The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is home to over 120,000 works of art, including 70,000 photographs. Yet it was only 25 years ago that the institution formally established its Department of Photography. That milestone marked an important recognition not only of photography’s place within the artistic realm but also its significance as a social, cultural, and historical medium. To celebrate this anniversary, the AGO has opened a new exhibition titled Collective Visions.
Sophie Hackett, Academic Curator of Photography at the AGO, has been with the department since 2006. She mentioned that over the past 19 years, the goal was to think about photography in a broader sense and “to consider its collective states,” Hackett said at the media preview. “This is, in fact, a phrase that Maia (Curator Emeritus) used early on—the collective states of photographic expression.”
Photography as Artistic Expression
“Yes, that’s understood but it’s also for scientific inquiry, family and domestic use, and photos also for news and events. But this exhibition offers us this thought — with all these types and kinds of photography, how do they talk to each other?” said Hackett.
This exhibition draws from the AGO’s collection of works but what is unique is how the works were selected. This was a collective endeavour from photo historians, to donors, and those in the field. “I felt that it was important to bring that group of people that we’ve worked closely with over the years and a have a high regard for them to come in and choose a work from the collection to be on display.”
And that’s what is shown here. However, as visitors walk through they will notice there are no descriptions on display next to the works. There are only numbers to guide the viewing sequence. Hackett explains how she wanted to get playful about the exhibit.
The Inspiration behind the AGO photography exhibition
Hackett drew inspiration from the Surrealists, who created a drawing exercise called The Exquisite Corpse. In it, one person would sketch a part of an image, fold the paper to conceal it, then pass it to the next participant to continue adding to the composition. “The final result, when unfolded, was a new and fantastical creature,” explained Hackett.
Naturally, most visitors will follow the numbered sequence to see how one work inspires the next. I actually recommend experiencing the exhibition twice. First, follow the numbers from one to 94 to take in the flow of connections.
Then, start all over but with the exhibition booklet in hand to discover who was tasked with the selection. The insights into the artworks themselves feels like a treasure hunt. Exploring the exhibition this way sparks a sense of wonder and delivers many “a-ha” moments that delighted my curiosity.
Every person invited to select a work was only told to choose a photo that was inspired by the previous selection. “We didn’t tell them who chose it. We just showed them the work, and people responded in the way that they wanted to respond and make their selection.
This process became very personal and meaningful for Hackett and the team. “It was a total joy actually. We all consumed photographs all day, every day. It was really wonderful,”
The Collective Visions exhibition starts with a selection by Hackett’s predecessor, Maia-Mari Sutnik, Curator Emeritus, Photography. Her choice is a work by Robert Frank titled Mabou, Nova Scotia, (April 21, 1993) and ends with a piece selected by the public as a People’s Choice.
The photography on display includes work by Wolfgang Tillmans, Max Dean, Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe, Joseph Sudek, Man Ray, Michael Snow, Jeff Wall, Elaine Ling and many more.
This exhibition is an invitation for visitors to discover and make their own connections. “There isn’t one story. There isn’t one set of ideas and themes. It really is a network of looking gazes from one work to the next,” said Hackett. “And as these things go, there are some serendipitous links that happens between the works across a whole wall or a set of pieces.”
Collective Visions opens November 7 at the Art Gallery of Ontario. For more information visit ago.ca