Scotiabank Photography Award: Shelley Niro
Opening party and Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival launch: April 27, 7–11 pm
April 28 – August 5, 2018
Main Gallery and University Gallery, The Image Centre (formerly Ryerson Image Centre)
Curator: Gaëlle Morel
This survey exhibition celebrates the career of artist Shelley Niro, winner of the 2017 Scotiabank Photography Award. With more than seventy objects, this retrospective includes both seminal projects and never-before-shown photographs, along with some of the artist’s most recent works. A member of the Six Nations Reserve, Bay of Quinte Mohawk, Turtle Clan, Niro combines beadwork designs, archival images, family pictures, videos, and installation to question traditional representations of Indigenous peoples, with a particular focus on womanhood. Challenging stereotypes, Niro’s portraits explore notions of culture and identity with sensitivity and humour.
Event(s):
Opening Party
Friday, April 27
7:00–11:00 PM
Artist Talk
With Shelley Niro
School of Image Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)
122 Bond Street, third floor, IMA-307
Watch Online
Wednesday, May 9
7:00 PM
Curator Talk
With Ryan Rice
How Many Times Do I Have to Tell You?
School of Image Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)
122 Bond Street, third floor, IMA-307
Reserve your free ticket
Wednesday, May 30
7:00 PM
Exhibition Tour
With artist Shelley Niro and The Image Centre (formerly Ryerson Image Centre) Exhibitions Curator Gaëlle Morel
Wednesday, June 13
6:00 PM
Exhibition Tour
With artist Shelley Niro and The Image Centre (formerly Ryerson Image Centre) Exhibitions Curator Gaëlle Morel
Wednesday, July 18
6:00 PM
Exhibition Tours
Daily 2:30 PM
All events take place at The Image Centre (formerly Ryerson Image Centre), unless otherwise noted
A primary exhibition of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival
Shelley Niro, The Shirt (detail), 2003. Nine duratrans transparencies in lightboxes, Lightbox (each): 12 × 110 × 138 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Purchase with assistance from the Estate of P.J. Glasser, 2016. © Shelley Niro
Shelley Niro, The Shirt (detail), 2003. Nine duratrans transparencies in lightboxes, Lightbox (each): 12 × 110 × 138 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Purchase with assistance from the Estate of P.J. Glasser, 2016. © Shelley Niro
Shelley Niro, Mohawks in Beehives I, 1991, gelatin silver print with applied paint. Courtesy of the artist
Shelley Niro, Five Hundred Year Itch, 1992, from the series This Land is Mime Land. Gelatin silver prints with applied paint; hand-drilled mat. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Gift of Sandra Jackson, Bramalea, Ontario, 1995
Artist Bio
Shelley Niro
Shelley Niro is a multi-disciplinary artist who works in photography, painting, beadwork, and film. Her work focuses on themes of identity, and challenges stereotypes and colonial representations of Indigenous peoples, with a particular focus on Indigenous women. With directness and humour, she crafts new narratives based on the past, pop culture, and her own lived experience. These new narratives force us to reflect on history making, representation and memory, while her work champions self-actualization and liberation. Shelley Niro was named the recipient of both a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts and the Scotiabank Photography Award in 2017.
Installation Shots
Scotiabank Photography Award: Shelley Niro (installation view), 2018 © Larissa Issler, The Image Centre
Scotiabank Photography Award: Shelley Niro (installation view), 2018 © Larissa Issler, The Image Centre
Scotiabank Photography Award: Shelley Niro (installation view), 2018 © Larissa Issler, The Image Centre
Shelley Niro
A primary exhibition of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival