Stéphane Alexis, Shelby Lisk and Neeko Paluzzi: 2022 Karsh Continuum

Left to right: Stéphane Alexis, Poultry no. 12, 2021, C-print, 76 x 76 cm; Shelby Lisk, tó na’tesohseriyà:kon (detail), 2021, beads, felt, ribbon and paper, 28 x 22 cm; Neeko Paluzzi, On the nature of time, 2021, video still, 10 minutes; courtesy of the artists

Stéphane Alexis, Shelby Lisk and Neeko Paluzzi
2022 Karsh Continuum

Curator: Andrew Wright

March 3 – April 1, 2022
Artists’ tour: Sunday, March 13, 2 pm

2022 Karsh Continuum honours the artistic legacy of Yousuf and Malak Karsh while continuing an intergenerational chain of mentorship that fosters photo/lens-based innovation. 2019 Karsh Award laureate Andrew Wright selected emerging local artists Stéphane Alexis, Shelby Lisk and Neeko Paluzzi for this exhibition and mentorship opportunity: “All three artists engage with photography in an expanded sense. Recognizing both the utility and the limitations of photography’s established traditions and conceits, they continue to make poignant works where photography is an important yet constituent part of their significance.”

Shelby Lisk, akhtsì:’a (details), 2022, beads, felt, ribbon and paper, 28 x 20 cm, courtesy of the artist

Left to right: Stéphane Alexis, Poultry no. 9, 2021, C-print, 76 x 76 cm; Neeko Paluzzi, On the nature of time, 2021, video stills, 10 minutes; courtesy of the artists

Biographies

Stéphane Alexis is a Caribbean-Canadian artist based in Ottawa. His work stems from his personal experiences, along with the demographic, and sub-demographic groups to which he belongs. His focus is both on conceptual design and aesthetic quality. He brings attention, and transparency to different people and communities that are tucked away due to the hardships they face. These qualities are used to bridge insight on issues and circumstances facing these communities, both locally and globally, through the subject matter. Alexis has won awards and grants for his book design and thought-provoking content. He has exhibited in solo and group shows across Ontario and has numerous national publications.

Shelby Lisk is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and photographer from Kenhtè:ke (Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory) whose art practice explores her connection to and place in the world as a Kanyen’kehá:ka woman. Lisk completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (with a minor in Gender Studies) at the University of Ottawa (2015). She also has a diploma in Photojournalism from Loyalist College (2019) and a certificate in Mohawk Language and Culture through Queen’s University and Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na (2020). Lisk currently works full-time as a multimedia journalist covering Indigenous current affairs in Ontario.

Neeko Paluzzi is a queer Canadian artist and educator whose practice focuses on intertextual, photo-based installations. His images blend the possibilities of traditional, analogue darkroom processes with contemporary photographic techniques, such as 3D scanning and printing. He was the winner of the 2018 Project X, Photography Award from the Ottawa Arts Council, and his work appeared in a featured exhibition at the Scotiabank CONTACT Festival in 2019. Paluzzi is currently completing a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Ottawa while maintaining a teaching position at the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

2019 Karsh Award recipient Andrew Wright creates conceptually informed works in many media. He has been preoccupied with using photography in traditional and decidedly non-traditional ways for over 25 years. Wright has exhibited widely in Canada and abroad, and his works can be found in public and private collections around the world. Andrew Wright is a Full Professor of Visual Art in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Ottawa.

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