Nadya Kwandibens (photo courtesy Red Works Photography)
Nadya Kwandibens is set to become Toronto's newest photo laureate. She will replace Michèle Pearson Clarke, who held the title from 2019 to 2022.
Kwandibens, who is Anishinaabe from the Animakee Wa Zhing #37 First Nation in Northern Ontario, is an award-winning portrait and events photographer based in Toronto. She will be the city's first Indigenous photo laureate.
Her work has been exhibited in group and solo shows across Canada and the United States. She is the founder of Red Works Photography, and the winner of the Ontario Arts Council's 2018 Indigenous Arts Award.
Once formally approved by city council, Kwandibens will serve as photo laureate for three years. She will receive an annual honorarium of $10,000, and will develop an unspecified "legacy project" in collaboration with the city.
"As an ambassador for visual arts in the city, I look forward to connecting with the artist community as a whole and joining in the amplification of dialogue and narratives," she said.
Toronto is the only Canadian city with a photo laureate.
Source: City of Toronto