The Ryerson Image Centre (RIC) will present a series of experimental shows confronting the traditional power dynamic between photographer and subject. Collaboration: A Potential History of Photography suggests that photography – a medium traditionally understood as one dominated by singular creative adventurers – is better defined by collaboration and interaction. Alongside this exhibition, Jim Goldberg’s seminal series Rich and Poor (1977 to 1985) exemplifies this relationship by pairing his portraits with revealing self-observations from his subjects, inscribed directly on the photographs. These images expose the rising social and economic divide in the United States that has only intensified today. Two additional exhibitions also explore the fluid dynamics between the makers of images, their subjects, and the audience that experiences the photography.
All exhibitions open with a reception and are free and open to the public. The shows run from Wednesday, January 24 (6 pm – 8 pm), and will remain on view to April 8.
The RIC’s presentation also includes rarely-seen prints, original interview recordings, and other fascinating archival materials. Also on view on RIC’s Salah J. Bachir New Media Wall, will be Ivan Sigal’s multi-channel installation KCR that explores the Karachi Circular Railway – a now-defunct commuter train that once connected the disparate neighbourhoods of Pakistan’s largest metropolis. Sigal created KCR while a fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, and is best known for his documentary explorations of societies undergoing conflict or political transition.
The RIC’s winter 2018 season also includes Soon we were en route again – The Margaret Corry Albums (1947-1963), presented by second-year students from Ryerson University’s Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management Program, in collaboration with the Royal Ontario Museum and The Family Camera Network. This exhibition explores a collection of photo albums compiled over 17 years by a well-travelled Canadian expatriate. The Ryerson Image Centre is located at
33 Gould Street
in downtown Toronto. Admission is free. For a full list of exhibitions and accompanying programs, please visit www.ryersonimagecentre.ca.
Ryerson Image Centre presents a compelling series of experimental shows starting January 24
