Nic Lehoux and Attilio Fiumarella: Presence & Absence

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Attilio Fiumarella, "Gurdwara Akal Bunga Sahib, Birmingham," 2015

Opening the evening of January 14 at 7 until 9 pm.

The West Vancouver Art Museum’s new exhibition contrasts the work of two contemporary architectural photographers, Attilio Fiumarella and Nic Lehoux, who explore the different ways in which design impacts our use and engagement with public spaces.

Fiumarella and Lehoux share a common interest in architecture and social documentary, but approach their work from distinct perspectives to reveal insights about how built form is inextricably linked to human activity. What links Fiumarella and Lehoux in their field is a shared interest in work that seeks to demonstrate the social impact of built form. What distinguishes their practices from each other is their methods.

Fiumarella studied architecture before turning his practice to photography. His recent work focuses on the British city of Birmingham, where historic buildings have been adapted to suit contemporary purposes such as faith centres for culturally diverse and immigrant communities. While living in England, Fiumarella, who is Italian, was himself an immigrant. With the exception of a few images, these photographs are largely devoid of people. Fiumarella, instead, shows the buildings in their wider contexts, illustrating how the adaptations blend and sometimes contrast with their community surroundings.

Lehoux, who specializes in commissioned architectural photography, also pursues “personal projects that bridge architecture and society.” His carefully composed images of buildings, designed by leading architects around the world, often include people, which he observes are engaged in a“freeform theatre of life” in response to the architecture. By combining activity with the architecture while not distracting from it, Lehoux’s photographs show each project has a specific purpose. For example, his series taken at a recently-built girls’ school in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan shows students exploring basic freedoms, such as playing football and skateboarding, which they are forbidden to do outside of school confines.

This exhibition will be accompanied by a publication, available from January 14 for $10.