OCAD show?

The Power Plant is something that I hold plenty near and dear to my heart – primarily due to the abundance of nostalgia that I’m overcome with when I step foot inside (back in the day when I had taken Contemporary Arts and Technologies as a summer school credit. Amazing).

The outdoor imagery of individuals created solely through newspapers was one to supply with a double take. The concept? How press, news, and gossip has managed to manifest itself into the creation of an individual identity.

“The 50 people in the photograph lack individuality, but as a group form a powerful entity. Breuning’s work suggests a new global personality is being created, but leaves it up to the viewer to decide if this is good or bad news.”

All the while when gazing at the piece, I had to nod internally in agreement. We’re consumed by news, rather than selectively consuming and scrutinizing the content that we surround ourselves with.

Any thoughts?