Group Exhibition The Shift

Murray Building ⁠ accessible_forward

Artists

Kitra Cahana
Aaron Vincent Elkaim
Brett Gundlock
Kiana Hayeri
Dominic Nahr
Ed Ou
Ian Willms

Aaron Vincent Elkaim, Lau Chun-Tai cleans the Palm Court. He has been doing custodial work on the night shift at The Plaza, a Fairmont managed hotel, for 8 years., 2016. Courtesy of NAMARA represents. — Aaron Vincent Elkaim, *Lau Chun-Tai cleans the Palm Court. He has been doing custodial work on the night shift at The Plaza, a Fairmont managed hotel, for 8 years.*, 2016. Courtesy of NAMARA represents.

Aaron Vincent Elkaim, Laurence Ledanois, a staff member of 19 years (right) arranges tables with Jessica Azoulai for tea time at the Eloise Boutique at The Plaza, a Fairmont managed hotel, in New York., 2016. Courtesy of NAMARA represents. — Aaron Vincent Elkaim, *Laurence Ledanois, a staff member of 19 years (right) arranges tables with Jessica Azoulai for tea time at the Eloise Boutique at The Plaza, a Fairmont managed hotel, in New York.*, 2016. Courtesy of NAMARA represents.

The Shift celebrates photography’s capacity to move people and connect them through visual narrative. The strength of professional photographers, specifically documentary-makers, is that they do not merely capture a moment, an aesthetic, or a likeness. They build stories that affect viewers and resonate with them. Images transcend culture. The greatest photographers impart their stories with dignity, courage, and beauty. They are powerful influencers who can tap into their audiences’ empathy and, at the best of times, provoke feelings of sincere connection between subject and viewer.

This exhibition is a glimpse into the lives of people working in the tourism and hospitality industry around the world—including Canada, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, England, China, and Kenya—photographed by the seven members of the NAMARA creative agency. The selected images are shown together to highlight not only the unique characteristics of the subjects, but also the particular approach of each photographer in building visual narrative.

Curated by Natalie MacNamara