Canadian photographer Erin Shirreff wins the 2013 Aimia | AGO Photography Prize
Shirreff receives $50,000 prize awarded by record number of public votes
TORONTO, Nov. 7, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ – The Aimia | AGO Photography Prize has been awarded to Erin Shirreff of Canada, it was announced at the Art
Gallery of Ontario (AGO) this evening. Shirreff was selected by public
vote to receive the $50,000 prize. A record number of votes ― more than
25,000 ― were cast during the 10-week voting period, which closed on
Nov. 5, 2013. Runners-up Edgardo Aragón (Mexico), LaToya Ruby Frazier (United States) and Chino Otsuka (Japan/United Kingdom) each receive a $5,000 stipend dedicated to the
research, creation and production of new work. All four artists receive
six to eight-week fully funded residencies across Canada, to commence
in early 2014.
Shirreff, who now lives and works in New York City, has gained
recognition for her unique interweaving of photography, video and
sculpture. Her work raises questions about the often-paradoxical
relationship between time and space and the image. Recently her work
has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Contemporary Art
Gallery, Vancouver, B.C.; White Cube, London, U.K.; and Agnes
Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, Ont. Her work is also in the
collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Museum
of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York,
among others.
Voting began on Aug. 27, 2013, at AimiaAGOPhotographyPrize.com and on the Prize’s Facebook page. The public also had the opportunity to vote at the AGO inside the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize 2013 Exhibition, on view at the AGO until Jan. 5, 2014.
The exhibition features two of Shirreff’s long-duration videos, Lake and Moon, both of which extend and explore the act of looking. Constructed from
hundreds of individual photographs captured in her studio, these works
collapse time and place as they fluctuate between natural and
artificial effects, stillness and motion. Lake features an image of the Okanagan Valley, near Shirreff’s hometown of
Kelowna, B.C.
“There was an incredible amount of talent among this year’s shortlisted
artists and we were thrilled to see the enormous response from the
public, who voted by the thousands, in record numbers,” said Matthew
Teitelbaum, Director and CEO of the AGO. “In partnership with Aimia,
the prize is truly innovative in its accessibility and broad support of
Canadian and international contemporary photography.”
“We offer our sincerest congratulations to Erin Shirreff and all of the
shortlisted artists,” said Vince Timpano, President and Chief Executive
Officer, Canada, Aimia. “Supporting the arts is a key pillar of Aimia’s
social purpose, and through our partnership with the AGO, we are
honoured to be able to recognize such talented contemporary photography
artists here in Canada and around the world.”
Previous winners of the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize, formerly known as
The Grange Prize, include Jo Longhurst of the U.K. (2012), Gauri Gill
of India (2011), Canadian photographer Kristan Horton (2010), Marco
Antonio Cruz of Mexico (2009) and Canadian photographer Sarah Anne
Johnson (2008). For more information and updates about the Aimia | AGO
Photography Prize, please visit AimiaAGOPhotographyPrize.com and follow @AimiaAGOPrize on Twitter.
ABOUT THE AIMIA | AGO PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE
The Aimia | AGO Photography Prize is Canada’s leading photography prize
and one of the largest arts and culture prize programs in the world.
The prize awards more than $85,000 directly to artists working in
photography each year, and is comprised of an annual exhibition at the
Art Gallery of Ontario, an online exhibition at AimiaAGOPhotographyPrize.com, international artist residencies, public programming, as well as an
extensive national scholarship program.
ABOUT AIMIA
Aimia, a global leader in loyalty management, has unique capabilities
and proven expertise in delivering proprietary loyalty services,
launching and managing coalition loyalty programs, creating value
through loyalty analytics and driving innovation in the emerging
digital and mobile spaces. In Canada, Aimia owns and operates Aeroplan,
Canada’s premier coalition loyalty program, as well as a proprietary
loyalty division that designs, launches and operates new client
programs. Aimia also offers world-class data analytics through its
Intelligent Shoppers Solutions suite of tools and has a minority
position in Cardlytics, a pioneer of transaction-driven marketing in
banking. For more information, please visit: www.aimia.com.
ABOUT THE AGO
With a collection of more than 80,000 works of art, the Art Gallery of Ontario is among the most distinguished art museums in North America. From the
vast body of Group of Seven and signature Canadian works to the African
art gallery, from the cutting-edge contemporary art to Peter Paul
Rubens’ masterpiece The Massacre of The Innocents, the AGO offers an incredible art experience with each visit. In 2002
Kenneth Thomson’s generous gift of 2,000 remarkable works of Canadian
and European art inspired Transformation AGO, an innovative
architectural expansion by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry that in
2008 resulted in one of the most critically acclaimed architectural
achievements in North America. Highlights include Galleria Italia, a
gleaming showcase of wood and glass running the length of an entire
city block, and the often-photographed spiral staircase, beckoning
visitors to explore. The AGO has an active membership program offering
great value, and the AGO’s Weston Family Learning Centre offers
engaging art and creative programs for children, families, youth and
adults. Visit ago.net to find out more about upcoming special exhibitions, to learn about
eating and shopping at the AGO, to register for programs and to buy
tickets or memberships.
The Art Gallery of Ontario is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of
Tourism, Culture and Sport. Additional operating support is received
from the City of Toronto, the Canada Council for the Arts and generous
contributions from AGO members, donors and private-sector partners.
The AGO acknowledges the generous support of Aimia, Signature Partner of the Photography Collection Program and Founding
Partner of the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize.
SOURCE AIMIA
Contact:
For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact:
Lindsey Coulter
Arts & Communications
LCoulter@artscom.ca I 416.966.3421 x 207
Sabrina Bhangoo
Aimia
Sabrina.Bhangoo@aimia.com I 647.329.5123
Caitlin Coull
Art Gallery of Ontario
Caitlin.Coull@ago.net I 416.979.6660 x 364