DEPTH OF FIELD
Exposure continues to explore the outer reaches of photography
There are exhibits dedicated to an earthquake-damaged region of Nepal, a globe-trotting tribute to the horse, haunting images of fading Alberta homesteads and a study of our interactions with nature in an urban environment.
If the dozens of exhibitions across the province that make up Exposure: Alberta’s Photography Festival prove anything, it’s that the possibilities of creating provocative art have only deepened in the 14 years since the festival began.
“We’re interested in a range of types of work,” says Dona Schwartz, president and chair of Exposure’s board of directors. “It’s really important for the festival to be diverse and to encourage a range of creative responses, not only the medium of photography, but the world we live in. There might be some people who are devoted to wildlife or landscape (or) others who are doing very conceptually based work. It’s all food for thought.”
It’s not just diversity in theme and practise. Exposure has now expanded from its initial base in Calgary, Canmore and Banff to Edmonton and towns throughout the province. There are shows in dozens of venues, ranging from established world-class galleries such as the Glenbow Museum, which will be running a photography exhibit based around famed painter Frida Kahlo, to coffee shops and restaurants. There are group and solo shows featuring everyone from established photographers such as George Webber, who will be a part of Reconciliation showing at Mount Royal University, to the 10 artists being exhibited at Eau Claire Market as part of Emerging Photographers Showcase.
Thematically, it certainly runs the gamut. There are more or less straightforward exhibitions, such as the self-explanatory The Wild Life by Art Wolfe at the Canmore Art Guild Gallery to the more enigmatic Voices, a group exhibition at Alberta College of Art + Design that is cryptically described as “Art has always been a way for people to raise their voice and pour their truth out into the world.” The festival runs from Feb. 1 to 28, although exhibitions may have different start and finish dates depending on the venue. Visit exposurephotofestival.com