infocus edmonton photography exhibition

InFocus: Opening Party & Portfolio Reviews

February 7, 2017/0 Comments/in Exhibitions, Gallery Openings, InFocus Photo Exhibit, Photography Update /by Alexis Marie Chute

InFocus Photo Exhibit & Award is open to the public! Visit The Front Gallery to see this amazing show. I am so proud to curate InFocus and I love seeing how it is propelling photographers’ careers forward and engaging people in the dialogue about why photography matters. I believe photography is art. This is something I’ve always promoted – and defended. The Front Gallery owner, Rachel Bouchard, is on the same page (and the gallery looks great adorned in photos, btw).

Photography is a dynamic, impassioned and powerful creative medium. Not to be ignored.

If you are in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada this Thursday, February 9 – come out to the InFocus Photo opening party! And come back again on Friday night for the portfolio reviews. Here is more info about both of these awesome events:

InFocus Opening Reception:

Thursday, February 9, 2017

6 – 9 pm

The Front Gallery

12323 – 104th Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta

Curator Talk & InFocus Photo People’s Choice Award presentation – 7pm

InFocus Portfolio Reviews:

Portfolio Review Date:

Friday, February 10, 2017

6:30-9:30 PM

Registration: $40+GST

Students. Enthusiasts. Amateurs. Professionals. ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS WELCOME!
We have a rock star line-up of reviewers ready to bestow their wealth of knowledge and experience to all portfolio review participants.

Reviewers include: Larry Louie, Curtis Trent, Akemi Matsubuchi, and yours truly, Alexis Marie Chute.

Bring printed photographs, a bound portfolio or images on your laptop or tablet. The reviewers will look at your work, give feedback on how to make it better or how to promote yourself – or anything else you may be wondering about with your photography.

One registration will give you ten (10) minutes with each of our four talented and generous photographers in a speed-dating style review.

THERE ARE ONLY 6 SPOTS LEFT! REGISTER NOW!

Here is more info about InFocus:

MISSION: To promote and exhibit innovative, thoughtful, and provocative photography created by CANADIAN contemporary image makers.

INFOCUS PHOTO is an annual exhibition that began in 2015. In it’s first year, the show took place at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre and featured Edmonton and area photographers. In the second year, InFocus expanded to celebrate the best photography from across Alberta, showcased at dc3 Art Projects. Now, in its third year, InFocus has fulfilled its mission of welcoming submissions from ALL Canadian photographers. This year, the curated show will be mounted in The Front Gallery.

InFocus is one of the major photographic surveys of Canadian-made imagery.

InFocus presents the current cultural climate in photography within our nation.

Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli. GUELPH, Ont. (30/06/16) – Julian Holman, known in Guelph, Ont. as “the pigeon guy”, is a friendly but strongly-opinionated homeless man with a unique relationship to a bird named Ffögeli. Julian has a brilliant mind, but he psychoanalyzes society so meticulously that he can only exist as a critic, choosing to live on the outside of society rather than be a contributing member. Julian has been living on the streets of Guelph since 2013 when he moved from Germany to pursue a love that would eventually break his heart. It seems he has dealt with pain by turning every human emotion into a crippling string of theories. “You can’t deal with things unless you understand them. Once you understand them you are detached. They are no longer things that involve you, they are things to observe. It’s there in the Vedas, the miraculous capabilities of human consciousness,” he says. Recently Julian has been squatting in an abandoned house near downtown, hoping to have shelter this winter, though police have been monitoring him and Ffögeli since kicking him out once already.

Here is the line-up of InFocus 2017 Photographers:

Hedy Bach

Wes Bell

Lauren Dary

Al Dixon

Gerry Dotto

Emogene

Greg Gerla

Andy Greening

Laura Grier

Aidan Guerra

Chan Hawkins

Joshua Jensen

Candace Makowichuk

Ann Mansolino

Drew May

Deborah Naoum

Rob Pohl

Marko Radovanovic

JT Rehill

Steve Ricketts

Murray Sugden

Anne Tapler White

Vanessa Tignanelli

Curtis Trent

Kevin Tuong

Henry VanderSpek

Peter Young

Back to School for the Artist & Photographer

September 21, 2015/0 Comments/in Art Update, Call for Submissions, Curating, Exhibitions, InFocus Photo Exhibit, Photography Inspirations, Photography Update, The Life of an Artist /by Alexis Marie Chute

Buying my daughter’s school supplies made me jealous. Her brand new pencil crayons, felts, erasers, paint, paper… There is something exciting about new art materials! They make my fingers dance eagerly while my mind imagines the dust of charcoal and my paint-covered apron.

Back to school marks a time to get focused and resume routines long forgotten over the summer.

It’s a time to buy the books on the book list.
Stock the backpack.
Pull on the new shoes.
Fill the binders with paper.
Organize the calendar.
Get on track with work and life…

Oops! I may have mixed my own back to school list with my kids’ just now – but adults tend to get back into the swing of things in September just like children. The vacation is over. The sleep bank has been filled (hopefully) and soon the tan has already faded.

I think September is an excellent time to make resolutions; maybe an even better time than New Years.

Over the summer I love to read as many books as possible, daydream about my art and plan how my work will move forward.

It’s almost the end of September, baby!

For me, I am excited to reestablish regular art-making and writing routines this autumn. There are a lot of big projects coming up that were hard to focus on over the summer when my kids were calling me to play.

Now is the time.

One of the things on my list this fall is the InFocus Photo Exhibit. We are currently accepting submissions until the end of October. If you are an Alberta photographer, click here to learn more.

I also have a plethora of book projects I’m working on and am eager to stretch some canvases and get painting…

Truly, September is a time of invigoration and new energy!

What will be keeping you busy this fall?

Do you love “back to school” time – or hate it? (No judgement!)

What art project did you put aside over the summer that you will be picking up again?

Happy art-making!

– Alexis Marie

Robert Pohl Photography: Special Guest Post

June 30, 2015/0 Comments/in Art Inspirations, Blogging, Curating, Exhibitions, InFocus Photo Exhibit, Photography Inspirations, The Life of an Artist /by Alexis Marie Chute

Alexis Marie: I have loved sharing the stories and inspirations of some truly interesting individuals during the InFocus Alumni photography blog series. Are you excited about InFocus 2016? We will soon release the call for submissions and we would love to see your work. For now, I’m pleased to introduce Robert Pohl, a modern photographer engaging traditional processes.

Welcome Robert!

GUEST POST

“Piano” copyright Robert Pohl

My name is Rob Pohl. I was born in Edmonton over half a century ago and have lived here my entire life. I’ve been photographing the area specifically, but the world in general for about 35 years. I started out shooting film, and have stayed with it. I spend my working days in an office staring at a computer monitor. When I want to escape from that world and immerse myself in my photography, the last thing I want to do is spend yet more hours staring at a stupid monitor. While the masses have embraced digital photography and image manipulation software, I continue to work with film and traditional wet photography. I enjoy the relaxation and escape of the darkroom, the mixing of the chemistry, the experimentation, and the process of creating something with my hands. I shoot black and white film and process and print everything myself. In this age of digital photography that makes me a dinosaur. But I also think that it sets me apart from the masses that blast away with digital cameras. My approach is much more methodical and measured and I try to make every shot count.

“Schoolhouse” copyright Robert Pohl

Most of my work is shot with a large format 4″ x 5″ view camera. A dabble a little with medium format roll film, and with the even larger 8″ x 10″ format. I shoot mostly landscapes, landscape details, and historical images. It disturbs me somewhat that our province is falling victim to massive population growth and extensive development. Mankind seems too wrapped up in economic growth and development and seems to place little value on the natural world, and a responsibility to our planet. We all need to step back and take a deep breath and garner a little appreciation for the world around us, and what our lifestyle is doing to it. Hopefully my imagery helps to illustrate an appreciation for where we have come from, where we are going, and what the consequences are.

“Rock Pool” copyright Robert Pohl

In early 2015 I became involved in the InFocus Photography Exhibition that has expanded from Calgary and Banff, to the provincial level. The YEG show in Edmonton that I was involved in was curated by Alexis Marie Chute. I felt privileged to be included in that show, and hope to take part in future exhibitions. I’ve included a selection of images that are typical of my work. I regularly post work to my Flickr account, and to my blog…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/130527519@N08/

www.robertspohl.blogspot.com

Hedy Bach Photography: Special Guest Post

May 26, 2015/1 Comment/in Art Inspirations, Blogging, Curating, Exhibitions, InFocus Photo Exhibit, Photography Inspirations, The Life of an Artist /by Alexis Marie Chute

Alexis Marie: I am excited to kick off the InFocus Alumni photography blog series with Hedy Bach. She is a perceptive and thoughtful woman, not to mention a blossoming photographer. I hope you enjoy her words and images.

Welcome Hedy!

GUEST POST

Some days opening up an email can be both joyous and a grateful surprise.

Dec 14, 2014 at 8:58 PM, InfocusYEG <infocus@alexismariechute.com> wrote:

Dear Hedy Bach,

Congratulations! I am happy to inform you that your work has been selected for the inaugural InFocus Edmonton exhibition!

Sincerely,

Alexis Marie Chute, Curator

InFocusYEG.com

@infocusYEG

We have chosen your following image for InFocus:

Copyright Hedy Bach

Through the encouragement of my dear friend Eva I had entered my photography work to the InFocus Edmonton exhibition…so having my photograph selected by Alexis Marie along side of other local photographer’s works for this exhibition was both exciting and humbling…now I hope these sorts of experiences will be followed by many other photography exhibitions.

As an image-maker I study how the world around me looks and sounds through ordinary harmony and fittingness. I work daily with my camera and with words to compose beautiful “thought things” (Arendt, 1978) as a way to form ideas and to inspire reflection and rumination; perhaps start a conversation. I am intentional in choosing to photograph my life with beauty… beauty as consoling, disturbing, sacred, profane; it can be exhilarating, appealing, inspiring, chilling. And it may affect us in unlimited ways. Yet it is never viewed with indifference.

Copyright Hedy Bach

Exploring Scruton’s (2009) concept of beauty, means I ask what makes an object – either in art, in nature, or the human form – beautiful? I examine how I compare differing judgements/positions of beauty when it is evident all around us knowing that aesthetic tastes vary widely. I often ask myself is there a right judgement to be made about beauty? In my image based work I try to create a sense of meaning in the beautiful objects and experiences that fill my life.

My photographs are allegories for my understandings of human desire for settlement of spaces and places in which people and things fit together. I appreciate beauty along side of my sense of “disinterested interest.” as I try to negotiate my subjectivities of looking and composing my “thought things” with ideas of why beauty matters, to see the remedy of beauty as an instrument of peace.