Tag Archives: CONTACT Photography Festival Toronto

URBAN GALLERY PRESENTS PHOTOGRAPHER PENG-KUEI (BEN) HUANG – SCOTIABANK CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL

After yesterday’s successful launch to the annual Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, Urban Gallery invites lovers of photography and art to visit BEN HUANG‘s haunting solo exhibition “SOLEMN PINES, FADING THINGS” running throughout the month of May.20190504_140133

 

In the beginning there was an earthquake, then a massive wave took everything.  But just as things couldn’t get any worse, an explosion at Fukushima coast released dangerous amounts of radiation. Survival instinct took over: residents left behind things that were precious to them as they escaped. And the trauma remains, like ghosts of the dead lingering upon the land. Over time, as debris is cleared and towns are being rebuilt, the sorrow persists. HUANG Relics Okuma 2016HUANG Rikuzentakata 2013 HUANG Rikuzentakata 2017Ben Huang began visiting Tohoku coast in Northeastern Japan in 2012 with an idea of documenting the transformation in the aftermath of the disaster. Throughout his numerous journeys since then, he learnt how a supposed recovery effort has had a profound impact on the environment and the people living there. These photographs are a testament to such a change; they tell a story of hope and uncertainty of the future, as well as grieving for the lost. It is hopeful yet somber, fragile yet strong, and vulnerable but determined as the region and its inhabitants come to terms with the tragedy.HUANG Okirai Port Ofunato 2018 20190504_130746 20190504_130813 20190504_130831ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Native of Taiwan, Peng-Kuei “Ben” Huang first moved to Indonesia in 1990 and later to Los Angeles, California in 1993. In 1997, he attended Pitzer College where he studied international politics. He began to take an interest in photography in 2001 and left for San Francisco where he earned a BFA degree in 2004. In 2008, he attended the Magnum Workshop Toronto under the guidance of renowned photographer Larry Towell and was selected as one of the finalists for the Scotia Bank Prize.  Ben has been living in Canada since 2005 and splits his time between Canada and East Asia. www.benhuangphotos.com

Ben was thrilled to welcome family and friends to Urban Gallery which was soon packed and buzzing!20190504_141335 20190504_141451 20190504_141509Toronto arts journalist, Mark Hasan, interviewed Ben (below) who was happy to share his thoughts on the current state of the environment, esp. around the Fukushima reactor that released dangerous amounts of radiation and is still impacting the world’s oceans.20190504_134532You have another opportunity to meet Ben in person – Saturday May 25th (2-4pm) – the gallery looks forward to welcoming those interested in the art of photography and learning from Ben’s first-hand accounts of how Japan is recovering from the earthquake & tsunami. All photographs are available for purchase – the archival pigment prints are 16″ x 24″ (framed or unframed) and are in limited editions of 20.  Further details: www.urbangallery.ca20190504_130715

DONNA LYPCHUK LAUNCHES HER “CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL” SOLO SHOW @ JINKS ART FACTORY, TORONTO

What a fun, wild’n’crazy night we enjoyed at the groovy Jinks Art Factory (cafe & tattoo parlour) in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood as photographic artist, writer and pop-culturist DONNA LYPCHUK opened her solo show Mystical Toronto: The Oculis of Donna Lypchuk for this year’s Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. So many friends and fellow artists showed up to make the night a great success for Donna who held court at this fun schmooze-fest – below Donna (2nd from L) welcomes some old friends.20170511_192037The venue, Jinks Art Factory, is a charming neighbourhood social hub for artists, writers, bon vivants and miscellaneous wastrels who enjoy the hospitality of Sarah and Jen, the owners and hostesses for last night’s soiree (pictured below with Donna in the centre).20170511_185306Jinks Arts Factory offers delicious coffees and edible treats in the cafe up front and has a comfortable tattoo parlour in the back where you can acquire your own personal art. Below – the ladies are their own best walking promo for their ink skills.20170511_185245Donna’s photos were simply and effectively displayed, featuring various sizes of prints on metallic paper giving the images an iridescent quality…20170511_185324 20170511_185354 20170511_185409…and her guests loved ’em!20170511_185613 20170511_202027Donna was happy…just an hour into the opening party, she had the red dots out and applied them to several photos. Congrats to the buyers – smart choices!20170511_195904As the night progressed, lots of bo-ho chic guests showed up and the energy in the cafe ramped up…20170511_185433 20170511_202030…and our happy smiling barista worked hard ensuring all were well “lubricated” with celebratory drinkies!20170511_185643 20170511_185649Loved meeting these three “cheeky monkeys” – longtime friends of Donna’s…thanks for playing along for this photo, ladies.20170511_190843The party eventually moved out to the sidewalk ….20170511_202158 20170511_202254…where Donna enjoyed more warm camaraderie with new arrivals.

Back inside Jinks, I tried my hand at snapping some “photographic art” – below, I spied the mid-century modern furnishings and a gorgeous cappuccino machine.20170511_191728 20170511_191742 20170511_191756And I had a blast resting my bum on this fab wooden bench from Playdead Cult, a decorative art, clothing and home furnishings store located on the next block along Queen St West.20170511_191454By 8pm, lots more people arrived to see the photos taken of various locations and hidden spots around the city…20170511_202434 20170511_191646 20170511_191658 20170511_191636Congratulations to Donna for her successful CONTACT launch party….(below, Donna “works it” with this photographer!)20170511_190755….and big thanks to Sarah and Jen of Jinks who are also hosting a neighbourhood BBQ tomorrow, Sat. May 13 (12-4pm) as part of the Spring into Parkdale street party.20170511_191438 20170511_191949Mystical Toronto: The Oculis of Donna Lypchuk runs until May 31st at Jinks Arts Factory, 1664 Queen St West (near Roncesvalles).  Photos are all available for sale: prices range from $25 – $60 and sizes range 8″x 10″ to 11″x 17″. Come out and support local artists…and coffee shops!images

 

Mystical Toronto: The Oculis of Donna Lypchuk

My dear friend Donna Lypchuk unveils another series of stunning photographs for this year’s Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival – the official opening reception for her solo show  Mystical Toronto: The Oculis of Donna Lypchuk  takes place this Thursday May 11 (6-10pm) at Jinks Art Factory, a tattoo parlour, arts hub and coffee shop located at 1664 Queen Street West in Parkdale. The show runs until May 31st.

All photographs are printed on metallic paper that gives whites a silver reflective quality and a jewel-like depth. Prices range from $25 – $60 and sizes range 8″x 10″ to 11″x 17″.  Here are some of the spectacular skyscapes you’ll see….2013-10-16 17.13.342013-07-19 20.58.38-iloveimg-converted (1)fogThe Queen Street writer, anthropologist and arts scene contributor uses her signature cellphone “fauxtographie” to channel the essence of mystical Toronto with this series of fine art prints that draw new meaning from the city’s atmospheric skies, abandoned mid-century temples, secret parlour rooms, foggy forest clearings, and sacred condo-henges.  IMG_20161205_091732-685x4302014-07-08 06.10.56A long-time resident and arts scene contributor of the Queen Street West bo-ho community, Donna wrote a provocative weekly column (“the necrofile”) for the now-defunct eye Weekly newspaper and is a published author, playwright and multi-media artist. True to the intention of the original Art for Lobbies, Lounges and Living Rooms concept of producing livable interesting and affordable pieces , Donna’s cell phone folk art now hangs in the living rooms of many private collectors and in various government, religious and  business spaces.

I hope you will come on out during the month of May to support all local photographic artists participating in the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival  and Donna looks forward to welcoming you to her opening party at Jinks Art Factory this Thurs. May 11 between 6pm and 10pm. More information on the Facebook event page.th

URBAN GALLERY OPENS ANNUAL CONTACT PHOTO FEST SHOW “WATER: SUSTAINING LIFE”

Toronto’s leading indie art gallery, URBAN GALLERY, hosted the opening reception for their annual Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival exhibition yesterday. Featuring 4 talented photographic artists, “Water: Sustaining Life” runs until May 31st at 400 Queen St East (just 1 blk E. of Parliament St) in downtown Toronto.th

As the gallery notes, water is the world’s most precious resource. And photographic artists Alex Turner, Chris Hominuk, Karen Silver and Maria Ricossa bring four unique perspectives to water’s special significance in our lives and the world around us.CHRIS HOMINUK Oneida Falls CHRIS HOMINUK Georgian Bay Sunrise Symmetry Karen Silver 497 KB RICOSSA_Blue Dress TURNER TransformationVersion 2TURNER INSTALLATION May 2017 at URBAN GALLERYKAREN SILVER (below) is an Executive Producer of TV Commercials and a Photographer. “I’m fascinated by reflections, things that at first glance might not be so noticeable. It began with photographing reflections in large soap bubbles and then recently, reflections in water.”20170506_144016MARIA RICOSSA (below) is an actor and photographer who observes people, hoping to recreate truthful behavior onstage or in front of a camera. Drawn to street photography, she watches people – capturing a story or a dramatic moment. She witnesses and documents private moments, after which things will never be the same.20170506_143802CHRIS HOMINUK (below) is a self-taught award winning landscape photographer. “My passion is capturing the calmness of nature. I’ll drive, paddle, or hike great distances to get that ‘one shot’. In my work I concentrate on near/far exposures to reveal the importance of what’s both in the foreground and the distance.” 20170506_143632ALEX TURNER’s work has been exhibited in Toronto and Western Canada. His photographs are in collections in Canada and the US. “These compositions seek an alignment of visual elements into an abstract whole. The results – sometimes manipulated – are often more like paintings or etchings than photography.”20170506_143905The gallery was humming with a near-packed house of guests, all entranced by the images of water subjects, and each photographer welcomed their family, friends and fans. 20170506_141220 20170506_14350220170506_140813Below, artist Angel Torres (right) drops in to join gallery curator Allen Shugar (left) and gallery director/owner Calvin Hambrook (centre) as they open the doors to the guests..20170506_133535…and Calvin welcomed tech expert from MacMedics and friend, Jeffrey Barrett, to the reception (below)20170506_142618Fellow artist and previous Urban Gallery exhibitor, Dawn Hemmy (below) also popped in to enjoy the show..20170506_143940So many beautiful photographs to view, all of which are available for purchase….20170506_14082720170506_132919 20170506_140806 20170506_14280120170506_133357Urban Gallery invites you to come visit and support local artists – gallery hours, directions and exhibit details at: www.urbangallery.ca

SCOTIABANK CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 
WATER: SUSTAINING LIFE
May 4 to May 31, 2017

For details of the city-wide CONTACT festival visit: http://scotiabankcontactphoto.com/

 

WRITER/ARTIST DONNA LYPCHUK OPENS “ART FOR LOUNGES, LOBBIES & LIVING ROOMS” SHOW FOR CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL

Last night I was thrilled to attend the opening of my dear friend DONNA LYPCHUK‘s show that’s part of this year’s CONTACT Photography Festival taking place at galleries and venues across Toronto throughout the month of May.20160429_174325Hosted in the unique setting of Mrs.Huizengas Antique Emporium @28 Roncesvalles Ave, the 60+ framed and unframed photographic prints feature stunning landscapes, floral portraits and sassy street scenes. The show also includes one of Donna’s most famous shots of a hurricane-like tempest over Toronto back in August of 2015 – this photo went viral over the internet, was published by news outlets across the country and became Instagram’s “Photo of the Day”. It is also the title photo for Donna’s show promotional materials (see bottom of blog).20160429_174352A long-time resident and arts scene contributor of the Queen Street West Bo-ho community, Donna was a weekly columnist (“the necrofile”) for the now-defunct eye Weekly newspaper as well as a published author, playwright and multi-media artist…… and my dear friend since the early 80’s when we both worked at Yuk Yuk’s. Her own sense of humour and whimsy can be seen in a number of her photos, as well as her “darker side”.  I particularly liked her charming “Swan” series, esp. the full-colour framed print featured below….20160429_17434420160429_174618Donna greeted all her friends who dropped in to admire her work and support the show, and I watched as several prints were sold, too – congrats, Donna! For those wishing to purchase her work, Donna (below, centre) has priced her photo prints very affordably – you can pick up a great picture for as little as $16 or as much as $160.20160429_181804 20160429_174355 20160429_174315Donna’s florals attracted a lot of attention – here are two of my faves….20160429_180709 20160429_180749(0)I really liked this one (above) as the trees look like naked bodies dancing thru the flowers!!

I highly recommend checking out these beautiful photos that will hang in Mrs. Huizengas throughout the month of May…and have fun checking out all the kitsch and vintage treasures in this huge antique emporium. For store hours call T: 416-533-2112.  Thank you for supporting Canadian artists….especially Donna Lypchukimg328

CALL FOR ENTRIES: URBAN GALLERY TO HOST EQUINE PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW DURING NEXT YEAR’S “CONTACT PHOTO FESTIVAL”.

My friends down at URBAN GALLERY (400 Queen St East, Toronto) are putting out a “call for submissions” for next year’s Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival (May 2016) so they’re looking for professional or semi-pro  photographers and emerging photographic artists to submit photos of horses, ponies, donkeys, mules…even zebras!…for next year’s city-wide festival.logoDeadline is Sept. 30th so hurry up and email Calvin at Urban Gallery (urbangalleryart1@gmail.com) for fest info and eligibility. Am sure you can do better than my efforts (below)…LOL

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