One of Canada’s premier cultural events, the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival is a month-long celebration of photography. Through a diverse range of programmes, CONTACT showcases the work of Canadian and international artists at over 175 venues throughout the Toronto.

Primary Exhibitions

Material Self: Performing the Other Within
David Favrod, Charles Fréger, Hendrik Kerstens, Namsa Leuba, Meryl McMaster, Dominique Rey, Tomoko Sawada, Mary Sibande. This exhibition brings together photo-based works by eight artists from the four corners of the world, all of whom explore the potential of clothing, costume, uniform, and props to communicate character. They fuse cultures, traditions, and customs, linking the past to the present through performative gestures. Curated by David Liss and Bonnie Rubenstein. Organized with the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art. Supported by BMW Canada. On view until June 1.

In Character: Self-Portrait of the Artist as Another
Bill Burke, Sophie Calle, General Idea, Rafael Goldchain, Rodney Graham, Yasumasa Morimura, Shelly Niro, Cindy Sherman This exhibition, drawn from the collection of the National Gallery of Canada, presents works by acclaimed Canadian and international artists who explore the space between their own selves and that of another, expanding identity into the realm of role-playing through photographic self-portraiture. Curated by Bonnie Rubenstein and Jonathan Shaughnessy. Organized by the NGC and the MOCCA. On view until June 1.

Pictures from Paradise: A Survey of Contemporary Caribbean Photography
Ewan Atkinson, Marvin Bartley, Terry Boddie, Holly Bynoe, James Cooper, Renee Cox, Gerard Gaskin, Abigail Hadeed, Gerard Hanson, Nadia Huggins, Marlon James, Roshini Kempadoo, O'Neil Lawrence, Ebony G. Patterson, Radcliffe Roye, Alex Smailes, Stacey Tyrell, Rodell Warner In recognizing that the region is not the picture-perfect paradise of traditional depictions, these artists focus instead on what is not easily seen or that which is often ignored—the complex social, racial, political, and physical relationships and landscapes that exist within the Caribbean. Curated by Melanie Archer, Mariel Brown and Kenneth Montague. Organized with Wedge Curatorial Projects. Presented in partnership with Robert & Christopher Publishers and The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. On view until May 25.

Rob Hornstra and Arnold van Bruggen: The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus
Photographer Rob Hornstra and journalist Arnold van Bruggen have been collaborating since 2009 to document the turbulent region of Sochi, Russia. Over the course of five years and eleven visits, they practiced a form of “slow journalism” in order to delve deeply into the area’s complexities, and its remarkable transition in preparation to host the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Organized by Aperture Foundation, New York and The Sochi Project. Made possible, in part, with generous support from Mondriaan Funds and the Consulate General of the Netherlands. On view at the CONTACT Gallery until May 31.

Arctic Exposure: Photographs of Canada’s North
Lachlan T. Burwash, A. A. Chesterfield, Robert Flaherty, Norman Hallendy, Richard Harrington, Jimmy Manning, Donovan Wylie, and unknown photographers. This exhibition brings together images made between 1881 and 2013, revealing an ongoing fascination with the peoples, places, and mythologies of the North. Curated by Sharona Adamowicz-Clements and Bonnie Rubenstein. Organized with the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. On view until June 1.

Rebecca Belmore: KWE
KWE delves into the complicated and fertile relationship between Indigeneity, art, and colonization. Kwe is the Anishinaabe word for woman and is a term of respect. Belmore’s artistic practice engages the question of what it is to be an Anishinaabe-kwe artist working today through photography, sculptures, videos, and performances. Curated by Wanda Nanibush. Presented with the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery. On view from May 15 until August 9.

Through The Body: Lens-Based Works by Contemporary Chinese Women Artists
Lei Benben, Chun Hua Catherine Dong, Ye Funa, Jin Hua, Ladybird Theatre, Fang Lu, Ma Qiusha, Fan Xi, Li Xinmo, Chen Zhe Through the Body brings together the recent work of Chinese women artists and collectives from two generations. The artists in the exhibition evoke concept of Ti Shi by reflecting on and transforming their personal situations, experiences, and bodies to speak to the broader social and political situations they inhabit. Curated by Matthew Brower, Fu Xiaodong, Yan Zhou. Organized with University of Toronto Art Centre. On view until June 28.

Gordon Parks: Portraits
This exhibition is the first to focus solely on portraits made by Parks, and includes 42 images spanning three decades of his career, from 1940 to 1970. From the impoverished families of Harlem to the leaders of the Black Muslim community to celebrities such as Eartha Kitt, Parks was interested in documenting the working class, marginalized people, or those who went against the grain of the mainstream. Organized with The Gordon Parks Foundation. Presented in partnership with Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue. Supported by Scotiabank. On view until Auguest 3.

Michael Awad: The Entire City Project: Royal Ontario Museum
For over a decade, Awad’s practice has been focused on the ambitious pursuit of photographing every facet of the urban experience in every city. Aptly titled, The Entire City Project, its scope includes the recording of the entire physical infrastructure of Toronto. In celebration of the Royal Ontario Museum’s 100th Anniversary, Awad was commissioned to take his unique vision inside one of Canada’s most iconic cultural institutions. Co-presented with the Royal Ontario Museum. On view until September 28.

Scott McFarland: Snow, Shacks, Streets, Shrubs
Featuring more than 40 works, Snow, Shacks, Streets, Shrubs presents McFarland’s sustained consideration of the history of photography and the sophisticated technical changes that the medium has undergone. His work depicts recognizable urban and rural settings, placing a focus on the markers of national and cultural identity through spaces of tourism, leisure and commemoration. Curated by Kitty Scott. Organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario. On view from May 14 until August 10.

Steve Payne: False Fronts
False Fronts is Payne’s most ambitious work to date, a series that took several years and countless treks across Newfoundland to complete. In this series, he documents the false fronts, or western façades, of mercantile buildings. Curated by Scott McLeod. Co-presented with Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art. On view until July 26.

Zanele Muholi: Faces and Phases
Faces and Phases aims to address the representation of black lesbian and queer identity, focusing largely on post-apartheid South Africa. This ongoing series of large-format black-and-white photographs includes more than 240 portraits, of which 36 are presented in this exhibition. Curated by Dr. Gaëlle Morel. Organized by the Ryerson Image Centre (RIC). On view until June 1.

Stan Douglas: Scotiabank Photography Award
The work of Stan Douglas affirms the validity and volatility of photography at this decisive moment in the history of art and media. This exhibition presents iconic images that explore the complex relationships between documentary and directorial photography that constitute the extensive portfolio of Douglas’ photographic work. Curated by Robert Bean. Presented by Scotiabank. Organized by the RIC. On view until June 1.

Public Installations
CONTACT co-presents 9 site-specific projects in public spaces by artists Jim Naughten (at MOCCA), Dana Claxton (on billboards in Toronto and across Canada), Gideon Mendel (in subway stations), Owen Kydd (at Brookfield Place), Martina Bacigalupo and Émilie Régnier (at Pearson Airport, Terminal 1) Richard Renaldi (Metro Hall) and Rebecca Belmore (on billboards in Toronto), Aleesa Cohene and Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay (RIC) and Annie MacDonell (Toronto Reference Library).

Featured Exhibitions
The 34 Featured Exhibitions presented throughout Toronto were developed through a public call for proposals and by means of collaboration within the community.

Open Exhibitions
In response to an open call to participate in the Festival more than 350 artists exhibit their work at over 140 venues throughout the Greater Toronto Area.