MOCCA launches the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival
for the Third Year!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TORONTO, Ont., April 27, 2011 – The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) is pleased to host the launch of CONTACT 2011 and present two of the festival’s six primary exhibitions this year: Figure & Ground: Dynamic Landscape, featuring the work of Olga Chagaoutdinova, Scarlett Hooft Graafland, Viviane Sassen, and Dayanita Singh; and Fred Herzog |Vancouver, in its galleries from April 30 – June 5, 2011. The festival launch and the public opening reception will take place on Friday April 29, from 7 – 11 p.m.
Presented in the MOCCA Main Space, Dynamic Landscape features photographs that reveal the shifting relationship between figure & ground. Through narratives informed by landscape, this international group exhibition focuses on the interplay between humanity, nature, and culture. From sun-scorched Africa to Canada’s frozen north, the illuminated streets of India, to Russia’s modest interiors—these images portray physical and psychological perceptions of the worlds we inhabit. Figure & Ground: Dynamic Landscape is curated by CONTACT’s artistic director Bonnie Rubenstein, and organized by MOCCA and the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.
The Project Room will feature the exhibition Fred Herzog: Vancouver, presented as part of the National Gallery of Canada at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art program. For over fifty years, Herzog has photographed the changing street life of Vancouver. His images simultaneously celebrate and subtly critique North American culture. The works, mainly taken in the late 50s and 60s, are early examples of photography exploiting colour’s expressive properties. Fred Herzog: Vancouver is organized by the National Gallery of Canada and MOCCA, and presented in conjunction with the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.
The CONTACT public installation in MOCCA’s courtyard this year is a mural by Toronto filmmaker and photographer Elle Flanders & architect Tamira Sawatzky. Part on their ongoing collaborative project What Isn’t There, the seemingly picturesque landscape portrays the site of Isdud, a former Palestinian village, now known as Ashdod, a port city in Israel.
Links / URLs
- Learn more about Figure & Ground: Dynamic Landscape
- Learn more about Fred Herzog: Vancouver
- Learn more about the NGC@MOCCA program
- Visit and learn more about Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival
- Download Media Kit
Quotes:
- David Liss, Artistic Director and Curator, MOCCA
“As the primary venue for the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival since 2006, the exhibitions have become the highlight of our season.”
- Bonnie Rubenstein, Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival Artistic Director and Curator of Figure & Ground: Dynamic Landscape
“Dynamic Landscape portrays forces of nature that have shaped and formed humankind, from the colour of the earth and the temperature of the air to the torrent of the sea and the darkness of the night. Influenced by environmental, social, historical, and political issues, these four artists re magine the figure in the landscape and the impact of its presence on the ground.”
Tags / Keywords
Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, Primary Exhibition, Figure & Ground, Dynamic Landscape, Olga Chagaoutdinova, Scarlett Hooft Graafland, Viviane Sassen, Dayanita Singh, Fred Herzog, Vancouver, National Gallery of Canada, NGC@MOCCA, Elle Flanders, Tamira Sawatzky
About the National Gallery of Canada at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
The National Gallery of Canada at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art is a three-year program that will see the two institutions co-organize and co-present a series of exclusive exhibitions in MOCCA’s newly-renovated project space, drawn from the NGC’s exceptional contemporary art collection. These will include the presentation of single works, new acquisitions or full scale exhibitions designed to complement MOCCA’s existing programming. Learn more about the NGC@MOCCA program.
About the NGC http://www.gallery.ca/
About MOCCA
The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) was founded from the former Art Gallery of North York in 1999, with the mandate to exhibit, research, collect, and promote innovative art by Canadian and non-Canadian artists whose works engage and reflect the relevant stories of our times. In 2005, MOCCA relocated to the West Queen West Art + Design District in downtown Toronto, in the heart of one of North America’s most dynamic arts communities and functions effectively as a nucleus of energies for cultural production and exchange. Since 2006, MOCCA draws 40,000 visitors annually.
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Supporters
The National Gallery of Canada at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art is generously supported by Cineplex Media, Porter Airlines, and The Ouellette Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by AXA Art Canada. The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art is also grateful for the patronage of THE ART DEPT., a leadership circle of MOCCA patrons.
All programs and activities of the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art are supported by Toronto Culture, the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, BMO Financial Group, individual memberships and private donations.
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Media Contact
Fayiaz Chunara
Head, Communications and Marketing
416.395.7490
fchunara@mocca.ca