Tag: <span>photography</span>

Every year ViewPoint Gallery welcomes new exhibiting members with a “NewPoints” exhibition that showcases their work. I am pleased to be part of this exhibition along with Craig Benjamin and Heather Rose. It runs from January 4th – 28th with an artist talk on January 14th. The gallery is located at 1475 Bedford Highway, Unit 109, Bedford, Nova Scotia.

My portion of the show, titled Found Fields, features ten photos from my recently released photo book, available at Blurb Books. Below are the  exhibit photos with their captions.

Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, 2013 – © Avard Woolaver
This offers a bleak view of the present day—but with a hope that we can end our dependence on fossil fuels.

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Amherst, Nova Scotia, 2013 – © Avard Woolaver
A hope that renewable energy can lead us to a more sustainable world. This scene is reminiscent of Alex Colville’s 1954 painting Horse and Train; I think it’s the same location.

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And the forests will echo with laughter, Nova Scotia, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver
A nod to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” These kids were playing among the trees on Canada Day in Hantsport, NS, before the fireworks display.

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Tokyo, Japan, 2020 – © Avard Woolaver
The sheer density of buildings and people in Tokyo can be overwhelming, but there is no shortage of interesting things to look at.

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Hantsport, Nova Scotia, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver
This was the finale of a fireworks display. It was a joyous event that looks apocalyptic if you don’t know the context.

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Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, 2013 – © Avard Woolaver
Off to the right was a road called “Muddy Marsh Road.” It was closed over fifty years ago, and there is little evidence it ever existed. I have memories of driving on this road with my father in a pickup truck when I was about five years old. This image is nostalgic for me and gets at the the beauty and mystery of life.

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Scotch Village, Nova Scotia, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver
If we take the time to observe the world around us, there are interesting photos everywhere.

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Montreal, Quebec, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver
A reminder that art can be timeless. Leonard Cohen’s music and poetry will continue to touch people’s hearts as society evolves and changes.

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Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 2010 – © Avard Woolaver
I think of this photo as “Cross-walker.” It reminds me of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line,” a song of fidelity and sobriety.

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Windsor Forks, Nova Scotia, 2015 – © Avard Woolaver
Religion still plays a big role in the lives of many people, especially in small rural communities where elderly people sometimes outnumber younger folks.

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NewPoints Exhibition, 2024

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NewPoints Opening, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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NewPoints Opening, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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NewPoints Poster, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

Photography

In November 2023, I traveled to Toronto for the opening of “Hickox, Pahwa, Woolaver – Scenes from Toronto,” an exhibit at the City of Toronto Archives. The show features photos from the 1980s to the late 2000s, and explores how contemporary artists capture the ever-changing city. The reception was well attended and I had a chance to meet some interesting people, including Patrick Cummins–a former City of Toronto archivist.

My portion of the exhibit is a digital slide show with 250 images on 90 slides. The slides are shown at 7 second intervals. They are drawn from my collection of 700 digital images contained in the archives–primarily street photographs taken in the 1980s. There are also two vinyl enlargements of a street scene, and a phone booth on the wall beside the monitor. The curator of the exhibit, Naoise Dunne, did a wonderful job sequencing the images and identifying themes in my work. It an honour to have my photos in the City of Toronto Archives and I’ll mark this as a highlight in my photographic journey.

April Hickox’s photography documents the unique landscape of Toronto Island and seasonal changes.Vik Pahwa captures the city’s built environment, focusing on forms and shapes, creating abstract images. The three digital slide shows encourage viewers to explore the city through the photographers’ perspective and picture-making methods.

A second exhibit, “If These Walls Could Talk – Researching the history of where you live,” focuses on the unique stories of 11 homes. The exhibit opened on October 19, 2023 and runs until August 2024.

Monday to Friday, 9 a.m – 4 p.m. Free entry

City of Toronto Archives
255 Spadina Rd.
Toronto, ON M5R 2V3

Promo poster for “Hickox, Pahwa, Woolaver – Scenes from Toronto”

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Queen East and Parliament, Toronto, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

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Pears Avenue, Ramsden Park, Toronto, 1984 – © Avard Woolaver

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Avard Woolaver with Vik Pahwa

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Avard Woolaver with exhibit curator, Naoise Dunne

Photography

Bloor and Spadina, Toronto, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

A lot of my photographic approach boils down to noticing details. (And having a receptive mind, and a camera in hand.) Pretty much everything in the world can be explained by science and mathematics, but when it comes to art, all bets are off. There is a sense of mystery in the world that the artistic side of our minds seek to expose and illuminate.

The Brian Eno song “Sky Saw” offers an insight on this topic:

All the clouds turn to wordsAll the words float in sequenceNo one knows what they meanEveryone just ignores them
noticing details, Toronto
Self Portrait, Toronto, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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noticing details
Bedford, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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noticing details, Windsor,
Hospital Entrance, Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

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Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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noticing details
Truro, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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noticing details
Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Falmouth, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Kennetcook, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

Photography

Hants County, Nova Scotia
Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

Photos taken recently rambling around Hants County, Nova Scotia, with my camera. I’m usually on my way to somewhere and stop to take a few photos. It works better when I’m alone, as I get complaints from family members.”You’ve taken this photo a hundred a hundred times. Let’s get going!” (Perhaps they’re right.)

According to Wikipedia, the name Hants is an old abbreviation for the English county of Hampshire, from the Old English name Hantescire. It’s beautiful here, especially in autumn.

Hants County, Nova Scotia
Scotch Village, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Kennetcook, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Kennetcook, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Hants County, Nova Scotia
Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Hants County, Nova Scotia
West Hants Sports Complex, Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Hants County, Nova Scotia
Scotch Village, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Drive Thru, Elmsdale, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Upper Rawdon, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Hants County, Nova Scotia
Gypsum Mines, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

 

 

Photography

my favourite light
Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

Winter sun shining directly overhead, illuminating wet pavement. This is my favourite light, and I try to capture it whenever I can. The silver road beckons.

Photography