Camera and the City

Drawing upon the rich collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Camera and the City brings together the work of a wide range of photographers who have captured the spirit of city streets.

The exhibition is divided into three sections exploring the city as movement and theatre, the city as idea, and the city as community.

The City as Movement shows how artists visualize the city as a dynamic site, open and vulnerable to numerous influences from within and without. The City as Idea explores conceptual approaches to photographing the built environment, examining how people and environments are shaped by corporate interests and consumer culture. Often resulting in experimental material processes, these photographs shift our understanding of city imagery. The City as Community highlights the need for human connection, capturing gatherings of families and diverse communities, along with back streets and alleys and their less familiar narratives.

Featuring the work of Walker Evans, Diane Arbus, Leon Levenstein, Berenice Abbott, Robyn Collyer, Barbara Probst, Charles Gagnon, Fred Herzog, June Clark, Michel Lambeth, Jeff Thomas, Gordon Parks, Kwame Brathwaite and many others, Camera and the City showcases the multifaceted stories and experiences of city streets.