Gabriela Casineanu presents MÉTAPHORES, a new photographic body of work representing the story of her emotional journey in 2012. By using an anthropomorphic approach, she turns simple symbols found in nature into metaphors of the human spirit. Guided by her intuition, Gabriela captured nature photographs that «speak» to her, and modified sometimes their colours to project a certain mood or feeling. The exhibition is an invitation to find in nature a source of inspiration to become happier and more resilient, as she experienced many times in the past.
Gabriela’s photographic approach is a journey of discovery. Fascinated by nature, its resilience and power, she looks for connections between nature’s processes and humans’ journey during her hiking and exploration outings. Her willingness to capture these moments put her on an evolving path from simple nature snapshots (mainly landscapes) to an intentional process of making those connections more meaningful.
Gabriela Casineanu is a Romanian/Canadian visual artist using the medium of photography, and recently fascinated by the power of video. As a lifelong learner, she gradually shifted from engineering and IT to system coaching, and allowed herself to express her artistic side through photography since 2001. Her passion for using visual, to make abstract concepts more tangible, lead her to create photo-coaching albums, and embracing an artistic career since 2011. Beyond the visual aspect, she looks at photography as a medium to express meaningful and intentional connections that might be easily missed in such a stressful world. Gabriela is a self-taught photographer, a juried artist and grant recipient of Ontario Arts Council. She lives and works in Toronto.
Mikel Mata (also known as Miguel Mata) is a Franco-Hispanic photographer and filmmaker who was born in Paris in the 1960’s. After working in fashion, making portraits and working as a photographer on film sets, Mikel embarked on a new career as a photojournalist, focusing on the nomadic peoples of the world (First Nations of the Americas, Kurds, Roms), which led him to travel through four continents.
Over the past 20 years, Mikel’s photographs were published in various magazines and books (Elle, Nova, Géo, Le Nouvel Économiste), and he has worked with many international organizations and private foundations, including Doctors Without Borders, UNESCO, UNICEF and the Surf Riding Foundation. On several occasions, the University of Jacksonville, in Florida, invited him as an artist.
MÉTAPHORES by Gabriela Casineanu
Opening reception: Thursday, May 9th, 2013 (6PM – 9PM)
Exhibit curated by Mikel Mata: May 1 to May 31, 2013
Le Labo in the Distillery District
9 Trinity Street, Suite 317, Toronto, M5A 3C4
More details
- Le Labo – http://www.lelabo.ca/en/node/429
- Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival – http://scotiabankcontactphoto.com/open-exhibitions/1138
- Gabriela Casineau – http://photography.thoughtsdesigner.com/index.html