Locals snap up chance to show at Jubilee

It’s a noisy day in the Jubilee Auditorium’s Kaasa Gallery. Fifty-five framed photos are neatly propped against the white walls, the winners of Visual Arts Alberta’s 4th annual Open Photo competition.

In this lens-based project, about 38 professional and amateur photographers from across the province, in large urban areas to smaller rural villages, submitted works that will be unveiled Thursday, Aug. 25.

The images are the cream of Alberta’s offerings, an alternative way of presenting artistic expression — bold, distinctive and charged with a fresh vision.

These dynamic art forms demonstrate the possibilities of the imagination. Some push the boundaries in a gritty documentary style. Others have a whimsical, playful quality.

Each photo has a vibrant individual personality, yet program and development co-ordinator Sharon Moore-Foster and her associates have creatively integrated the images into a seamless kaleidoscope.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for photographers that have not had the opportunity to exhibit their work to suddenly find themselves in the Jubilee Auditorium seen by large masses of people,” says Moore-Foster.

One photo that compels the viewer to stare at it is St. Albert photographer Dawn LeBlanc’s Broken, an image of two symmetrical leaves curled into an upside down heart shape.

Moore-Foster explains that LeBlanc finds serenity in the natural world: “Light is important in her images. She has a sculptural form. Her landscapes have an evocative quality. She moves into the subject matter and takes extreme close-ups. She loves to dig into the centre of things to find a space that is meditative and safe.”

Another St. Albert nature photographer with two images on display is Cory Hochachka. But while LeBlanc evokes an ethereal quality, Hochachka’s artistic expression has a funky, whimsical quality.

His Living on the Edge, a metallic print, appears to show a frog perched on the rim of a glass deciding whether to leap. “It’s bold, daring and playful. But it’s also powerful. There are a lot of images of drama and movement.”

A third St. Albert photographer contributing to this energetic exhibition is Akemi Matsubuchi, a favourite freelancer of the Hole’s publishing empire.

In this exhibit, Matsubuchi contributes two images. One is Malaspina Galleries, a giclée on canvas that emphasizes the beauty of perspective when the sea and a cave meet.

“She’s very inquisitive. She comes to a situation and finds her way into the story. She has a very clear eye and a clear mind. She’s very centred and knows what she likes.”

While St. Albert’s three photographers have created majestic beauty through their images, the gallery exhibit displays the different parts of humanity.

“Some are disturbing. Some are compelling,” Moore-Foster says.

One image Moore-Foster finds emotionally disturbing is Rene Rodrigues’ Gorilla Display, a photo of a depressed gorilla slumped in a cage corner. His back is to a group of clearly excited schoolchildren looking in a different direction. “All the joyful energy is with the children. But they’re not in a cage.”

Another equally compelling photo is Ian Jackson’s Bodnath, showing a happy toddler waving a hand pistol as he wades through a fluttering mass of pigeons looking for a handout.

“There is a richness of life that will touch you. This exhibit invites you to contribute, to develop, to make changes. Once you stop to savour it, it will change you forever and make you participate in a whole new way.”