ARNAUD MAGGS WINNER OF 2ND ANNUAL SCOTIABANK PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD
Toronto, ON (05/09/12) – Toronto artist Arnaud Maggs received the second annual Scotiabank Photography Award (SPA) at a ceremony held this evening at Toronto’s Design Exchange. Celebrating excellence in contemporary photography, the $50,000 award, solo Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival exhibition in 2013 and book deal with international art photography publisher Steidl, is Canada’s largest prize for an established Canadian photographic artist.
“To receive this award is an honour, and it too is an honour to be named in the company of my gifted peers, Fred Herzog and Alain Paiement,” said Arnaud Maggs. “Scotiabank’s work over the past years both through its involvement in the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival and now the Scotiabank Photography Award is helping to raise the profile of Canadian photography and the people and stories behind the lens.”
Best known for his multiple-grid, serial photographs of faces and collections, systems and historical ephemera, Arnaud began his career as an artist in the mid seventies at the age of 47, following success as a graphic designer and commercial and fashion photographer. Works, collections and exhibits include Complete Prestige 12” Jazz Catalogue, Charles Stainback’s Special Collections and the Arnaud Maggs: Identification exhibition which opened at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa on May 3, 2012. Maggs is represented in Toronto by the Susan Hobbs Gallery.
“Arnaud Maggs has made a unique contribution to Canadian art and photography with his clear and original way of looking at the world around him,” said Ann Thomas, Curator of Photographs Collection, National Gallery of Canada on behalf of the SPA jury. “Under his unswerving and affectionate eye, he brings to a new level of appreciation both the idea of human identity represented through the photographic portrait and the idea of cultural evidence garnered through the traces that everyday things leave behind. We are grateful to him for opening our eyes to the significance of ordinary things.”
The SPA was conceived and developed by Ed Burtynsky, one of Canada’s most respected photographers and Jane Nokes, Director of the Fine Art Collection and Corporate Archives at Scotiabank. Burtynsky serves as Chair of the SPA and Nokes is the Award’s Executive Director. Both serve on the Board of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, the largest photography festival in the world. The SPA 2012 was sponsored by Canadian Art, CTV and the Globe and Mail.
"Arnaud is the master of the archival image," said Nokes. "His excellence as a photographic artist is a given, his extraordinary use of the ordinary is a wonder. Arnaud is all about archives, and as a professional archivist, I am in awe of his use of history to inform his work. His ability to bring the past into the present in a meaningful way makes him the archivist’s hero as well as the art curator’s dream.”
The 2012 SPA jury:
- William Ewing, Director of Curatorial Projects, Thames & Hudson
- Karen Love, Manager of Grants and Publications and Independent Curator, Vancouver Art Gallery
- Ann Thomas, Curator of Photographs Collection, National Gallery of Canada
About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad, through our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank Bright Future. Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $45 million annually to community causes around the world over each of the last five years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.
For further information about the short-listed photographers and to receive images of their work:
Stephen Weir
Stephen Weir & Associates
Office: 416-489-5868 Mobile: 416-801-3101
Email: stephen@stephenweir.com
Linda Crane
Stephen Weir & Associates
Office: 905-257-6033 Mobile: 416-727-0112
Email: cranepr@cogeco.ca
Or
Crystal Jongeward
Scotiabank
Office: 416-933-3056
Email: crystal.jongeward@scotiabank.com
Scotiabank Photography Award Names 2012 Shortlist
TORONTO, ON (03/16/2012) - Three well-known Canadian photographers have been named as finalists for the 2012 Scotiabank Photography Award (SPA). The SPA Shortlist announcement was made on Friday, March 16 at the bank’s headquarters in downtown Toronto. Now in its second year, the SPA was created to raise the international profile of Canada's leading photographic artists and is the largest annual peer reviewed celebration of excellence in Canadian contemporary photography.
The 2012 Scotiabank Photography Award Shortlist Finalists are:
- Arnaud Maggs, Toronto. Nominator: Doina Popescu
- Fred Herzog, Vancouver. Nominator: Robert Enright
- Alain Paiement, Montreal. Nominator: Anne-Marie Ninacs
This year's SPA jury is comprised of William A. Ewing, Director of Curatorial Projects, Thames & Hudson/London/New York/Paris/Singapore/Hong Kong/Melbourne; Karen Love, Manager of Grants and Publications and Independent Curator, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia and Ann Thomas, Photographs Collection, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The jurors reviewed a submitted body of work from 12 nominees put forward by a panel of the country's leading photographic arts experts ranging from art gallery directors, curators, practicing artists, professors, writers and critics in all parts of Canada.
“The SPA awards were established to celebrate the vision of Canadian artists who all have a unique way of telling a story through the lens of a camera,” explained Jane Nokes, Director of the Fine Art Collection and Corporate Archives at Scotiabank. "The awards recognize contemporary Canadian photographer artists whose work is not only enjoyed by but also adds to the richness of communities across the country. It is our hope, that as SPA finalists they will experience further recognition and be inspired to continue creating exceptional work."
The SPA winner will receive a cash prize of $50,000.00, book and exhibition at CONTACT in 2013 - in total the award has a value of more than $100,000.00. The book will be published and distributed world-wide by internationally-renowned art photography publisher Steidl (Germany). The winner will also be featured at their own curated exhibition at the following year's Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.
The SPA was conceived and developed by Ed Burtynsky, one of Canada's most respected photographers and Jane Nokes, Director of the Fine Art Collection and Corporate Archives at Scotiabank Group. Mr. Burtynsky serves as Chair of the SPA and Jane Nokes is the Award's Executive Director. Both serve on the Board of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, the largest photography festival in the world.
This year's SPA winner will be announced May 9, 2012.
2011 Scotiabank Photography Award winner's exhibit opens May 3 - June 30 at the Design Exchange
Lynne Cohen: Nothing is Hidden
A new art exhibit entitled Lynne Cohen: Nothing is Hidden features 31 images by the renowned Montreal photographer, winner of the 2011 Scotiabank Photography Award. Known for capturing domestic and institutional spaces devoid of people, her stark and often dramatic images portray social and political themes, often with a wry sense of humour. The launch of a book under the same title, containing 127 of Ms. Cohen's most celebrated photographs will be available May 9th. The show runs at the Design Exchange, 234 Bay Street, Toronto from May 3 to June 30. Free Admission courtesy Scotiabank. Weekdays: 10 a.m. to 5 pm. Saturdays & Sundays: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. 416-363-6121 www.dx.org.
About the 2011 Winner: "For me, it is an honour to have been nominated and selected to receive the Scotiabank Photography Award in its first year," says Ms. Cohen. "Canada is a leader in the world of art photography, and has become even more prominent in the art world over the last four decades, and this prize can only solidify and contribute to its leading position."
Issued by/for further information:
Stephen Weir & Associates
Publicists, Scotiabank Photography Award 2012
Stephen Weir Phone: 416-489-5868 Mobile: 416-801-3101 stephen@stephenweir.com
Linda Crane Phone: 905-257-6033 Mobile: 416-727-0112 cranepr@cogeco.ca