OnTheMove Toronto – Cortona (Upcoming Exhibition)

Excited to be showing a selection of images from 'Voices In The Wilderness' at the end of the month alongside Italian photographer Marco Rigamonti at Istituto Italiano di Cultura (Toronto).

Event Details HERE.

Opening Reception:

Wednesday May 29th, 2019
6:30-8:30 pm
Istituto Italiano di Cultura
496 Huron St, Toronto

Magenta-OnTheMove-May 29.jpg


————

ONTHEMOVE Toronto – Cortona: A photography exchange program between Canada and Italy supported by the Instituto Italiano di Cultura and Cortona On The Move.

In its inaugural year, ONTHEMOVE Toronto – Cortona celebrates the photographic image, created by artists in Italy and Canada. Photographers from each country are chosen to create a visual dialogue of their nation, the works then exhibited in the opposite country. This cultural exchange provides the opportunity for cultural collaboration between Italian and Canadian artists and brings more awareness to the talent each country enjoys.

We are pleased to bring these two extraordinary photographers together for the first ONTHEMOVE Toronto – Cortona. The next reiteration of the exhibition will take place in Cortona during the photography festival Cortona On The Move 2019, opening July 11. (Exhibitions are open all summer until September 30.)

Presented by Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Cortona On The Move AND with thanks to partner Joseph Barbieri at Bespoke Group.

————


Published Feature in enRoute Magazine

This post is a well overdue. In March 2017 I ventured to Everglades City, Florida to shoot a feature for enRoute Magazine, which was slated to be published in fall 2017. However after Hurricane Irma made landfall the story was put on hold. A year and half later the story was published in last September’s enRoute Magazine. Big thanks to Lori Morgan for her editorial support throughout the project.

OCT_Everglades_FINAL-1_grey_sm.jpg
OCT_Everglades_FINAL-2_grey.jpg
OCT_Everglades_FINAL-3_grey_sm.jpg
OCT_Everglades_FINAL-4_grey_sm.jpg
OCT_Everglades_FINAL-5_grey_sm.jpg
_DSC7662_sm.jpg
_DSC7664_sm.jpg
_DSC7666_sm.jpg

‘One Leg In, One Leg Out’ is a nominee for Best Short Documentary for the Social Impact Media Awards.

When crafting documentaries you can only hope your films will have an impact on audiences and we couldn't be more excited to be a finalist for an award that "celebrates the best impact filmmaking from around the world that inspires activism, compassion and social transformation". Very proud be part of such a great team and wonderful story.

SIMA

50218004_2068629213225332_2181408499454443520_o.jpg

Upcoming Solo Exhibition in Vancouver ('Just Beyond the Trail: Finding the Florida Everglades')

Last month I travelled to Florida's Everglades. The wetlands, and its inhabitants, hold many secrets, some of which I was given the opportunity to uncover by The Magenta Foundation and Air Canada's enRoute magazine.

As part of the Flash Forward Emerging Artist Grant, the organization and publication flew me south of the border to document the Everglades for a solo exhibit (held in Vancouver's The Playgound’ as part of the Capture Photography Festival) and photo essay (to be published later this year). If you're on the west coast on Wed. April 26, I'll be there for the opening night and following week until the exhibition ends on April 30. Would be great to see some familiar faces while I'm there!

09_03-24-2017__Rod&Gun Club Portrait_01_edit_good_crop_FLAT_2500.jpg
01__DSC4898_edit_crop_FLAT_2500.jpg

Here's a link to the event on FB:
http://www.magentafoundation.org/…/flash-forward-2016-ryan…/
And another for a look at some of the work for those who can't make it out:
https://capturephotofest.com/exhibitions/ryan-walker-for-air-canada-enroute/

Landmine Clearance in Cambodia

In late 2015 I was approached by St Paul’s Greenhouse, which is an incubator program focused on social innovation at the University of Waterloo, with a film project that really piqued my interest. I quickly learned about an interesting social venture called Landmine Boys that was doing innovative work in landmine diffusion, and immediately wanted to get involved. During the Christmas holidays I travelled halfway across the world to Cambodia where I documented prototype testing and attempted to address the social issues these invisible remnants of war still have on Cambodian society, decades after devastating conflict.

It wasn’t until I was on the ground in Cambodia that I met Landmine Boys co-founder Richard Yim in person.

It wasn’t long after we began speaking to each other (maybe five minutes) that I became totally inspired. It was hard to ignore his incredible passion and drive for making Cambodia a safe place to live for future generations. During my two weeks in Cambodia we both quickly developed a mutual respect and admiration for each other’s process and craft, which helped motivate us when times got tough. There is still so much work to be done on the ground in Cambodia, but Richard’s incredible passion in tackling the issue of landmines leaves me with hope for the future. Expect big things from the Landmine Boys.

Deep Woods // Visual Arts Exhibition, Winter/Spring 2015


Less than two weeks left until Deep Woods, an exhibition curated by Patrick Macaulay, will leave Harbourfront Centre, its home for the past four months (where does the time go!).

If you’re in the area, swing by and take a look at a collection of images I contributed to the exhibit before June 14. Deep Woods showcases work that explores the country’s “vast forests and wild untamed environments” by various talented Canadian artists. 

tumblr_np4bx9xhwL1qafamto1_r1_1280.jpg

And below is a short statement on the work I contributed this year:

“The photographs presented are vignettes from a larger body of work entitled, Cousin, We Have Grown Up. The expansive project tells the story of Jon who, having lived in a tipi for three years, directly participated in procuring his own food, clothing and shelter. Having adopted this sustainable lifestyle, Jon was able to develop an intimate connection with nature as he began to discover his true, raw self.

The series depicts the complexities and contradictions of a man coming to terms with questions that involve self-identity, rejection of modern society, and the difficulties in establishing an authentic connection with nature.

The grid presented not only serves as a narrative of Jon’s life, but also functions as a self-reflexive exploration of the natural world and the artist’s evolving relationship with it.”

tumblr_np4bx9xhwL1qafamto2_r1_1280.jpg
tumblr_np4bx9xhwL1qafamto3_r1_1280.jpg

Why We Love The Art We Love // Globe and Mail / Wondereur

“So we always had art in our house, kind of extraordinary art in fact… Kids would come home from school with me and there would be this thing over the fireplace that we had to deal with before we could do anything else.”

- Sarah Milroy, art critic and curator, on growing up around art.

Last month, I had the privilege of photographing the lovely Sarah Milroy at the AGO for Wondereur as a part of a series in the Globe & Mail that explores the diversity of contemporary art. Milroy recently curated the exhibition From the Forest to the Sea: Emily Carr in British Columbia for the gallery, which runs until mid-August.

A larger selection of the images have also been published here.

tumblr_nndah6kxhi1qafamto1_1280.jpg

Cover for Strategy Magazine

Last month I photographed the cover of Strategy Magazine’s November issue, which features the top creative advertising agencies of 2013. The concept for the cover speaks to the Gold-winning Agency of the Year, John St. and the many viral videos it’s created over the years (see Catvertising, Pink Ponies). Our talent for the day, Farley, was fantastic. What a majestic feline.

tumblr_mw4a41xIIG1qafamto1_r1_1280.jpg