MY PICKS: EXHIBITIONS - GALLERIES A THROUGH I - CONTACT TORONTO PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL

There are 220 open exhibitions during CONTACT. With so many shows I have picked only the exhibitions that I am interested in. Please check CONTACTs website to view hours open to the public.

I look forward to seeing Michael Willems exhibition. His work, although different in style and approach, reminds me of Nan Goldin's work. Both Willems' and Goldin's work explores the world of drugs and the people that inhabit them. These works are not meant to be pretty pictures.

APR 29 - MAY 10

MICHAEL WILLEMS: IV - INTRAVENOUS

*NEW*GALLERY

In this shocking photographic documentary that is ultimately a story of hope and a tribute to strength and love, Canadian photographer Michael Willems shows a world most of us will never see: the tough world of a Toronto drug den: a world of addiction, where free will has ceased to exist. Michael and the victims of addiction, who became his friends, share that dark world here - but this is a positive story: one of hope, strength, art; and one of eventual redemption and recovery.

906 Queen St West

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Although I am gay myself, I have found in the past that gay male artists frequently focus on the nude, well-muscled male body. To be fair, I have often also found lesbian art focused on the spiritual (wiccan, pagan, goddess) or reference a lot of genitalia. Perhaps it is due to many artists being self-taught. Admittedly I am very critical of amateurish art. I am wondering if this is the case with this project. However this one image has me intrigued enough to go.

MAY 1 - 31

ZACHARY AYOTTE AND TED KERR: THIS IS HOW WE MADE LOVE

ACT (AIDS COMMITTEE OF TORONTO)

This is How we Made Love is an exhibition about two men growing apart before they grow together. This collection of Polaroids, camera-phone images, digital and film photographs reflect a summer of shared yet separate explorations into personal progress and social change. The photographs reveal two people maintaining intimacy without discarding their individuality. This exhibit was made possible in part by HIV Edmonton and the AIDS Committee of Toronto.

399 Church Street, 4th floor

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I am weary of group exhibitions that are not curated. I am also suspect when words like diverse mediums and subject matter are used to describe the exhibition. Fortunately they chose an excellent image by Susanna Reisman to encourage people to visit the show.

APR 30 - MAY 22

HERE AND NOW

AGO ART RENTAL AND SALES GALLERY

Here and Now brings together several of Canada’s established and emerging photographic artists. Exploring their diverse uses of the medium and subject matter, the exhibition examines the current state of contemporary photography and reveals the wide scope of this art form.

Image by Susanna Reisman, Measuring Tapes #1, 2005 / 2008

481 University Ave

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I definitely want to see this show. Not because it's a loosely tied exhibition on the theme of the festival, Still Revolution, but because the work is completed by some of the youth in Toronto. I believe in supporting programs and encouraging youth in creative endeavours.

APR 30 - MAY 21

REVOLUTION: OUR TIME

FATHER JOHN REDMOND SS, LAKESHORE CI, LAMP - ASSEMBLY HALL

Young eyes showcase passion, chaos and tranquility in the images by youth from LAMP Community Health Centre and students from Lakeshore Collegiate Institute and Father John Redmond Secondary School. The revolution continues— evolution, revolution, it’s our time! Curated by Christian Bortey.

Image by Gavin Smith, Passenger, 2008

1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive

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MAY 1 - 30

JEROME BOURQUE: STAND STILL

BASIA HOME

Basia Home is pleased to present Stand Still. This exhibition of ten large-scale images by Quebec artist Bourque represents the photographer’s desire to produce dramatized imagery from everyday scenarios. He uses mise-enscène to create images that exploit the possibilities of the photographic image. This process permits him to reference his own memories and amplify them in order to increase their imaginary potential. Curated by Basia Polowska.

163 Dupont St

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MAY 13 - 24

MELISSA GENERAL: LONGING AND BELONGING

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Longing and Belonging examines the challenges facing a First Nations person who lives “off-reserve” while maintaining a strong attachment to their heritage and “home.” Raised on Six Nations Reserve, General focuses on identity in relation to understanding her place as a First Nations woman in an urban contemporary culture. The dresses sewn for her as a child by her mother are the starting point for a dialogue about her relationship to belonging.

1080 Queen Street W

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MAY 12 - JUN 11

ELDON GARNET: DOMINION AND CATEGORIES OF DISAPPEARANCE

CHRISTOPHER CUTTS GALLERY

Eldon Garnet creates photography that is predicated upon constructing a series of images to frame an abstract narrative about our current social, political and economic environments. In Dominion, as in much of Garnet’s work, the polarities of beauty and threat, rapture and effrontery, confront each other. Pushing the boundaries of photographic depiction, Garnet presents metaphoric constructs for the individual condition, which is fragile and precarious in our current cultural moment. He creates iconic images that are lyrical yet threatening – the individual in a struggle against an undefined violence, or the body under attack. In one image, two men fight violently, set against the background of Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Toronto Dominion Centre; in another photograph, a lone man immersed in a river struggles with the heavy current. We are confronted with the hope of a future in the difficulty of the moment.

Based in Toronto, Garnet has established an internationally recognized artistic practice, working as a multi-media artist and writer since the 1970s. Surveys of his sculptures and photographic work have been held at the National Gallery of Canada (CMCP) in Ottawa, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto and the Centrum voor Fotografie in Amsterdam.

21 Morrow Avenue

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MAY 1 - JUN 15

JES SACHSE : ALLEVIATE

COME AS YOU ARE

The gaze has long defined the depiction of physical disabilities, from Vaudeville to the medical text. Stereotypes exist as flattened notions molded by the viewer. Alleviate is a series of images— some playful, some provocative—that form an unapologetic narrative told from the viewpoint of the subject. Juxtaposing recognizable archetypes with self-representations, this series provides the observer with an invitation to take a fresh look.

701 Queen St. W

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APR 7 - MAY 31

SAMER MUSCATI: THE MEN WHO KILLED ME

CRAIG SCOTT GALLERY

In the 1994 genocide that ravaged Rwanda, 500,000 women were raped. Fifteen years later, The Men Who Killed Me features 17 survivors. While many still struggle to cope with enduring trauma, these survivors were empowered by communicating their experiences—a testament to the transformative potential of photography. Listed as a “must-see show", NOW magazine describes the exhibit as presenting a "sensitively modulated look at each woman’s continuing struggle to piece herself together after the atrocity.” Curated by Craig Scott.

95 Berkeley St

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MAY 1 - 31

JOSHUA MELES: CHILDREN IN CONFLICT, ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

CREPES A GOGO

This exhibition documents Israeli and Palestinian children who have grown up entangled in war.

18 Yorkville Ave

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MAY 2 - 30

ROBERT BERLIN: PEOPLE'S DESIRE

DRABINSKY GALLERY

People’s Desire is a photographic compilation of Berlin’s recent journey through Burma—an ancient land of contrast and conflict where the collective spirit of a people is evident as culture and history clash with a ruthless military regime. Dignity overcomes deprivation and spirituality and lyrical beauty persist despite a devastated political landscape. This journey evoked more questions than it answered.

5A Hazelton Avenue

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MAY 1 - 31

BARBARA MANNERS: THE MAKING OF A PHOTOGRAPH[ER]

EZRA'S POUND

The Making of a Photograph[er] is a series of black-and-white images rich in metaphor and symbol that chronicles Manners’ journey to becoming a maker of photographs. From a lone bud on the verge of blossoming, to a powerful cityscape, Manners’ photojournalistic portraits beautifully express the universal desire to realize one’s potential as well as portray the honesty of real life.

238 Dupont Street

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MAY 1 - 31

RETOUR DE ROME: CLARA GUTSCHE, DAVID MILLER

GALLERY 345

In 2002, Gutsche and Miller photographed Rome over a period of six months. Retour de Rome is focused on a complex history marked by pervasive change. The work, though grounded in architecture, is chiefly about human relationships to man-made spaces and buildings. The images captured by the two photographers distill the chaos, richness and surfeit that is Rome, suspending moments in time and history.

345 Sorauren Avenue

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MAY 8 - 31

EXPOSED: INNOVATION, TRANSFORMATION, REVOLUTION

KATRINA JENNIFER BEDFORD, STEFAN BOUDREAULT, ALEX COLEY, LEILA COOLS, SALLY CUMMING, JEFFERY CUTLER, ALLAN DAVEY, DIANNE DAVIS, MATTHEW FUNG, RYAN FUNG, SARAH GILLETT, MARGARET GLEW, TAMMY HOY, GREG HUSZAR, JESSE COLIN JACKSON, SOUMEN KARMAKAR, AMEE KING, R. KOLEWE, MICHAEL KRAUSS, PHILIP LEPAGE, BRENT LEWIN, CHRISTOPHER MCLEOD, DONG-KYOON NAM, BEN NG, JENNIFER PAUL, DALE M REID, WILLIAM SELF, ADRIAN SMITH, OLENA SULLIVAN, MICHELE TARAS, ROSALIE VILLANUEVA, JUSTYNA WERBEL

GLADSTONE HOTEL

In keeping with CONTACT 2009’s thematic focus, Exposed showcases photographic works ranging from reportage to abstraction, documented fact to constructed fiction, and highlights both established and emerging contemporary photographers. The exhibition is co-produced by the Gladstone Hotel and SpeakEasy. Curated by David Brown and Chris Mitchell.

1214 Queen St W

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MAY 7 - 31

RE:PRO: MICHELE CROCKETT, WALTER SEGERS

GLADSTONE HOTEL, ART BAR

Emerging artists Crockett and Segers explore the ideas of evolution, reproduction and revolution within society. Crockett addresses transitional stages within the life of a woman. Segers investigates the transformation of the male body through evolution, technology and robotics by romanticizing the industrial revolution and the next generation of androids.

1214 Queen Street W

OTHER FEATURE EXHIBITIONS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC - CONTACT TORONTO PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL

APR 9 - MAY 31

AWASHAWAVE: LOUIS FORTIER, ANTONIA HIRSCH, YOUNG-SUP KIM, ARNOLD KOROSHEGYI, DIANE LANDRY, MICHAEL SNOW, KELLY WOOD

BLACKWOOD GALLERY

Awashawave, with an alliterative title that slips by, examines (conceptually, phenomenologically, politically) the fruitful tensions between the still and moving image. This group exhibition presents figurative and literal interpretations of inundation and the perceptual tensions that result from being one amongst the many.

Examining facets of the concept of being flooded, awashawave presents a selection of works that embodies the shift from the single image to the series, from a discernable point to a dense mass: a washing machine turned into a praxinoscope (Landry); an audio work utilizing shortwave radio signals (Snow); ceramic objects made of white speaker wire that emit sounds of washing (Kim); images produced by a home-built scanner-camera that fuse digital technology and 19th-century photographic techniques (Koroshegyi); audio tracks converted into dense black and white “sonic” images (Wood); a video projection of someone doing the “wave” in an empty stadium (Hirsch); and a series of abject self-portraits rendered in wax (Fortier). By engaging in seemingly anachronistic investigations, these artists offer fresh contemporary perspectives on the significance of image production, perception and reception. Curated by Christof Migone.

Image by Arnold Koroshegyi, Rupture 1, 2008

3359 Mississauga Road N, (Offices CCT Building 3021), Mississauga

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APR 18 - MAY 30

RAFAEL GOLDCHAIN

O BORN CONTEMPORARY

At first glance, Rafael Goldchain’s photographs appear to be traditional family portraits from the early 20th century. However after closer inspection, we discover that our expectations have been surreptitiously subverted. The products of considerable research and conceptual rigour, Goldchain’s photographs are self-portraits: detailed reenactments of his familial and cultural history. They begin to take form as the artist poses for the camera in full costume and makeup. Using digital technology, he seamlessly manipulates DNA and history to present us with a gallery of rogues, beauties, geeks and philosophers. Looking at his avatars and digital revenants, we barely recognize the slightest trace of the self he has chosen to portray.

Connecting fragments of information gathered about the lives of his Eastern European Jewish grandparents and their families, while acknowledging the impossibility of reconciliation, I Am My Family reflects a way of both mourning and remembering. In a further act of transformation, as if to fill a great void of information, Goldchain has created additional members of a chosen family who are completely fabricated. Prompted by the artifice used in his invocation of bloodlines, we are left to ponder our collective history of fragments. Curated by P. Elaine Sharpe.

710 Yonge Street, Upstairs

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APR 29 - MAY 31

DONALD WEBER: THE DRUNKEN BRIDE, RUSSIA UNVEILED

PIKTO

The Drunken Bride, Russia Unveiled, a series of photographs captured during the last three years by Donald Weber, reveals the enduring tragedy that has resulted from Stalinist-era corrective labour camps known as Gulag. At the time of the Russian Revolution in 1917, approximately 16 thousand people lived in Czarist prisons. Two years later, an estimated 70 thousand men, women and children had been sentenced to live in the labour camps under the Bolsheviks. While estimates vary, it is said that as many as 40 million people were absorbed into the Gulag system before it was abolished in 1960. Today, many Gulag survivors and their descendants still maintain a bleak existence in remote wastelands.

Weber documents the complex aftermath of the Gulag: the beautiful forested sites where prisoners were shot and disposed of; the forgotten, aging survivors who continue a daily struggle for survival; the network of prisoners, known as Zeks, that flaunt elaborate tattoos whose symbology dates back to the early 19th century.

Originally from Toronto, Donald Weber is an award-winning photographer currently dividing his time between Moscow and Kiev. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2007 and a World Press Award, he is represented by VII Network. Curated by Johan H. Campbell.

55 Mill St Building 59 -103

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APR 30 - MAY 26

ANDREW WRIGHT: STILL WATER

PEAK GALLERY

Multimedia and photographic artist Andrew Wright creates a particular kind of imagery that both identifies and challenges conventional uses and understandings of photographic practice. In Still Water, his new photo-sculptural series, he continues his interest in probing the way in which imaging technologies mediate meaning. Wright has explored antique optical devices, such as the camera obscura, as well as contemporary electronic strategies to question conventional approaches to image making and interpretation. Wright’s subjects vary, but they often take on traditional tropes (landscape, portraiture, the natural world, the cinema) to create perceptual bridges that examine the very conditions of image production. The artist sees the seemingly inevitable demise of traditional photographic techniques as problematic, and the beginning of a void. Therefore, photographic “blackness” has become increasingly important in his investigations.

Using images of an endless waterfall at night, Wright’s new work posits an experience of the photographic that sits mid-way between picture plane and object in the round. The photographs are simultaneously recognizable representations that make use of perspectival space, and two-dimensional images of pattern and hue that occupy the real space of the viewer. They become forms of the here and now while referring to an uncertain elsewhere.

23 Morrow Ave

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MAY 1 - 20

SUSAN DOBSON: RETAIL

THE DEPARTMENT

Susan Dobson’s recent body of work, Retail (2008) continues her exploration of architecture and land use in the suburban landscape. In this work, she examines the makeshift nature of retail architecture and consumer culture’s dependence on the automobile. The series of large, colour inkjet prints depict franchise retail outlets set against optimistic blue skies and vast, deserted parking lots. The structures are digitally masked with an asphalt colour. The resulting large gray boxes highlight the unimaginative and provisional designs of big retail stores, while the empty lots, stripped of cars (and hence of purpose), are transformed into urban wastelands. Dobson’s images foreshadow the future of temporary architecture and of rampant consumerism during a time of economic uncertainty and growing environmental awareness. Seen within this context, writes Robin Metcalfe, “Dobson’s ghostly big-box stores glisten like a digital mirage, prescient images of a doomed landscape.” The photographs describe the future perfect – that which will have been – an ominous future, cast back in time.

1389 Dundas St W

WAS PM STEPHEN HARPER IN THE LOO DURING PHOTO-OPS AT THE G20 SUMMIT? ?

I had a good laugh when I heard today that it was suggested that Harper was 'in the loo' on April 3 during a photo-ops for the G20 Summit. Of course this is old news but it's new to me:

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IS FROM THE TORONTO STAR: LES WHITTINGTON - OTTAWA BUREAU - APRIL 3

Ridiculed Harper denies he was in the bathroom.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's carefully cultivated image with the international media took a bit of a flushing yesterday.

After days of pounding the drums on international television, talking up the healthy state of Canadian banks and making the case for a Canadian economic rebound, Harper became the talk of the G20 summit when he missed the official group summit photo.

The verdict in the British press? Harper was in the bathroom.

The Prime Minister was slated to stand next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

An aide later said Harper was being briefed on the progress of the conference by Canadian officials.

Within hours, the incident flared into a bit of an international story.

The BBC reported Harper was unable to pose because he was "in the loo."

The BBC's economics editor, Stephanie Flanders, blogged about the incident and the "official explanation" that Harper was "in the bathroom." Flanders jokingly added she suspected foul play "given Canada's squeaky clean record" in the current financial crisis and that Harper would be forced to stand behind "the pot plant" for the re-take.

The Guardian's live blog on the summit cited the disparaging tone of comments on a Canadian news website, wryly noting: "Don't fancy the Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper's chances of re-election much after his ill-timed toilet break."

In the U.S., the TV show Good Morning America said Harper had been in the bathroom and nobody noticed. Even the staid Wall Street Journal mentioned the incident on its economics blog.

The Prime Minister's Office went on the defensive. Aides were at pains to explain away any embarrassment.

"I don't think any leader came here for photo ops," said Dimitri Soudas, a Harper spokesperson, who noted the BBC had retracted its claim of a mis-timed Harper bathroom break.

"World leaders are here to discuss very serious matters while we go through the biggest global crisis in a generation."

Later, Harper himself offered that explanation in response to a question at his closing press conference. "I was detained by discussions with some officials," he said, adding he's been at enough international meetings "to know that there's always another photo op."

In London, G20 officials decided to re-shoot the group photo anyway so Harper could be included.

This time, it was Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who were absent. There was no plan for a third attempt at the group shot.