Contemplating origin is intrinsically human, but organically forward motion is inevitable. The hunt for new experiences, fresh inspiration, and exploring narratives pushes us out of our comfort zone but is essential to creativity. This exhibition brings together work of the twelve artists who participated in the Low Res course, working together collaboratively to organically move forward.
Barhar Toussi was born and raised in Tehran, Iran and has lived in Canada since 2006. Her artistic endeavors are an extension of her personal experiences and passions. Her work explores the relationship between feelings, dreams and the facts of the realistic world. She is influenced, among other things, by the places she has lived and traveled, by the wondrous sounds around her and by literature. She holds a bachelor degree in Computer Engineering from Azad University in Tehran and a certificate in Film Studies from Ryerson University.
Slobodan Mladjenovic is a trained computer specialist and civil engineer with an extensive interest in photography. After many years of photography explorations, he is now pursuing a certificate in photography at OCAD University and getting training in various film processing techniques. Together with photography, he is he is expressing himself using other art techniques like painting and printing. Through photography, Slobodan examines mainly themes of landscapes, cityscapes, nature, people, and motorcycles. He is using his motorcycle not only as means of transportation and enjoinment but as
access to places for photography, stopping and exploring the relationship between people and nature. He is taking pictures while riding his motorcycle; documenting what he sees during those rides.
Margit Koivisto is a Toronto based photographer with a northern soul. She
photographs in places that move her emotionally and visually. She often
returns to the same location more than once to explore the emotional and visual connection. These places are often ordinary and are passed through quickly by others. She finds herself increasingly drawn to the landscapes of Northern Ontario, especially those on the shores of Lake Superior, where she grew up and now spends as much time as possible. There, she makes images that meld the beauty of the rugged landscape with the 21st century realities of living on the Lake’s shores. She is a member of the Riverdale Artists’ Network and Gallery 44. She exhibits her work regularly as a member of the f8 Photography Collective.
Esmond Lee is a Chinese Canadian artist formally trained as an architect based in the suburbs of Toronto. As a second generation immigrant, his work centers around the long-term and intergenerational experiences of migration. Drawing from his background in architecture, he explores identity, belonging, and cultural collisions manifested in the built environment. Lee’s work has been exhibited locally at Gallery 44, Koffler Centre of the Arts, Artscape Youngplace and University of Waterloo. Most personally significant, his work received attention from Chinese media, Ta Kung Pao. For Lee, this humble exposure signals the connection of both Western and Chinese communities to his work, and in some way, a connection between him and his parents. He lives together with his parents in their shared house. Lee is supported by the Ontario Arts Council and is recognized by the Ontario Association of Architects.
Gustavo Jabbaz has always had an interest in photography. He began taking pictures at an early age. In 1998 he acquired his first digital Camera and hasn't changed mediums since. Initially, Jabbaz took colour photos, but over time he taught himself how to develop and print black and white photographs. He loves the city he lives in and uses Toronto’s buildings and streets as subjects in much of his work. He is currently a member of Gallery 44, and has taken part in; RMG Exposed 2017 photography auction at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery and Salon 44 2018 at Gallery 44 Toronto.
Soko Negash
Patricia Mcvitty is an emerging photographer. She was born in Toronto and
returned home in 2015 after 25 years of living and working abroad in Japan,
Switzerland and South Africa. One theme that remained consistent across
continents is her love for being active in nature. Her photographic work
reflects this love as she explores ways of capturing her movements in nature
through a camera lens. In 2017, she completed a certificate in Photography
Studies from Ryerson University. She has exhibited in group shows at the
Annual Chang School Photography Exhibition (2016, 2017, 2018), the Grand
Manan Art Gallery in New Brunswick (2016, 2017), Dufferin County Museum and Archives (2016) and at Todmorden Mills (2018).
Celina Virani is an emerging Toronto-based photographer with an interest in documenting the changing landscapes of Toronto. Celina graduated with a BFA from Ryerson's School of Image Arts and continues to develop her passion behind the lens with an interest in working with alternative digital and historical processes. Celina has always been captivated by the way humans interact, occupy and connect with space. Her most recent work is informed by the environmental and social impacts of our constantly changing urban/wild landscapes and the relationship to the spaces we do or do not occupy. Her work has been featured at Ryerson University, Gallery 44, The Gladstone Hotel and Art Square Gallery.
Colleen Pollack her photography interests on real-life settings. She divides her time between Toronto and Oregon which gives her the opportunity to capture both urban and rural images. Given the many environmental issues of today, Colleen’s goal is to remind everyone just how beautiful our world is so that we strive to keep it that way. As an emerging photographer, Colleen has won several competition awards for her photography, both digital and print, from the Beach Photography Club. Her images have been accepted in the Greater Toronto Council of Camera Clubs Open Competition. Whether she is hiking
in the mountains, or walking in the city, she always has her camera ready.
Patrice Carmichael is a visual artist working across mediums. Her practice begins with the photographic narrative exploring quiet, wild landscapes. She immerses herself in these spaces, seeking connections on multiple levels. Patrice documents a map of her emotional conversation with the environment and its geography. She considers the species and people before taking her practice to painting. In her images, she aims to leave the remnants of this partnership. These images redefine nature in her own realities of colour and shape. In 2014 and 2015 Patrice traveled with Parks Canada's "Art in the Park" program to Ivvavik in the Western Arctic. This rare opportunity to experience a protected area-- fewer than 100 people visit each year -- has been a powerful inspiration. Ivvavik is known as "the nursery," where Arctic wildlife comes to give birth. The floe edge is a constantly moving and dynamic line that marks the end of the fixed fast ice (ice that is anchored to the shore) and the start of the Arctic Ocean. In her third journey, somewhere between Baffin Island and Greenland, she camped out on the frozen ocean for a few weeks to meet the area’s mythical whale pods. The floe edge will, it is predicted, disappear in the next 15 years. Photography documenting this area has been exhibited at Gallery 44 in Toronto. “Going North” Stories from the Arctic in 2015. Paintings and photography published in the January 2016 issue of ELLE Canada magazine, “Arctic Reverie” Camping in the Canadian Tundra. Selected for the Carmichael Canadian Landscape Exhibition in 2013 at the Orillia Museum of Art and History.
Jeff Curran is a Canadian born photographer who currently works and lives in Toronto. From an early age, he developed a passion for exploration, which combined with later individual studies in photography led to an artistic career. These days, Jeff brings together his passion and knowledge to produce stunning images that illustrate a variety of subjects. As he continues pursuing his artistic vision, each photograph is a reflection of his journey. Jeff’s work has been published in Canada and exhibited internationally, also has won numerous awards in competitions. Jeff is a member of PSA (Photographic Society of America), as well as the Toronto Camera Club and Beach Photo Club in Toronto, where he enjoys collaborating with other photographers.
Asli Koksal
