ART SCENE: Works by Canadian photographers of Ukrainian origin exhibited in Toronto (06/27/04)

ART SCENE: Works by Canadian photographers of Ukrainian origin exhibited in Toronto

TORONTO - The work of photographers of Ukrainian heritage who have made a significant contribution to the world of photography both nationally and internationally is being shown in the first photography exhibition of its kind at the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation Gallery.

The exhibition, which opened May 15 and runs through June 30, is being held in conjunction with Toronto's CONTACT Photography Festival - the largest annual photography event in North America, reaching an extensive audience with exhibitions and events throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

The National Gallery of Contemporary Photography in Ottawa was instrumental in the foundation's research for the exhibition, providing names of Ukrainian photographers who are listed in the national collection. These photographers, in turn, suggested other photographers.

An eclectic mix

The show is an eclectic mix presenting the work of over a dozen artists from across Canada. Curator for the exhibition is Darka Maleckyj Griffin.

Today photography is increasingly appreciated as a major art form - perhaps the major art form of the late 20th century as well as this century.

Many of today's leading avant-garde artists are making camera-based images. They are using photography more than any other medium in the last 20 years.

Most major museums have allotted gallery space to photography and are collecting contemporary and classic masterpieces. Commercial galleries devoted solely to photography have sprung up in every major city, and every fine arts department offers photography as a part of its curriculum.

Most of the artists in the exhibition have distinguished themselves in the field both nationally and internationally. Artists featured in the exhibition include: Edward Burtynsky, Sandra Semchuk, Michael Semak, Ken Shumka, Orest Semchishen, Laura Letinsky, George Styranka, Terry Pidsadny, Vera Elyjiw Sytch, Paul Osadchuk, George Nitefor, Christine Laptuta, Christine Kudryk, Ivaan Kotulsky, Daniel Dutka, John Paskievich and David Firman.

Profiles of photographers

Below are profiles of some of the photographers whose work is on exhibit.

Daniel Dutka is a professional photographer who works with Agence France-Presse, New York Newsday and The New York Times. He studied photography at the Ontario College of Art (Toronto) and the International School of Photography (New York), as well as with Liselle Model at the New School for Social Research (New York).

A registered architect in the province of Manitoba, David Firman specializes in architectural preservation. He is employed with the Historic Resources Branch, Province of Manitoba. A self-taught photographer, he has consistently worked in black and white and currently works with digital imaging.

Apart from participation in group exhibits, he has held solo exhibitions of his work since 1984. His exhibits have been circulated by such institutions as Visual Arts Manitoba and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography and his work has come out in numerous exhibition catalogues.

Ivan Kotulsky is an artist who works primarily in gold, silver and bronze to create jewelry and sculpture in a flowing, organic style that derives from his interest in the natural world. With a concurrent interest in photography that dates to his youth, Mr. Kotulsky studied photography at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and subsequently worked for Maclean Hunter Publishing as photographer. The theme of his retrospective photography exhibition titled "World Class City" (2003) was Toronto's street life, from the late 1980s to the present, executed using his collection of old, classic cameras.

His photojournalism piece "No Fixed Address," which appeared in Toronto Life magazine in 1997, won both a gold and a silver award at the Canadian National Magazine Awards. Last year, his photo, "World Class My Ass," was published in a book commemorating the best of the gold awards over the 25-year history of the National Magazine Awards.

Christine Laptuta graduated with a B.F.A. degree in painting and printmaking from York University in Toronto in 1974. Her photography has been exhibited in group shows at the Art Gallery of Ontario, National Film Board Photography Gallery and the Salon d'Automne at the Grand Palais in Paris, among others.

Her photographs have been included in such publications as Exposure, Female Eye, National Film Board Show, Camera Canada magazine, and La Revue de L'Art Moderne (France). Ms. Laptuta now resides in Portland.

Paul Osadchuk is a 1977 graduate of York University in Toronto. He studied with Michael Semak and Shin Sugino. Mr. Osadchuk is recipient of four Ontario Art Council awards since 1977.

Professional photographer Michael Semak is associate professor at York University. His keen interest in the medium developed as a student at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and a photo trainee in the technical service center of the Canadian Kodak Co.

As part of his photographic vision, Mr. Semak tries, as he puts it, "to give birth to the moment rather than embalm the moment. In my success I am the creator; in my failure I am the mortician."

Mr. Semak's work is found in The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, National Archives of Canada and National Gallery of Canada, all in Ottawa; as well as the Ontario Council for the Arts Photo Collection, Toronto and the City of Toronto Photo Archives.

His work is also in the photography collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York; such New York institutions as the James Van Derzee Institute, New School for Social Research and the International Fund for Concerned Photography; as well as at the Ukraina Society in Kyiv and the photography collection at the Bibliothèque National in Paris, France.

Ken Shumka considers himself a photographer of "the human landscape," with an interest in "socio-political relationships and how they are often mirrored in our relationship with nature and inanimate objects."

In his most recent work, he undertakes an analysis of common objects - in this case, the common shopping cart - as an object that "anthropomorph(iz)ed into something extraordinary."

Specifically, he is interested in shopping carts that are left abandoned with their remaining contents in various urban settings, as an object to speak metaphorically about the human condition. Mr. Shumka's intention in choosing the shopping cart is not to reference the less fortunate or homeless, but to focus on the commonality of the cart's users in general.

Jay Styranka is a commercial photographer who moved to Los Angeles from Toronto, where he studied communication and design at Ontario College of Art. Many of his images are featured in commercial publications such as Offshore Racing, Boating magazine, Avaition Week & Space Technology and L.A. Times Magazine. He also does promotional photography for Kaos Entertainment, a major production company in Los Angeles.

His work in black-and-white photography started with head shots for the professional community in Los Angeles. He eventually became interested in nude photography, as well as landscapes. His black-and-white images were selected for inclusion in the Graphis Photo Annual 2000 and 2001.

Mr. Styranka has had one-man shows and group exhibits in Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto and Paris. Many of his prints are included in private collections. Mr. Styranka's images may be seen on www.jaystyranka.com.

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