Photography from around the world is on display in Toronto this month, as Contact returns for another 30-day celebration for photo enthusiasts.
This year, the theme is “field of vision” and the festival’s website explains it “situates photography as an expansion of sight, where the camera’s field of view extends the eye’s field of vision.”
The festival also acknowledges “photography is fundamental to seeing and sharing knowledge of ourselves and others across contexts that extend well beyond the physical environment our eyes can perceive.”
Dozens of exhibits will feature works from artists both well-known and upstart. Al Gilbert, often known as the “Ambassador of Canadian Photography,” will have his work highlighted at the Patrick International Fine Art Gallery. His portraits are seen as “outstanding significance and cultural importance” by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board.
His Celebrity Portraits exhibit will feature his photos of CNN host Larry King, Canadian author Robertson Davies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Pope John Paul II, jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and many more.
Also, fans can expect work from Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado, an honorary member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in the United States.
The late Arnaud Maggs, best known for stark portraits arranged in grid-like arrangements, will also be honoured at Contact.
Photos will be on display at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, as well as Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, subway platform screens and downtown billboards.
