R E A R   V I E W   M I R R O R

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An 'open exhibition' in collaboration with Imagefoundry

for the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival 2019.

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18 PHOTOGRAPHERS, 18 PHOTOGRAPHS & THE ALCHEMY OF A PRINTMAKER'S PLATINUM/PALLADIUM PROCESS. A GROUP EXHIBITION REPRESENTING THE COLLECTIVE ACTION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC INTENT & THE POWER OF TRADITIONAL PRINTMAKING

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Opening Reception: May 4, 2PM – 6PM 

& continuing Wed-Sun 2PM – 6PM until Saturday, June 1, 2019.

(or by appointment)

 

Imagefoundry, 1581 Dupont Street, Toronto, Canada

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Original Curatorial Statement for Rearview Mirror for Scotiabank Contact website/catalogue.

 

 

C U R A T O R I A L :

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I was very intrigued when Dimitri Levanoff asked me to consider the idea of curating an exhibition that focused on the photographic intent and workflow indicative of the photographers Imagefoundry has been collaborating with over the past several decades, many of whom are participating in this year’s Scotiabank Photography Festival (see artist list below).

 

Besides bringing a unique mastery of skills and possibilities to an artist’s workflow, a printmaker must also maintain an objective eye and listening ear: the artist discusses light, shadow, dynamics, colour, composition and/or whatever else is inherent to a work, while the printmaker proposes the possibilities of production to complete that work, be it with paper, media screens, chemicals, inks, colours, printers, scanners and/or whatever final alchemy might be the best.

 

In articulating the curatorial for this exhibition, I wanted to demonstrate the implicit depth of collaboration between artist and printmaker in realising an image, how it evolves from a negotiated approach between intent and expertise, respectively. To effect this, it was agreed that Rearview Mirror would bridge the singular intent of each photographer into one collective expression by printing all photographs in the traditional one-of-a-kind platinum/palladium process, first developed in the mid-eighteen hundreds.

 

Since the 18-photographs selected by the 18-photographers included in this exhibition convey something very personal and revealing about their subjects, it was critical that the deep-rooted artistic practices which informed them remain intact and that the palladium process offered a very different field of perception for honouring how the intent could be communicated.

 

REARVIEW MIRROR is a group exhibition which represents collective action; a collaboration that defies and redefines how an exhibition can represent the spirit and meaning of photography today. It is an effort to assert the historicity of photographic intent and the power traditional printmaking can play in an artist’s contemporary workflow.

 

Thom Sokoloski

 

Thom has been a practising interdisciplinary artist since 1971.

 

P H O T O G R A P H E R S :

 

1  - Arnaud Maggs ( http://www.arnaudmaggs.ca )

2  - Brent Daniels** ( https://www.brentdaniels.com )

3  - Evan Penny ( http://www.evanpenny.com )

4  - Geoffrey James* ( https://www.gallery.ca/collection/artist/geoffrey-james )

5  - Jason Brown ( http://www.jasonmbrown.ca )

6  - John Massey ( http://www.johnmassey.ca )

7  - Marina Black ( http://marinablack.com )

8  - Moyra Davey* ( https://www.artspace.com/artist/moyra_davey )

9  - Nava Waxman* ( https://www.navawaxman.com )

10 - Philip Bergerson ( https://www.bulgergallery.com/artists/54-phil-bergerson/biography )

11 - Ruth Kaplan* ( http://www.ruthkaplanphoto.com )

12 - Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart* ( https://sage.myportfolio.com/photos )

13 - Steve Stober ( https://www.stevestober.com )

14 - Susan Dobson* ( https://susandobson.com )

15 - Thom Sokoloski**  ( https://www.thomsokoloski.com )

16 - Tony Makepeace ( http://tony-makepeace.squarespace.com )

17 - Yuri Dojc ( http://www.yuridojc.com )

18 - Zun Lee* ( http://www.zunlee.com/ )

 

* Artists who are also involved in other festival exhibitions and/or events. For information please visit the Scotiabank Contact Festival homepage to SEARCH by entering the artist’s name above.

**Please note that due to conflicts in schedules, participation by Greg Staats and Jessica Eaton have been replaced by Brent Daniels and Thom Sokoloski.

 

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