Reflections on the Toronto Photography Festival (2)

Exhibition: The Sky as My Witness
Dates: May 3–25, 2019
Location: Abbozzo Gallery, Suite 128, 401 Richmond Street West

Exhibition introduction: The Sky as My Witness explores space, identity, and the female figure against the backdrop of the natural world. In every image, the subject’s face is hidden or obscured, allowing her to stand for any woman and every woman. With very little information, the works convey emotion and narrative through posture, gesture, symbolism, and colour alone.

The viewer encounters these anonymous, private moments in open or public spaces. This juxtaposition creates a tension between intimacy and distance, calling the very notions of public and private space into question. Whether the subject is grieving, meditating, or simply lost in thought, the viewer plays the dual role of voyeur and confidant to an anonymous figure whose story remains untold. The landscape is more than a backdrop; it becomes a witness with a part of its own to play. In some scenes it seems to offer sanctuary to an exposed female figure, while in others it serves as a counterpoint to her distress or predicament.

About the artist: Patty Maher is an internationally recognized, award-winning artist. Born in Toronto, she now lives in Caledon, Ontario, Canada. Her work is inspired by explorations of women in natural and urban environments. Working primarily with staged portraiture and self-portraiture, Maher is known for hiding or obscuring her subjects’ faces, often relying solely on posture, gesture, symbolism, and colour to convey emotion and narrative. She explores her subjects’ inner worlds while considering personal space, the boundaries of identity, and the individual’s relationship with the wider world. In each photograph and series, she seeks to dissolve the boundaries between reality and imagination, the ordinary and the surreal. Through her visual storytelling, she invites viewers to become co-creators: the work touches on fundamental, universal emotions while leaving room for them to bring their own imaginations and feelings to it.

The following works are from the Elemental series, a collection of surreal digital collages that draws meaning from our relationship with natural light and the ways it shapes our tone and mood. Each image begins with a portrait, layered into a distinctive world built from textures and colours. Through a metaphorical treatment of light, every photograph conveys an element of minimalist style:

The bright moon signifies hope. The horn in her hand seems poised to sound a joyful melody.

The silver moon evokes longing, with an air of romance.

The sunset conveys a sense of sorrow.

A high sun casting long summer shadows brings a mood of nostalgia.

The metaphor breaks down when we encounter unfamiliar light rather than light with which we have clear associations.

The following works are from the Imagined Landscapes series. Each of us lives in a world of our own making. Although we may occupy the same physical space as others, the world of the self is entirely unique, shaped by our history, prejudices, hopes, and fears. In this sense, we all inhabit imagined landscapes, interpreting what happens within them through our own perceptions and biases. Every landscape in this series is constructed; none exists in reality. Instead, fragments are pieced together to create an illusory world. Through metaphor and surreal narrative, each photograph portrays the inner world of a figure moving through these landscapes.

The following works are from The Quiet Storm series. Some storms come with lightning and thunder, shaking the earth. Others take place within us. These are the quiet storms. Set against the natural world, the series explores private inner struggles. Maher says, “I wanted to portray quiet restraint, controlled emotion, and isolation. The series is intended to depict moments of personal struggle, both revealing and concealing the full story.”

A presence hidden in plain sight.

The feeling of being unable to let go, yet having to turn away with resolve.

A predicament with every way out blocked.

A longing to return to innocence.

The following works are from the artist’s And Then You Just Let Go series, which she dedicated to her mother. I imagine it is an expression of how much she misses her.

The following works are from The Infinite Universe series.

The following works are from The Liminal Field series, an exploration of the midlife crisis. It attempts to describe symbolically the transformation that must take place as we pass from youth into the second half of life. Each photograph represents the inner struggle that arises when a person finds themselves “in between.” This series has earned the artist numerous awards.

A Selection of Other Individual Works

Reflections: I liked this artist and exhibition very much. I often feel that I cannot make sense of minimalist, abstract works like these. But honestly, how much time do I ever spend looking closely at a single work? I tend to rush through exhibitions, spending less than ten seconds on each piece. As the artist says, she depicts only the basic scene; it is up to the viewer to complete the other half of the work. If I do not stop to look and feel, of course I will not understand it. In much the same way, if I do not take the time to explore the photography festival, I can hardly expect to discover how many outstanding artists there are in Ontario. I suppose that is the point.

Recommendation: ★★★★ — Worth seeing

Reflections on the Toronto Photography Festival (2)

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