At the end of June began Proof 18, Gallery 44's 18th annual exhibition of work by Canadian photographers in the early stages of their careers. The exhibition features works by artists Steven Beckly, Linda-Marlena BucholtzRoss, Jenna Edwards, Tad Hozumi, Mike Andrew McLean, and Elise Victoria Louise Windsor in the gallery, and in the vitrines, the work of Nathan Cyprys, recipient of the Verant Richards Scholarship.

The annual Proof show always presents a mix of different approaches to photography, but this iteration in particular had a sense of formalism, concern for the surface of photographs or surfaces photographed, and ways of looking, across the entire exhibition. Isabel M. Martinez's essay in the catalogue discusses each of the participants' bodies of work in relation to contemporary ways of perceiving, specifically how visual habits are shaped by looking at images online. This thought added another layer to the discussion—if you haven't seen the catalogue yet, read the essay online here, or purchase the catalogue at our Online Store.

The opening was great fun, with nearly all the artists in attendance. I had the opportunity to chat with three of the artists, Steven Beckly, Jenna Edwards and Nathan Cyprys, about the projects they have on display.
 

Steven Beckly, from the series Hush and Uncivil Unions, 2011.  Photo by Emily Sebrins.

Elena Potter: How did you come to make Hush and Uncivil Unions?

Steven Beckly: When I started collecting old photographs a year ago, I noticed how difficult it was to find photographs of same-sex couples. It was virtually impossible to find ones in which they were displaying affection. So, I started with found photographs and used digital techniques to infer intimacy and suggest romantic relationships between the subjects. The work in Proof 18 is my first departure from shooting photographs, and making work from found materials—something that I'd love to continue to do.

EP: Who are some artists you find inspiring?

SB: There are too many to name! The last website I bookmarked was Helmut Smits' portfolio. It was exciting to discover his work because of the sculptural elements—that’s something I want to try.

EP: What is next for you?

SB: I'm in a group show at the Photographic Resource Center in Boston that opens in July, and will be making new work for a show at XPACE in the fall.
 

Jenna Edwards, from the series Camera Obscured, 2010. Photo by Emily Sebrins.

EP: How did you come to make Camera Obscured?

Jenna Edwards: I noticed that the light, filtering through the small window of my studio, fell across the wall and created a soft-focus camera obscura effect in the space. The coloured sections on the wall were identifiable when compared to the view outside, like the blue sky. I have been fascinated by camera obscuras for a long time, but I have always seen the results as sharply focused images.

I decided to search for and document instances of these naturally occurring camera obscura projections on walls in order to explore the ‘images’ that exist before light transforms into more recognizable forms. Using a large format camera I was able to capture the familiar details of the wall texture, which grounds these inexact registrations of the outside world.

EP: Who are some artists you find inspiring?

JE: Hiroshi Sugimoto is someone whose works I have returned to many times over the past years. While making these photographs I spent time considering works by Abelardo Morell and Uta Barth. More recently I’ve come to know the work of Pascal Grandmaison and have been inspired by projects such as Soleil Différé and Verre.

EP: What are you exploring next?

JE: I continue to explore artistic approaches that result in challenging our perceptions of the familiar.
 

Nathan Cyprys, When Divided Several Times By a Ghost, from the series Distances, 2011. Photo by Emily Sebrins.

EP: How did you come to make the series Distances?

Nathan Cyprys: The series Distances (still in progress) is a continuation of a previous project, Prelude to Distances. I had originally shot the images for Prelude to Distances during my last year at OCAD, experimenting with mediums outside what I was accustomed to, yet still lens-based—specifically Super-8 film, then 16mm film.

The process itself was very sporadic. I'll often go into a shoot, having planned extensively and drawn up pages of thumbnails, and the last few leftover exposures I use up when I get home are what end up moving me the most. I find there's a difficult balance of how much freedom one should have within their medium. I'm constantly juggling with this to find the right situation, especially when working with other people. There needs to be a blend of both trust and discomfort.

EP: Who are some artists you find inspiring?

NC: Some artists I find inspiring are (in no particular order) Sally Mann, Erwin Wurm, Faye Mullen, Leonard Cohen, Sam Taylor-Wood, Carrie Schneider, Bill Viola, Phillip Barker, Joel Sternfeld.

EP: What are you exploring next?

NC: I plan on continuing to produce work for Distances by examining my relationships to those around me (in all their successes and failures) until the series reaches some form of conclusion.

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I’m looking forward to watching all the artists featured in Proof 18 to see where their work will pop up next. Congratulations to all involved! Proof 18 continues until July 30 2011 at Gallery 44—be sure to check it out!