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Paul Swanson: Air of Uncertainty

September 13 – October 15, 2017
Student Gallery, The Image Centre (formerly Ryerson Image Centre)

Air of Uncertainty provides a photographic glimpse of the landscape and people of rural western Ukraine. Be it Austro-Hungarian occupation or the years of Soviet rule, western Ukraine has passed through many hands. The region possesses a long agricultural history but a century of instability has allowed some of the smaller towns and villages to prosper while others are struggling to find a future direction.




Event(s):

Opening Party
Wednesday, September 13
6:00 – 8:00 PM

Brightly coloured church with a woman at the altar
Fig. 1

Paul Swanson, Ukrainian Catholic Church, Toporivtsi, Ivano- Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine, 2016, pigment print. Courtesy of the artist

Dimly lit kitchen
Fig. 2

Paul Swanson, Kitchen of two-room house, Toporivtsi, Ukraine, 2016, pigment print. Courtesy of the artist

Gravestone with a cross in the middle of an overgrown field
Fig. 3

Paul Swanson, Overgrown cemetery, Kosiv, Ukraine, 2016, pigment print. Courtesy of the artist

Two framed photographs on a turquoise wall
Fig. 4

Paul Swanson, Room decoration, Torhovytsia, Ukraine, 2016, pigment print. Courtesy of the artist

A car parked in the street, curtains blocking part of the frame
Fig. 5

Paul Swanson, View from town administration building, Torhovytsia, Ukraine , 2016, pigment print. Courtesy of the artist

Artist Bio

Paul Swanson

Paul Swanson is an editorial and commercial photographer based out of Edmonton Alberta. He graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University's (formerly Ryerson University) Photography Studies program in 2015 and also was the recipient of the Flash Forward Emerging Photographer Award that same year. His personal work often revolves around people’s physical effect on space and the images that come out of those interactions. The desired result is a better visual understanding of how we occupy space and what the effects are of that occupation.

Installation Shots

Wide view of the Student Gallery, black bench in the middle
Fig. 1

Paul Swanson: Air of Uncertainty (installation view), 2017 © Riley Snelling, The Image Centre

Three photographs in white frames
Fig. 2

Paul Swanson: Air of Uncertainty (installation view), 2017 © Riley Snelling, The Image Centre

Two photographs side by side in white frames
Fig. 3

Paul Swanson: Air of Uncertainty (installation view), 2017 © Riley Snelling, The Image Centre