Longing to See: Photography and In-Visibility spotlights the overlooked at Capture Photography Festival, to April 28
Collaborative exhibition with Emily Carr University of Art + Design curated by Birthe Piontek features photographs by nine student artists
Maria Michopulu’s #6, from the Bones series (2023), featured in Longing to See: Photography and In-Visibility. Archival inkjet print, 60.96 cm x 40.64 cm. Photo courtesy of the artist
Capture Photography Festival and Emily Carr University of Art + Design present Longing to See: Photography and In-Visibility at the Michael O’Brian Exhibition Commons until April 28, with an opening reception on April 5 from 6 to 8 pm
SEEING, SAVING, AND REVISITING are some of our innermost desires as humans. This may explain why photography is so enticing: it presents us with a way to capture and visualize memories and feelings.
The bounds of the medium are ever-evolving, however, especially with the rise of social media and the ability to quickly share images. Though it’s easy to represent a multitude of objects and concepts with a lens, the question remains as to what stays hidden.
A new educational collaboration between Capture Photography Festival and Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD) encapsulates this train of thought in an exhibition. Using documentary photography and staged portraiture, Longing to See: Photography and In-Visibility shines a spotlight on the facets of life that remain overlooked.
The exhibition features works by nine local and international artists, all students at ECUAD: Vera Bode, Andrea Bollen, Po-Hsi Huang, Julia Kerrigan, Charlie Mahoney-Volk, Paniz Mani, Maria Michopulu, Alize Tamturk, and Eknoor Thind. Their photos—on display until April 28 at the school’s Michael O’Brian Exhibition Commons—have meanings that span mental-health issues, the complexities of immigration, societal pressures, and social media’s influence on modern-day photography.
Longing to See: Photography and In-Visibility is curated by Birthe Piontek, assistant professor of photography in the Audain Faculty of Art at ECUAD. Born and raised in Germany, Piontek moved to Canada in 2005. She received the Edward Burtynsky Grant in 2018 for her project Abendlied, which was nominated as one of the best photo books of 2019 by TIME Magazine.
The public can browse the exhibition during a free opening reception at the ECUAD campus on April 5 from 6 to 8 pm. 
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