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.
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.
KAREN 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.”
MARIA 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.
CHRIS 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.” 
ALEX 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.”
The 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. 
Below, 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..
…and Calvin welcomed tech expert from MacMedics and friend, Jeffrey Barrett, to the reception (below)
Fellow artist and previous Urban Gallery exhibitor, Dawn Hemmy (below) also popped in to enjoy the show..
So many beautiful photographs to view, all of which are available for purchase….
Urban 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/