If you live in the Toronto area, nearby cities or far away places, this is not a festival that you want to miss! Taking place during the month of May and with many openings beginning May 1st, the festival takes a few days to see everything. Of course if you have your wits about you it may take less time. CONTACT is well organized. The organization produces a large map listing all of the venues with opening dates and duration of the exhibitions, as well as different segments of the city so that planning a route is easier. It also produces a colour catalog with all artists and venues included. This catalog will be available on April 1st at gallery venues in town or it can be purchased through CONTACT's website. As well the catalog features images or an image from all the artists. Besides that, it's a great keepsake.
CONTACT Press Release, March 3, 2009: This May, Toronto will once again play host to CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival, the largest photography event in the world. The annual month-long festival of photography, celebrating its 13th year, will feature 1,000 local, national and international artists at over 210 venues across the Greater Toronto Area. As one of the city’s premier cultural events, CONTACT draws an impressive audience of over 1.5 million. Founded as a not-for-profit organization in 1997, CONTACT is devoted to celebrating and fostering an appreciation of the art and profession of photography.
This year’s thematic focus, Still Revolution, will explore the ever-evolving manifestations of photographic imagery that influence the way we see the world today. Suspending moments in time that are always in flux, photography reflects a complex history marked by pervasive change. Looking back to the foundations of photography and the innovations that radically alter the way images are created and consumed, the festival will investigate photography’s force as a tool for social and political change. “Each year, we are always so pleased to receive tremendous support from the arts community in Toronto,” says CONTACT’s executive director Darcy Killeen. “This is truly a world-class inclusive event that is well suited to our diverse local audience.”
This year’s festival-goers can take in the Primary Exhibition held at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), view one of six Public Installations, visit one of the 26 venues which are hosting a Featured Exhibition, and see close to 200 Open Exhibitions across the city.
Located in the heart of Canada’s most diverse arts community, MOOCA will, for the 4th year in a row, be the location of the Primary Exhibition. CONTACT and MOCCA have co-produced a first-rate international group exhibition, which will act as the focal point of the citywide festival. Artists featured at the Primary Exhibition include Vancouver-based Stan Douglas, Idris Khan from the UK, Trevor Paglen and Martha Rosler from the USA and South Africa’s Mikhael Subotsky. The exhibition and festival opening will take place at MOCCA on May 1st.
CONTACT’s high impact Public Installations, are strategically placed in various public spaces throughout the city. This year, there will be six public installations located at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Pearson International Airport, MOCCA and all TTC subway locations. Once again the courtyard wall of MOCCA will feature a large-scale mural. Replacing the extremely successful work of the Robert Burley, Quebec artist Gwenael Belanger’s “Le Grand Fatras” (The Grand Jumble) will grace MOCCA’s courtyard. Objects like washing machines, pianos and living room furniture appear to be simultaneously falling, resulting in whimsical mayhem.
Various venues across the city such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, the CONTACT Gallery and the Drake Hotel will hold feature exhibitions. Approximately 25 exhibitions will host the works of key photographers such as Toronto-based Jeff Harris at Brookfield Place, internationally renowned Canadian photographer Lynn Cohen at Olga Korper Gallery, New York-based photographer Hank Willis Thomas at Georgia Scherman Projects and the Yoko Ono/John Lennon Bed-In-inspired exhibit by Gerry Deiter at Stephen Bulger Gallery to name a few.
Magnum Photos and Scotiabank are proud to announce the return of the Scotiabank Scholarships at CONTACT. For a second year, Scotiabank has partnered with CONTACT and Magnum Photos, supporting the advancement of photography. Five scholarships will be available for Canadian photography students to attend the Magnum Workshop Toronto at CONTACT hosted by Ryerson University from May 4 – 9, 2009. Led by internationally distinguished Magnum photographers Bruno Barbey, Chien-Chi Chang, David Alan Harvey, Alex Majoli, Peter Marlow and Mark Power, the workshop will be the focus for CONTACT’s educational programming.
CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival, a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1997, is generously supported by Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Co., Scotiabank, BlackBerry, Tourism Toronto, media sponsors Fashion Television, enRoute Magazine and TVO, The Gladstone Hotel, The Drake Hotel, 3M Canada, Genstar and Beyond Digital Imaging. CONTACT gratefully acknowledges the support of Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council.
As the largest photography festival in the world, with over 1,000 local, national and international artists participating at more than 210 venues across the GTA, CONTACT attracts over one million visitors. CONTACT is devoted to celebrating and fostering an appreciation of the art and profession of photography. For more information, visit www.contactphoto.com.
For more information on CONTACT or to interview a CONTACT spokesperson or artist, please contact: Bunmi Adeoye, NKPR, (416) 365-3630 x 26, bunmi@nkpr.net
Images
Stephen Bulger Gallery and Camera - Mateo Guez: Off World. Super Hero, Smokey Mountain, 2008
Drake Hotel - Gao Brothers, Osheen Harruthoonyan, Anne Arden McDonald, Elaine Stocki: Its Time. Gao Brothers, The Utopia of the 20-Minute Embrace No 6., 2000
Pixel Gallery - Tyler Grey, Matthew Stylianou, Natasha V.: Stories. Tyler Grey: Sociopath, 2008
WARC Gallery - Teresa Ascencao: Consuming Her
Leo Kamen Gallery - Yam Lau: Hutong House. Hutong 4, 2009
Toronto Image Works Gallery - Sanaz Mazinani: Iran Revisited. Woman Reading on Bus, Shemiran, 2006
Georgia Scherman Projects - Hank Willis Thomas
Museum Of Contemporary Canadian Art - Barbara Astman, Walead Beshty, Mat Collishaw, Stan Douglas, Idris Khan, Trevor Paglen, Martha Rosler, Mikhael Subotzky: Still Revolution: Suspended In Time. Barbara Astman: Dancing With Che 13, 2002
