I am thrilled to announce that my proposal for an exhibition of my body of work, Convergence, at Corridor 45/75 has been accepted for the 2023 season. Corridor 45/75 is one of three professional galleries managed by the City of Ottawa Public Art Program. It is a unique exhibition space located in a high-traffic underground light rail O-Train transit station located on the west concourse near the Rideau Centre entrance. My proposal was selected by a peer assessment committee and underwent a 30-day compliance review.

For the installation I will be exhibiting nine of the images from the Convergence portfolio along with an artist statement, biography and contact information. I also intend to exhibit several of the computer printed circuit boards I used to create the images. 

It is a huge honour for me to be selected for such a public exhibition especially after having just graduated from the School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa (SPAO). While 2023 seems a long way off, it is something that’s helped to solidify my choice to become a professional artist and it has given me the confidence to rigourously pursue my goals.

I’ll be sure to let you know more details as we draw nearer to the exhibition date.

Take care,

Chris  

I am pleased to report that this year one of my artworks, Rooftop Resort, was selected to be added to the City of Ottawa’s Art Collection. Each year, the City adds to its collection through purchase, donation and commission. After reviewing over 270 applications the peer assessment committee recommended the acquisition of 90 artworks from 58 artists. Artworks from the City’s Collection are on display in over 170 municipal buildings and spaces across the city. Select artworks will be exhibited at the City Hall Art Gallery later this year.

Robotic Farm - from the series Convergence

Today, I’m pleased to announce the opening of Exhibition No. 16 at the School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa (SPAO). 

Obviously, given the current situation in Ontario, the exhibition opening will be online. But that’s ok because the theme of my work is really about living in a virtual world. For my project Convergence, I photographed circuit boards and then altered them in post-production to look like cityscapes. The alterations are subtle: you have to look closely at the images to realize they are not what they first appear to be. My hypothesis is that the line between human and machine is becoming increasingly blurry. 

If anything, the pandemic has accelerated this phenomenon: advances in A.I., robotics, virtual meetings, fake news, deep fakes have changed our world. While our smartphones have literally become an extension of our bodies, a physical brain/machine interface is not far away. For a technophile, the technology is astonishing, but I think for some it’s scary as hell. 

At the core of my photography practice I am exploring the impact of science and technology on the human experience. Simply put, I’m interested in how people and societies adapt to increasingly rapid technological change. 

Like many, I’ve experienced the trauma of unexpected change. In 2017, after my long career in high-tech ended abruptly, my mental health declined rapidly. I literally began to lose my perception of reality. Fortunately for me, thanks to my wife, my family, and my friends — and with the passing of time — I managed to pull myself out of it. 

We all think that we have full control over what we perceive as ‘reality’. My experience continues to remind me that this is simply not so. The human psyche is fragile, and we see evidence of this every day. 

My photography grounds me. Through these works I’ve been able to follow my passion and express my ideas. I hope that when you view my art you will enjoy what you see and feel free to interpret it however you see fit: there is no right or wrong answer, no black or white, no right or left — it’s up to you to define your reality. 

You can view my work on this website, but please also take a look at the exhibition on SPAO’s website along with the other emerging-artists in my graduating class. 

 - cjs

PS — To further emphasize the virtual world we live in, I’ve made some of my work available as digital art by “tokenizing” it on Opensea.io. You can now use your digital currency to purchase a limited edition, original work of art that doesn’t actually exist in the physical world!