Exhibit A: Photography in Atlantic Canada

During my last visit to Richmond 401 on November 3rd, I had the chance to finally see the group show Exhibit A: Photography in Atlantic Canada at the Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art. Curated by Scott McLeod, the works in the exhibition were also featured in one of the earlier issues of Prefix Photo, and I was curious to experience them in a gallery environment.

Featuring nine artists (Scott Conarroe, Marlene Creates, Lorraine Field, John Haney, Thaddeus Holownia, Steve Payne, Paulette Philips, Ned Pratt, Scott Walden) who originated from Atlantic Canada, Exhibit A is a compilation of visual imagery that talks about the region through the different works these artists have been producing. McLeod's approach to the subject matter brings out the similarities in the photographs, such as the interest in houses, and other traces left by people who lived in these landscapes. As a whole, the exhibition attempts to portray Atlantic Canada by following the patterns that these photographs create when they are brought together.

Apart from their origins, the artists featured in Exhibit A don't have much in common. Some are emerging photographers, others are renowned artists, and some of them are mostly known for their professional work. However, there is a sense of solitude, or even desolation that emanates from all of their photographs. The sites they depict show traces of human existence, and yet, it is not possible to see these people in these pictures. The effects of this absence is heightened by the vastness of the landscape that surrounds these traces.

While most of the imagery in Exhibit A focuses on the exteriors, Steve Payne's House Music series stood out for me because it deviated from the others in its style, but added to the general effect of the show. Including three prints that show details of an interior scene, Payne's photographs are colourful and dark, in contrast with most of the other photographs in the exhibition.

On the other hand, House Music's interior scenes are as empty as the landscapes depicted in the other photographs. Small traces, a coat, a light bulb, suggest that there people living in here, but they are nowhere to be seen. The desolate landscape can be seen through the windows in one of the images, and it reminds us that we are still in the same place shown in the other photos.

McLeod's statement about the show suggests that these artists' search for the fleeting human existence on the land is a response to the daunting force of the sea that dominates Atlantic Canada's geography. This might be true, but I wouldn't have thought about it if I hadn't read about the show. I rather felt that these artists were reacting to the monumental landscape of the region in general, land and sea combined, and that they were simply trying to record the rare traces of human existence on the East Coast of Canada.

Whatever the reason is, the combination of these photographs reflect the character of Atlantic Canada, and show how its landscape left its imprints on the artists who emerged from the region.