Eight astonishing shows to see at this year’s Contact Photography Festival

Eight astonishing shows to see at this year’s Contact Photography Festival

Every year, hundreds of artists and galleries band together for Contact, the city’s sprawling photography festival. Here, some of our favourite shots

Bee Keeper, Tisdale, Saskatchewan, 2011. Photograph courtesy of the artist and Circuit Gallery

Six years ago, photographer Naomi Harris embarked on a cross-Canada tour from Victoria to St. John’s. On the way, she stopped by Tisdale, Saskatchewan, which makes millions of kilos of honey each year. Local producer Jim Riou, shown here, told Harris he gets stung about 10 times a day. April 28 to May 31. North York Centre.

 

Clouds, Wheatland County, AB, 2016. Photograph courtesy of the artist

Seth Fluker will be showcasing his landscapes on enormous billboards in eight cities across Canada. When he shot this image, he was driving from Drumheller to Calgary; he pulled over to capture the rippling clouds and their shadows. April 28 to May 31. Various locations.

 

Lisa Lyon, 1982. Photograph courtesy of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation

Lisa Lyon was the winner of the first World Women’s Bodybuilding Championship in 1979. Robert Mapplethorpe shot her frequently in the 1980s, alternately depicting her body as softly feminine and hulkingly masculine. April 29 to May 27. Olga Korper Gallery.

 

A Boy Plays in the Water on a Beach in Salvador, Brazil, 2017. Photograph courtesy of the artist

After a friend’s wedding in Salvador, Brazil, Stephanie Foden and the rest of the bridal party went for a celebratory dip in the ocean. She spotted this boy and captured him playing in the surf. May 6 to June 11. Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

 

Ariel, 2009. Photograph courtesy of the artist

Vancouver photographer Dina Goldstein imagines the tragicomic fates of Disney princesses: Belle under the plastic surgeon’s knife, Rapunzel enduring chemo and, yes, the Little Mermaid on display in a fish tank. For this image, she shot Ariel with a green screen, then transposed her into the aquarium. May 13 to June 10. Gallery House.

 

Harrington Harbour, Quebec, 2013. Photograph courtesy of the artist

This abandoned playhouse, shot by Scottish-Canadian photographer Johan Hallberg-Campbell, is in the tiny coastal village of Harrington Harbour on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. April 29 to June 19. Harbourfront Centre.

 

Untitled (Two Marines Enjoy the Beach),, 1993. Photograph copyright Dan Eldon

Photojournalist Dan Eldon captured these two Canadian marines on a beach in Mogadishu during the Somalian civil war. It was one of the last pictures he ever took: that July, he was attacked by a mob and stoned to death. May 1 to 31. Artworld Fine Art Gallery.