Frame of Absence explores the emotional weight of absence, transition and vulnerability—examining how personal and collective experiences shape identity, memory and our connection to the spaces we inhabit.
Zoi de la Peña examines the emotion expressed by the space an empty chair occupies and the space it leaves empty. In turn, reflecting the artist's own longing for space within herself to breathe, to be and to rest.
Colby Jones ruminates on the vulnerability, introspection and fragility of piecing together one’s identity amid emotional turbulence. Like a reflection rippling in water, there is an uncertainty caught between what was, what is and what might become. A distortion that is not only visual but psychological—representing a shifting sense of self that occurs when the foundation of a relationship dissolves.
Ben Dickey explores the process of watching his parents age as a spiritual analogue—a preemptive bereavement of climate grief and social precarity. Images of environmental volatility, ambient degradation and abandonment come together to form a narrative of vulnerability, love and care in an uncertain world.
Ben Dickey is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work seeks to understand the relationship between place and identity through compassionate explorations of grief, alienation and neurodivergence. Dickey employs multiple approaches, investigating the role of narrative in the construction of the physical and emotional spaces of our lives.
Grounded, in part through his experience of mental illness and disability, as well as his lineage from Holocaust survivors, his practice is defined by explorations of trauma, emotional struggle and environmental precarity. Dickey examines notions of despair, love and mythology, providing meaningful expression to the difficulties we face as human beings.
Zoi de la Peña is a mixed-race photographer re-developing her practice after a long hiatus. Returning primarily to analog methods, de la Peña is drawn to communicating emotions tied to a moment, object, scene or place—highlighting sentiments of longing, nostalgia, intimacy and impermanence. Her series, Alexandria, First Impressions, was featured in the Contact Photography Festival as part of Spectra in 2023.
Colby Jones is a Toronto-based international queer lens-based artist who holds a BFA in Photography from the Alberta University of the Arts. With a foundation in photo retouching, Jones merges technical precision with expressive visual storytelling. His work explores themes of identity, sexuality and gender, often drawing from personal experience to create emotionally resonant, diaristic narratives. Each image serves as a reflection of pivotal moments, offering viewers a glimpse into the artist's inner world. Jones has exhibited at Fashion Art Toronto and contributed to community-focused initiatives for Act x Snap and Gallery TPW.
