The Image Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and the Art Gallery of Ontario have each acquired new works by 10 emerging and mid-career artists thanks to a new initiative by photographer Edward Burtynksy and the Nicholas Metivier Gallery in Toronto.
They set up the Canada Now photography acquisition initiative in 2020 with funds from the sale of Natural Order, a photography folio by Burtynsky, to respond to the economic impact the pandemic is having on the arts.
The Image Centre has added 60 new pieces to its collection, including works by Edmonton-based Zachary Ayotte, Vancouver-based Rebecca Bair and Kali Spitzer, Winnipeg-based Luther Konadu, Toronto-based Isabel M. Martinez and Alyssa Bistonath, and Halifax-based Séamus Gallagher.
Two works are newly commissioned pieces by Gallagher, whose art merges photography and sculpture, and Bair, whose mural-sized photographic work was shortlisted for the Philip B. Lind Emerging Artist Prize in 2021.
Selections from the 60 works will be featured in the exhibition Canada Now: New Photography Acquisitions, which will open Sept. 14 at the Image Centre.
Details of the Art Gallery of Ontario's purchases from 10 artists, and an associated exhibition to open in 2023, will be announced in the fall.
To learn more, visit the The Image Centre.
Source: The Image Centre