Full CONTACT Weekend

The Contact Photo festival is always a little bit overwhelming and we're always glad that the events span the entire month of May. That being said after a couple of hours perusing the 128-page guide there are a few shows we're looking forward to.

1) Stephen Waddell and Stephen Gill at the St. Andrew Subway Station

The two Stephens explore everyday moments of urban life. Waddell, a Canadian transplanted to Germany, looks at the phenomenon of flaneurism equally related is Gill's series of pedestrians in various states of being lost.

2) Xing Danwen at Gallery TPW

There's a huge Chinese contingent at this year's Contact, the one that stands out the most to us is Xing Danwen. Her series Urban Fiction are a series of photographs created from architectural maquettes. She then inserts characters, making the normally sterile corporate promotional models, full of life and whimsy.

3) Michael Awad at Nicholas Metivier

Globetrotting artist and architect Michael Awad has been photographing Toronto for over a decade but for his first show at Nicholas Metivier has taken his lens to cities all over the world. If you're heading to Pearson, Awad also has a series there.

4) Imaging A Shattered Earth at the Mocca

Twelve artists come together to document the undeniable impact we are having on our natural environment. There are strange scenes of extreme beauty here but all of that is undermined by the great destruction that the photographers are trying to document.

5) Rannie Turingan at Petit Dejeuner

What can we say about Rannie that we haven't already said before? Toronto Squared will be his first solo exhibition and the first exhibit in Cityshoots, a year long exhibition of work by Toronto photobloggers at Le Petit Dejeuner (191 King St. E). There'll be lots of photos like this one. You should probably go.

More reviews and Contact coverage to come, don't you worry.