Salon 44

Gallery 44’s annual fundraising exhibition in support of our education and exhibition programs will be returning to the gallery! Representing the best in Canadian photography, Salon 44 brings together an incredible collection of over 60 established and emerging artists with works priced for both new and seasoned collectors alike. Salon 44 is co-chaired by Emilie Croning and Maegan Broadhurst.‍

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Opening Reception: Thursday, March 2, 2023, 7:00 – 10:00PM

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Make a difference‍

All proceeds from the sale of the artworks directly support our charitable mission to support artists through meaningful production, education and exhibition opportunities.

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Open Editions

We are delighted to present Salon 44’s Open Editions by artists Isabel Okoro and Othello Grey. The editions are on sale now and will be available for purchase through March 18. Purchase Open Editions now!

Straddling the worlds of fashion and fine art photography, Othello Grey and Isabel Okoro’s work capture ephemeral moments where Black people are the protagonists. Their unique practices allow their images to make bold statements – here, anchored by the refusal of their subjects’ gaze, though still making their presence known. While Okoro’s subject carefully exists in the liminal space between the imagined and the real (where eternity is its final destination); Grey’s subject is grounded in reality.

Through ongoing exploration, both artists are engaging with the multiplicity of Black representation and actively re-shaping a repertoire of visual references on their own terms.
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Isabel Okoro (b. Lagos, Nigeria) is a visual artist currently based in Toronto, ON. She is exploring the interactions between the motherland and the diaspora, and visualising an imagined world, Eternity, as a space to immortalize family, friends, and those she meets along the way. She coined the term normatopia to describe a space which considers the tensions between a harsh reality and a utopia, and chooses to rest and thrive in the humanly achievable sweet spot that exists in the middle. Isabel holds a B.sc. in Neuroscience and Psychology (High Distinction) from the University of Toronto. Alongside friends adé abegunde & Ayotunde Sule, Isabel co-founded the creative studio local•global. She is currently the Creative Director.

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Othello Grey is a self taught photographer, who’s built a reputation for his ability to communicate nuance while blurring the lines between editorial, commercial and artistic photography. At first he used photography to catalogue his experiences as his mind discarded them against his control, throughout his photographic journey he’s learned how to weave those ephemeral moments together to create engaging dialogues through his editorials. Constantly questioning the purpose of all things, he chooses not to sit in any particular photographic style-instead seeking out the nuances in every project and experimenting with how they’re captured. He hopes to use his platform to aid in removing the guise of beauty and deconstructing the implicit biases associated with Black people and to become the reference point of a Black artist that he never had as child.​​

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NEW: Artist Books and Publications

With the revival of Gallery 44’s publishing program through Writer-in-Residence publications (Letticia Cosbert Miller’s book in 2022 and Nic Wilson’s forthcoming book), Salon 44 will include a publication section for the first time, including G44 publications and a curated selection of books and zines from the membership and friends of the gallery. Publication sales will support the Writer-in-Residence publication program and the facilities’ library.

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​​Participating artists include:

Adetona Omokanye, Alex Kisilevich, Ammar Bowaihl, Ananna Rafa, Annie MacDonell, Antoine Quiet, Beau Gomez, Brendan George Ko, Caeden Wigston, Camille Rojas, Carolyn Cheng, Christina Oyawale, Danielle Goshay, Ebti Nabag, Elise Rasmussen, Erika DeFreitas, Farihah Shah, Geoffrey Pugen, Grace Wang, Hannah Doucet, Holly Chang, Isabel Okoro, Jackson Klie, Jamie Campbell, Jessica Thalmann, Jimmy Limit, Jim Verburg, Jill Smith, Jocelyn Reynolds, Juan Ortiz-Apuy, Julie Pasila, Justin Aranha, Karishma Pranjivan, Kotama Bouabane, Lan Florence Yee, Laura Kay Keeling, Leila Fatemi, Liana Schmidt, Lilianne Schneider, Liz Ikiriko, Lorenzo Colocado, Mariana Muñoz Gomez, Marisa Kriangwiwat Holmes, Meech Boakye, Micah Lexier, Michael Seleski, Mina Nowzari, Miles Rufelds, Nour Bishouty, Othello Grey, Pengkuei Ben Huang, Ryan Jakubek, Samuel de Lange, Sarah Martin,  Shaney Herrmann, Steven Beckly, Steve Stober, Susy Oliveira, Suzanne Morrissette, Suzy Lake, Tizzi Tan, Tobi Asmoucha, Tyler Muzzin

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With publications from:

Aleesa Cohene, Briar Tawse-Smith, Cristian Ordóñez, EMILIA-AMALIA, Erich Deleeuw, Kyler Zeleny, Leala Hewak, Letticia Cosbert Miller, Matt Nish-Lapidus, Meera Margaret Singh, Nic Wilson, Ruth Kaplan, Sanaz Mazinani, Seth Fluker, Sharona Franklin, Simon Fuh, Vuk Dragojevic, Zinnia Naqvi

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Special Events and Fundraising Committee

Sarah Bodri, Ali Bosworth, Alexandra Bowron, Alexandra Majerus, Lisa Muzzin, Jill Smith, Dory Smith and Kate Wivell.

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