CONTACT Photobook Fair

Sun May 5, 11am – 5pm
Stephen Bulger Gallery
1356 Dundas St W
Free and open to the public

The second edition of the CONTACT Photobook Fair brings together over 20 independent publishers and leading contemporary photographers to present newly released publications. The Fair will also feature a number of book signings by artists Rose Marie Cromwell, Peter Funch, Esther Hovers, Birthe Piontek, Sputnik Photos’ Agnieszka Rayss and Michal Luczak, and Carmen Winant, and will also feature a reading room presented by the Toronto Photobook Library. The goal of the Fair is to foster opportunities for artists, publishers, and book enthusiasts to build connections, discover new projects, and exchange ideas on books and photography.

Participating publishers include: Anchorless Press (Toronto); Aperture Books (New York); Archive of Modern Conflict (London and Toronto); Art Gallery of Ontario Publishing (Toronto); Bywater Bros. (Port Colborne, ON); Cristian Ordóñez (Toronto); Dashwood Books (New York); Dewi Lewis Publishing (Stockport, UK); Gnomic Book (New York); JMS Press (Toronto); Les Éditions du renard (Montreal); Light Work (Syracuse, NY); Meta/Books (Amsterdam); Prefix ICA (Toronto); Self Publish, Be Happy (London); Session Press (New York); Sputnik Photos (Warsaw)

Registration for The Book Dummy Reviews on May 6 at Stephen Bulger Gallery closes April 15 – full details at CONTACT’s website.

Carmen Winant, My Birth, published by Self Publish, Be Happy, 2018

Women and Photobooks

Symposium
Sat, May 4, 11am – 3pm
AGO, Jackman Hall, 317 Dundas St W
Free admission

Bringing together international artists, publishers, and curators, Women and Photobooks will look at the history of photobooks by women and explore a variety of contemporary projects, addressing current trends in design, aesthetics, and subjects. This symposium presents an opportunity for the consideration of which tools or initiatives can facilitate a more progressive future in the photo/publishing industry, and how women artists can be better supported in the field of publishing.

The day will begin with a performance by Carmen Winant on the topic of her upcoming book and newly commissioned work for a public art project on billboards in Toronto and across Canada. Speakers include Sarah Allen, assistant curator at Tate Modern; Delphine Bedel, Meta/Books; Bruno Ceschel, Self Publish, Be Happy; Nelson Chan, TIS Books; Kris Graves, KGP; Dewi Lewis and Caroline Warhurst, Dewi Lewis Publishing; Sara Knelman, director of Corkin Gallery; Miwa Susuda, Session Press; and artists Rose Marie Cromwell and Carmen Winant.

Birthe Piontek, Abendlied, published by Gnomic Book, 2019

The Photobook Lab
Scrap Metal

May 4 – 31
Fri & Sat 12 – 6pm
11 Dublin St, Unit E (Alleyway access beside 7 Dublin St)

The Photobook Lab brings together three projects in which books are the central subject: The Paris Photo—Aperture Foundation book exhibition; the Toronto Photobook Library reading room, consisting of a curated selection of photobooks; and work by the 2018 Burtynsky Grant recipient, artist Birthe Piontek. This eclectic gathering of photobooks offers visitors an opportunity to access more than 50 acclaimed international titles, offering a glimpse into the current moment of publishing. Many titles are self-published or small-run editions by independent presses, mainly from cities outside of Canada, such as London, New York, Tokyo, Mexico City, and Oslo, among other locales.

Related programming at Scrap Metal:

Concepts in Feminist Bookmaking
Tue May 7, 10am–5pm
Led by Delphine Bedel, founder of Meta/Books, this workshop will explore feminist strategies in photobook making and is open to artists, photographers, educators, and publishers. Registration required; opens April 8.

Pumice Raft #4 – Images in/of the City
Tue May 7, 6–8pm
This conversation will bring together Esther Hovers (False Positives, FW: Books) and Melanie Wilmink (Ed. with Solomon Nagler of Sculpting Cinema, Pleasure Dome) to discuss the role of images, surveillance, and embodied cinema in the evolution of urban space. Moderated by Parker Kay.

In Detail
Sat May 11, 3:30–5pm
Join curators Sara Knelman and Shani K Parsons with artist and educator Zun Lee for a close look at titles in the Paris Photo—Aperture Foundation Awards shortlist.

On Longevity
Sat May 25, 3–4pm
Toronto Photobook Library’s Zackery Hobler invites artists Steven Beckly, Seth Fluker, Cristian Ordóñez, Bianca Salvo, and Josée Schryer to articulate what makes a lasting photobook.

All photobook programming supported by Dara and Marvin Singer.

Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival
80 Spadina Avenue, Suite 205
Toronto, Ontario M5V 2J4
T 416 539 9595
info@scotiabankcontactphoto.com
scotiabankcontactphoto.com
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Stephen Bulger Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and Scap Metal are Accessible.

CONTACT fosters and celebrates the art and profession of photography with an annual Festival in May and year-round programming in the CONTACT Gallery.

CONTACT, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997, is generously supported by Scotiabank, Nikon Canada, Pattison Outdoor Advertising, La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso, Toronto Image Works, The Gilder, Transcontinental PLM, 3M Canada, Waddington’s Auctioneers and Appraisers, Four By Eight Signs, Beyond Digital Imaging, Steam Whistle Brewing, Art Toronto, The Gladstone Hotel, The Globe and Mail, NOW Magazine, CBC Toronto, and Canadian Art.

CONTACT gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Celebrate Ontario, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Ontario Arts Council, The Government of Ontario, Partners in Art, Street Art Toronto (StART), Canada Council for the Arts, the Howard Webster Foundation, Goethe-Institut, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, and all of our funders, donors, and programming partners.