THE CONSTRUCTED IMAGE
The numerous ways images are now constructed have irrevocably transformed photography’s relationship to reality. CONTACT 2007 explores the fusion of practices that has transformed the nature of photography into a new hybrid genre. Events include exhibitions,portfolio reviews, films on photography and more.
The focal point of CONTACT 2007 is The Constructed Image: Photographic Culture, an exhibition produced in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art that showcases 10 artists from nine countries. The exhibition demonstrates how the constructed image has irrevocably transformed photography’s relationship to reality. Curated by David Liss & Bonnie Rubenstein.
Whether photographs are composites of multiple scenes or of various disciplines, materials and influences, hybridity is now a fundamental feature of the medium. Images are digitally altered, theatrically arranged, artificially staged and fabricated. Fashion, advertising and marketing strategies, many of which, ironically, were originally influenced by photography, are now frequently reinterpreted by photo-based artists as a means of expression. This directorial nature of working has moved photography away from the objective documentation of the world, and aligned it more closely with the freedom and infinite possibilities that theatre, film, painting and sculpture have always provided. Constructed modes of working are essential for these artists as they articulate concerns relating to contemporary global experiences.
Thomas Demand (German, lives in Berlin)
Dionisio González (Spanish, lives in Seville)
Ilkka Halso (Finnish, lives in Helsinki)
Simen Johan (Norwegian, lives in New York City)
Kim Joon (Korean, lives in Seoul)
Scott McFarland (Canadian, lives in Vancouver)
Miao Xiaochun (Chinese, lives in Beijing)
Erwin Olaf (Dutch, lives in Amsterdam)
Karen Ostrom (Canadian, lives in New York)
Sam Taylor-Wood (British, lives in London)
To read the “Photographic Culture” exhibition essay, click here (PDF 1.4MB)
For details on this exhibition at MOCCA Click Here
Further extending our theme into the city’s fabric, six public installations of photography by Canadian and international artists reconstruct city spaces, transit sites and subway platforms as venues for contemplation – see Public Installations – and our 35 Feature Exhibitions demonstrate the multiple dramatic effects to which photographs are constructed.
HP’s sponsorship of the event gives the CONTACT audience an opportunity to meet leaders in the photographic field in the lecture series as they explain their work from technical and creative points of view. This year’s speakers include Henry Wilhelm, Founder and President of Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. as well as Magnum Photographers: Jim Goldberg, Susan Meiselas and Eli Reed.
For more information visit: www.contactphoto.com
Marketing Photos with Mary Virginia Swanson 