Curatorial Statement

As the global health crisis has rapidly transformed how art is experienced, Toronto’s 24th annual Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival continues to be adapted, day by day, to reflect the challenges of this reality. Typically spanning the month of May, the city-wide Festival’s exhibitions, public installations, and programs will now open on a case-by-case basis, once public safety is assured and schedules are confirmed. As more information becomes available, we will regularly update the Festival’s website, which launched on April 1, 2020, with the full roster of exhibitions originally planned for this year’s Festival, although without calendar specifics or public program listings. While many venues might remain closed for the foreseeable future due to the impact of COVID-19, CONTACT acknowledges the enormous efforts of everyone involved, and celebrates their great accomplishments. An exceptional range of lens-based works by Canadian and international artists was selected for a diverse array of exhibitions at museums, galleries, public sites, and alternative spaces throughout Toronto. We very proudly present information on all of these initiatives on this website and within the Festival’s catalogue.

Stephen Waddell, Room Endgame (detail), 2016. Courtesy of the artist and Monte Clark Gallery.
Stephen Waddell, Room Endgame (detail), 2016. Courtesy of the artist and Monte Clark Gallery.

Collaborating with artists and cultural partners across the city, CONTACT fosters a deep engagement with photographic imagery and a heightened awareness of local and global issues. Revealing critical subjects and shared concerns, many of the artists in our Core Exhibitions expose physical, emotional, and environmental scars that reflect the fragility of our times. Their projects affirm artists’ roles in building awareness, stimulating dialogue, and fostering engagement with important issues, whether individual, collective, or global. They explore the interconnections and implications of bodies, identities, locations, and histories, and provide spirited messages and meaningful engagement that remind us of the world’s beauty and the ongoing significance of artistic expression. Selected through a call for submissions, Featured Exhibitions of lens-based works by artists from Canada and around the world are planned at established galleries all over the city. And our Open Call Exhibitions, which enable emerging artists to show their work at local galleries and alternative locations, are the foundation of CONTACT. We continue to foster the careers of artists through the annual Burtynsky Grant that supports the creation of a photobook, and The Exhibition Award, which provides an emerging artist with a solo show in the CONTACT Gallery.

Laia Abril, Chastity Belt, from the series Historical Rape, On Rape, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire.
Laia Abril, Chastity Belt, from the series Historical Rape, On Rape, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire.

Laia Abril, Chastity Belt, from the series Historical Rape, On Rape, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire.

Reflecting on these difficult times as people around the world confront health concerns, CONTACT is very fortunate to work with an incredible community and so many remarkable partners and stakeholders—our most sincere thanks goes out to all of them. We are very grateful to our title sponsor Scotiabank and major sponsors Nikon Canada and PATTISON Outdoors for their active engagement in the arts over the years and who continue to support the growth and success of the Festival. Provincial and federal funding from Celebrate Ontario, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council, is gratefully acknowledged for providing tremendous assistance to present new and innovative projects annually. Our sincere appreciation goes to our many funders and sponsors, as well as to a number of resolute individuals whose donations and volunteer efforts have been critical.

Tereza Zelenkova, Chamber of Solitude, from the series The Essential Solitude, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam
Tereza Zelenkova, Chamber of Solitude, from the series The Essential Solitude, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam

Tereza Zelenkova, Chamber of Solitude, from the series The Essential Solitude, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam.

This year’s Festival is dedicated to all of those in the arts who have been affected by COVID-19. We hope that these challenging and uncertain times will ultimately strengthen society, one that values creativity as a vital part of life experience. Best wishes for good health and safe shelter.

— CONTACT staff and board of directors


Curatorial Statement

As the global health crisis has rapidly transformed how art is experienced, Toronto’s 24th annual Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival continues to be adapted, day by day, to reflect the challenges of this reality. Typically spanning the month of May, the city-wide Festival’s exhibitions, public installations, and programs will now open on a case-by-case basis, once public safety is assured and schedules are confirmed. As more information becomes available, we will regularly update the Festival’s website, which launched on April 1, 2020, with the full roster of exhibitions originally planned for this year’s Festival, although without calendar specifics or public program listings. While many venues might remain closed for the foreseeable future due to the impact of COVID-19, CONTACT acknowledges the enormous efforts of everyone involved, and celebrates their great accomplishments. An exceptional range of lens-based works by Canadian and international artists was selected for a diverse array of exhibitions at museums, galleries, public sites, and alternative spaces throughout Toronto. We very proudly present information on all of these initiatives on this website and within the Festival’s catalogue.

Stephen Waddell, Room Endgame (detail), 2016. Courtesy of the artist and Monte Clark Gallery.
Stephen Waddell, Room Endgame (detail), 2016. Courtesy of the artist and Monte Clark Gallery.

Collaborating with artists and cultural partners across the city, CONTACT fosters a deep engagement with photographic imagery and a heightened awareness of local and global issues. Revealing critical subjects and shared concerns, many of the artists in our Core Exhibitions expose physical, emotional, and environmental scars that reflect the fragility of our times. Their projects affirm artists’ roles in building awareness, stimulating dialogue, and fostering engagement with important issues, whether individual, collective, or global. They explore the interconnections and implications of bodies, identities, locations, and histories, and provide spirited messages and meaningful engagement that remind us of the world’s beauty and the ongoing significance of artistic expression. Selected through a call for submissions, Featured Exhibitions of lens-based works by artists from Canada and around the world are planned at established galleries all over the city. And our Open Call Exhibitions, which enable emerging artists to show their work at local galleries and alternative locations, are the foundation of CONTACT. We continue to foster the careers of artists through the annual Burtynsky Grant that supports the creation of a photobook, and The Exhibition Award, which provides an emerging artist with a solo show in the CONTACT Gallery.

Laia Abril, Chastity Belt, from the series Historical Rape, On Rape, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire.
Laia Abril, Chastity Belt, from the series Historical Rape, On Rape, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire.

Laia Abril, Chastity Belt, from the series Historical Rape, On Rape, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire.

Reflecting on these difficult times as people around the world confront health concerns, CONTACT is very fortunate to work with an incredible community and so many remarkable partners and stakeholders—our most sincere thanks goes out to all of them. We are very grateful to our title sponsor Scotiabank and major sponsors Nikon Canada and PATTISON Outdoors for their active engagement in the arts over the years and who continue to support the growth and success of the Festival. Provincial and federal funding from Celebrate Ontario, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council, is gratefully acknowledged for providing tremendous assistance to present new and innovative projects annually. Our sincere appreciation goes to our many funders and sponsors, as well as to a number of resolute individuals whose donations and volunteer efforts have been critical.

Tereza Zelenkova, Chamber of Solitude, from the series The Essential Solitude, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam
Tereza Zelenkova, Chamber of Solitude, from the series The Essential Solitude, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam

Tereza Zelenkova, Chamber of Solitude, from the series The Essential Solitude, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam.

This year’s Festival is dedicated to all of those in the arts who have been affected by COVID-19. We hope that these challenging and uncertain times will ultimately strengthen society, one that values creativity as a vital part of life experience. Best wishes for good health and safe shelter.

— CONTACT staff and board of directors