Jury selects four international finalists; public vote for
C$50,000 prize begins on September 6
TORONTO, July 25, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Four
outstanding international artists have been shortlisted for this
year's Aimia | AGO Photography Prize, marking the 10th
anniversary of Canada's most significant award for
photography. Co-presented by Aimia, the Canadian global
leader in data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics, and the
Art Gallery of Ontario
(AGO), the Prize awards C$50,000 to one winner who is chosen by public
vote. The four finalists will present their work in an exhibition
opening on Sept. 6, 2017 at
the AGO in Toronto. Voting begins
in person at the AGO after the exhibition opens and on the Prize's
website beginning on Sept. 13,
2017.
The 2017 finalists are:
- Liz Johnson Artur
(Ghana/Russia)
- Raymond Boisjoly (Haida
Nation/Canada)
- Hank Willis Thomas
(USA)
- Taisuke Koyama
(Japan)
Thirteen international nominators selected a long list of 30
artists. From that list, a jury of three experts named the four
finalists, each of whom have shown extraordinary potential. The
jury was headed by Sophie
Hackett, the AGO's Curator of Photography and included
Ken Lum, artist, professor
and Chair of the Fine Arts Department at the University of Pennsylvania; and Eva Respini, the Barbara Lee Chief Curator
at the ICA/Boston.
"The jury was struck by the distinctly compelling character of
each nominee's work," said Hackett, who will also curate the 2017
exhibition. "Though they are working in very different ways, each
artist aims to transform and transmit a new understanding of the
world we live in, through variations of digital image capture,
experiences of blackness, and the relationship between indigeneity,
language (both visual and verbal) and colonialism. I look forward
to putting the nominees and their work in dialogue in the
exhibition and through the various programs related to this year's
prize."
In celebration of the 10th year of the Prize, Aimia and the
AGO present a symposium in partnership with Aperture
Magazine. The symposium, which will be held at the AGO on
Dec. 3 and 4, 2017, will
feature curators, scholars, and artists (including past Prize
winners and nominees) who will discuss the issues and ideas
impacting the field of photography today. Details will be announced
later this summer.
A commemorative publication will also be produced for the
anniversary year, telling the story of the Aimia | AGO Photography
Prize over the past decade. The book will showcase the
extraordinary work of current and past nominees of the Prize,
explore its scholarships and residencies, and celebrate the impact
the Prize has had over 10 years. The book is scheduled to be
released on Dec. 4, 2017, and will be
available at the AGO.
ABOUT THE 2017 FINALISTS
Liz Johnson Artur (b.
1964) is a Russian-Ghanaian photographer based in London. For the last 28 years, Johnson Artur has been working on a photographic
representation of people of African descent, capturing compelling
nuances of blackness and highlighting family, love and friendships.
Her monograph with Bierke Verlag was included in the
New York Times' Best Photo Books
2016 list. Johnson Artur works as a
photojournalist and editorial photographer for various fashion
magazines and record labels all over the world. She received her
Master of Arts in Photography from the Royal College of Art in
London and has taught at the
London College of
Communication.
Raymond Boisjoly (b. 1981)
is an Indigenous artist of Haida and Québécois descent who lives
and works in Vancouver. He has
exhibited extensively across Canada and internationally in both solo and
group exhibitions. Boisjoly investigates the ways images, objects,
materials and language continue to define Indigenous art and
artists, with particular attention to colonial contexts. In 2016,
he was a recipient of the VIVA Award, presented by the Jack and
Doris Shadbolt Foundation for the Visual Arts in Vancouver, and is one of five artists
shortlisted for the 2017 Sobey Art Award. Boisjoly is an assistant
professor of Interdisciplinary Studio in the Department of Visual
Art and Material Practice at Emily Carr University of Art and
Design. He is represented by Catriona
Jeffries Gallery.
Taisuke Koyama (b. 1978)
is a Japanese artist who explores the possibility of image making
in the digital age. His abstract photographs and moving images
employ experimental production methods to investigate the
relationship between organic processes and phenomena and the
technologies that facilitate their visual capture. He has exhibited
extensively in Europe and
Asia including Generated
Images at the Daiwa Foundation Japan House Gallery,
London, 2016 and at international
art festivals: Aichi Trienniale (2016), Seotuchi Trienniale (2013),
and Daegu Photo Biennale (2012). In 2010, he was selected as part
of the annual roster of Foam Talent for Foam Magazine.
Monographs of his work include VESSEL – XYZXY (RRose
Editions + taisuke koyama projects, 2017) and RAINBOW
VARIATIONS (artbeat publishers + Kodoji Press, 2015). Koyama
currently lives and works in Amsterdam and is represented by G/P Gallery,
Tokyo, Metronom, Italy and Sunday
Gallery, Switzerland.
Hank Willis Thomas (b.
1976) is a multidisciplinary contemporary African-American visual
artist, photographer and arts educator, working primarily with
themes related to identity, history and popular culture. He has
exhibited throughout the U.S. and internationally including the
International Center of Photography, Public Art Fund and The
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. His work can be found in numerous public
collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Whitney Museum of American
Art. Thomas' monograph, Pitch Blackness, was published by
Aperture in 2008. He received a MFA/MA in Photography and Visual
Criticism from the California College
of Arts. Thomas is represented by Jack
Shainman Gallery in New York
City and Goodman Gallery in South
Africa.
ABOUT THE AIMIA | AGO PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE
Over the last
10 years, the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize
has recognized and developed the best in Canadian and
international contemporary photography and helps to foster the next
generation of artists. The Prize comprises an annual
exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario, an online exhibition at
AimiaAGOPhotographyPrize.com, a range of public programming and a
national scholarship program. It includes awards of $50,000 to the winner, $5,000 to each of the three runners-up,
$7,000 to each of three scholarship
winners and $1,000 to each of their
respective schools.
Previous winners of the Prize include German artist Ursula Schulz-Dornburg (2016), Americans
Dave Jordano (2015) and Lisa Oppenheim (2014), Canada's Erin
Shirreff (2013), Britain's
Jo Longhurst (2012), Gauri Gill of
India (2011), Canadian
Kristan Horton (2010), Marco Antonio Cruz of Mexico (2009) and Canadian Sarah Anne Johnson (2008).
For updates on the Prize, further details on the shortlisted
artists and additional information, please visit
AimiaAGOPhotographyPrize.com and follow @AimiaAGOPrize on
Twitter.
ABOUT AIMIA
Aimia, a data-driven marketing and loyalty
analytics company, has adopted two fundamental principles of
loyalty, trust and reciprocity, as the pillars of its global social
purpose — to create mutually beneficial partnerships that leave a
lasting impact in our communities. As an enthusiastic patron of the
Arts, Aimia supports many Canadian and International arts and
culture initiatives through donations, sponsorships and employee
volunteer activities. Aimia has supported several Canadian cultural
organizations including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Art Canada
Institute, Business for the Arts, Canadian Art Foundation, the
National Gallery of Canada, Luminato Festival and the Walrus
Foundation. Aimia is proud to engage in a dialogue around the arts
through the Aimia l AGO Photography Prize and scholarship program,
and through our office art installations
in Montreal and Toronto. Visit us
at www.aimia.com to learn more.
ABOUT THE AGO
With a collection of close to 95,000
works of art, the Art Gallery of Ontario is among the most distinguished
art museums in North America. From
the vast body of Group of Seven and signature Canadian works to the
African art gallery, from the cutting-edge contemporary art to
Peter Paul Rubens's masterpiece
The Massacre of The Innocents, the AGO offers an incredible
art experience with each visit. In 2002, Ken Thomson's generous gift of 2,000 remarkable
works of Canadian and European art inspired Transformation AGO, an
innovative architectural expansion by world-renowned architect
Frank Gehry that in 2008 resulted in
one of the most critically acclaimed architectural achievements in
North America. Highlights include
Galleria Italia, a gleaming showcase of wood and glass running the
length of an entire city block, and the often-photographed spiral
staircase, beckoning visitors to explore. The AGO has an active
membership program offering great value, and the AGO's Weston
Family Learning Centre offers engaging art and creative programs
for children, families, youth and adults. Visit www.ago.ca to learn
more.
The Art Gallery of Ontario is
funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and
Sport. Additional operating support is received from the
City of Toronto, the Canada
Council for the Arts and generous contributions from AGO members,
donors and private-sector partners.
The AGO acknowledges the generous support of Aimia,
Signature Partner of the Photography Collection Program and
Founding Partner of the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize.
SOURCE AIMIA