To mark its 25th anniversary, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) Photography Department is marking the milestone with a specific exhibition featuring 94 works, thoughtfully selected by a range of leading voices in Toronto’s photography community. The exhibition, led by AGO Curator of Photography Sophie Hackett and titled Collective Visions: Celebrating 25 Years of Photography, features works spanning from the 1840s to the present day and highlights artists from both Toronto and around the world.
The AGO Photography Department features over 70,000 objects, including numerous notable collections from around the world, as well as an ever-growing collection of works by local Toronto artists, both past and present, that capture the dynamic city in their own unique way. Taking a unique approach in curation, from October 1st to November 5th, the public was invited to vote for the final piece included in the exhibition. The choices were between Kelani Abass, Scrap of Evidence, Ayajo, 2021; Jaromir Funke, Abstraction, 1925-1930; and the third choice that ultimately won and is now on display, Elaine Ling, Baobab #5, Mali, 2015. In addition to Elaine Ling, work by artists such as Wolfgang Tillmans, Robert Mapplethorpe, Cindy Sherman, and Barbara Astman can also be seen, to name a few. With each artwork shown being selected by different artists, curators, collectors, and scholars in the community, each piece is accompanied by a written component done by the selector explaining the work they chose and why.
Launching this month to coincide with the exhibition is Collective States: Worlds of Photography at the AGO, a 224-page book published by AGO and Goose Lane Editions that dives deep into the AGO’s photography collection and celebrates its 25th anniversary. The exhibit is now open at the AGO, located at 317 Dundas Street West in Toronto.
Feature image: Brassaï. At the Monocle , c. 1932, printed c. 1955. Gelatin silver print, Overall: 29.7 × 22.5 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Purchase, funds donated by Rupert Duchesne and Holly Coll -Black, 2014. © Estate Brassaï Succession – Paris. 2014/393
