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The Image Centre

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The Image Centre

The Image Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University

The Image Centre (IMC) is Canada’s leading institution dedicated to the exhibition, research and collecting of photography. Established in 2012 at Toronto Metropolitan University, in the heart of the city, the IMC welcomes visitors to explore the intersection of photography and culture. Through compelling exhibitions and engaging public programming, the IMC showcases work by emerging, renowned, an

d anonymous photographers, past and present. With a growing collection of nearly 400,000 photographic objects and an innovative scholarly research program, the IMC is also a vibrant hub for the preservation and study of photography.

05/26/2026

📣 2026 Student Gallery call for submissions closes soon 📣

The Student Gallery call for submissions is open to all Toronto Metropolitan University students and recent alumni (graduates from the past five years). Applicants from all programs are invited to submit photography, film, and new media work for consideration. Don't miss the chance to bring your project to life with support from The Image Centre team and share it with a broad public audience in a professional gallery setting.

Click through for a look at some of the exciting recent projects shown in the Student Gallery →

🗓️ Applications close May 30, 2026.

Learn more + apply:
theimagecentre.ca/student-gallery

📷 Images 1-2 | Nytha Oronga: What If We Walked Like Birds Fly (installation view) © Toni Hafkenscheid, The Image Centre, 2026
📷 Images 3-4 | Staging Celia Franca (installation view) © Daniel Smith, The Image Centre, 2026
📷 Images 5-6 | Kenna Robinson: With My Whole Body (installation view) © Toni Hafkensheid, The Image Centre, 2026

05/22/2026

〰️ Upcoming Special Tour | Scotiabank Photography Award: Dawit L. Petros 〰️

On May 27 at 6 pm, join IMC Curator Gaëlle Morel and Diaspora Engagement Advisor Helen Tewolde for a guided tour of Dawit L. Petros’s survey exhibition, exploring migration, memory, and colonial legacies across two decades. Free admission; no registration required.

Learn more: theimagecentre.ca/events

About the Speakers

Helen Tewolde has built her career advancing access to higher education, justice, and employment across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors. Her work focuses on ensuring underrepresented and diaspora communities are meaningfully included in institutional policies and programs. Tewolde holds degrees from McMaster University, OISE/UT, and Osgoode Hall Law School, and has served on boards, industry associations, and community networks advising on diaspora engagement, AI ethics, and equitable trade and market access. She is also the Founder of Mela Glow + Co., a lifestyle brand inspired by global diasporas.

Gaëlle Morel (French/Canadian, b. 1976), PhD, has been the Curator at The Image Centre, Toronto Metropolitan University, since 2010. Based on extensive archival research, her most recent exhibitions include Lee Miller, A Photographer at Work, 1932–1945 (2024); Stories from the Picture Press: Black Star Publishing Co. & The Canadian Press (2023); and Mary Ellen Mark: Ward 81 (with accompanying catalogue, 2023). In 2009, Morel was the guest curator of the photography biennial Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal.

📷 Jae Yang, The Image Centre, 2026

05/15/2026

Happy birthday to Richard Avedon, who was born on this day in 1923.

One of the twentieth century’s most influential photographers, Avedon is renowned for his striking and radically candid portraits of artists, actors, writers, and cultural icons.

As we look ahead to our upcoming exhibition in September 2026, we’re excited to celebrate Avedon’s enduring impact. Here's a sneak peek of some of the unforgettable works that will be on view at The Image Centre this fall. 🎞️🖤

"Richard Avedon Immortal: Portraits of Aging, 1951–2004" opens at The Image Centre on Sept. 9 and runs through Dec. 5, 2026. Learn more: https://theimagecentre.ca/exhibition/richard-avedon-immortal/

📷 Richard Avedon, Richard Avedon, photographer, New York, May 31, 2002, gelatin silver print © The Richard Avedon Foundation. Courtesy of Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, Arizona. Richard Avedon Archive, Gift of the Artist

Richard Avedon, Toni Morrison, writer, New York, September 10, 2003, gelatin silver print © The Richard Avedon Foundation

Richard Avedon, Louise Nevelson, sculptor, New York, May 13, 1975, gelatin silver print © The Richard Avedon Foundation

Richard Avedon, William Casby, born into slavery, Algiers, Louisiana, March 24, 1963, gelatin silver print © The Richard Avedon Foundation

Richard Avedon, Marianne Moore, poet, New York, January 4, 1958, gelatin silver print © The Richard Avedon Foundation

05/14/2026

Join us on Wednesday, May 27 from 6–7 pm for a special guided tour of Scotiabank Photography Award: Dawit L. Petros led by IMC Curator Gaëlle Morel and Diaspora Engagement Advisor Helen Tewolde.

Together, Morel and Tewolde will explore themes of migration, memory, belonging, and colonial legacies across more than two decades of Petros’s work.

📍 The Image Centre, 33 Gould Street, Toronto
🗓 Wednesday, May 27, 2026
⏰ 6–7 pm
🎟 Free admission | No registration required

On view through August 1, 2026, Scotiabank Photography Award: Dawit L. Petros features more than 60 photographs and serigraphs examining the legacy of colonial history across Africa, Europe, and North America. Learn more: https://theimagecentre.ca/exhibition/dawit-petros/

📷 Scotiabank Photography Award: Dawit L. Petros (opening reception) © Jae Yang, The Image Centre

05/12/2026

For those who weren’t able to join us last week, the conversation between Dawit L. Petros and Gaëlle Morel is now available on our YouTube channel.

In this engaging discussion, multidisciplinary artist Dawit L. Petros and IMC Curator Gaëlle Morel explore themes of migration, colonial history, displacement, and belonging across more than two decades of Petros’s work.

Watch the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/KIieYbl_JfA?si=S2gwluFjEffSScK5

Presented in conjunction with Scotiabank Photography Award: Dawit L. Petros, on view at The Image Centre from May 6 – August 1, 2026.

05/08/2026

Flashback to ’75: Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden blocks a shot from the Buffalo Sabres' Peter McNab. The rivalry continues tonight...Go Habs Go! 🔥🏒

📷 Unidentified photographer, Untitled, May 8, 1975, gelatin silver print. The Rudolph P. Bratty Family Collection, The Image Centre

05/07/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to launch the new season with us last night — the galleries were full, the mood was celebratory, and it was wonderful to see so many people discovering the remarkable work featured across our four new exhibitions. ✨

The excitement continues tonight with a special conversation featuring artist Dawit L. Petros and curator Gaëlle Morel. More details below:

Artist and Curator in Conversation: Dawit L. Petros and Gaëlle Morel
Join Petros and Morel for a conversation exploring migration, colonial history, and more than two decades of Petros’s practice.

🗓 Thursday, May 7, 2026
🕖 7–8:30 pm
📍 Lecture Room: IMA-307, Enter via The Image Centre, 33 Gould Street, Toronto
🎟 Free admission
Tickets are now sold out, but you can still join the Eventbrite waitlist: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/artist-and-curator-in-conversation-dawit-l-petros-and-gaelle-morel-tickets-1987139296127.

A limited number of rush tickets may also be released at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend arriving early, as admission is not guaranteed.

The galleries will remain open until 7 pm for visitors to explore the exhibition before the event. Please note: doors close at 7:15 pm. Late entry will not be permitted.

📷 Photos: Jae Yang

05/05/2026

On view in the Student Gallery this season, Kenna Robinson's With My Whole Body presents a series of fabric cyanotypes sculpted into three-dimensional forms. Blending fragments of the artist’s body with movement across the fabric surface, the work challenges conventional photographic representation and rethinks the photographer–subject dynamic through a feminine lens.

Join us for the opening reception tomorrow evening, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 6–8 pm. Get your free ticket: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/imc-springsummer-opening-reception-tickets-1986026111562

📷 Kenna Robinson, Photographic Body 01, 2023, cyanotype on cotton with fixative. Courtesy of the artist

05/01/2026

We’ve got an incredible lineup of events coming your way ✨

See what’s on this spring/summer season—starting with our opening reception this Wednesday! Admission is always free and open to all, with select events requiring Eventbrite registration.

Join us to experience incredible photography up close — and hear from the artists and curators who bring the exhibitions to life, alongside invited guests sharing their perspectives.

Learn more: https://theimagecentre.ca/events/

📷 Larry Fink, Graduation, Bangor High School, PA, 1981 (printed later), gelatin silver print © Larry Fink/MUUS Collection. The Image Centre, Gift of Gordon Fenwick, 2021

04/29/2026

“When I walk around in a tuxedo and tap my toes, I’m a fancy dude. When I walk around Martins Creek, I’m rolling country belly.” - Larry Fink

On view this season in the University Gallery, "Social Graces" is the best-known body of work by American photographer Larry Fink. Shot between 1974 and 1982, the series exposes America’s class divide, contrasting Manhattan’s urban high society with Pennsylvania’s rural countryside.

In the city, coiffed and adorned patrons of the arts gather at gallery openings, banquets, and the notorious Studio 54 nightclub. Meanwhile, in the small town of Martins Creek, the Sabatines—a farming family—socialize at the roller rink and American Legion, celebrating birthdays and graduations with friends and community. Both satirical and intimate, the series emphasizes the theatricality of social rites.

The presentation of Fink’s work continues in the Great Hall with a feature on another well-known series, "Runway" (1993–1999), which captures the behind-the-scenes world of fashion shows and designer showcases in Paris, Milan, and New York City.

Learn more: https://theimagecentre.ca/exhibition/larry-fink-social-graces-runway/

Events
Spring/Summer Opening Reception
May 6, 2026
6–8 pm
Reserve your free ticket: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/imc-springsummer-opening-reception-tickets-1986026111562

Exhibition Talk: Lucy Sante
June 17, 2026
7–8:30 pm
IMA-307 | Enter via the IMC
Reserve your free ticket: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/exhibition-talk-lucy-sante-on-larry-fink-tickets-1987142343241

Presented with support from Muus Collection

📷 Larry Fink, English Speaking Union Event, New York City, 1975 (printed later)
📷 Larry Fink, Passed Out, Studio 54, New York City, 1977 (printed later)
📷 Larry Fink, Graduation, Bangor High School, PA, 1981 (printed later)
📷 Larry Fink, Pat Sabatine's Eighth Birthday Party, PA, 1977 (printed later)

All photographs are gelatin silver prints from the collection of The Image Centre, Gift of Gordon Fenwick, 2021 © Larry Fink/MUUS Collection

Address

33 Gould Street
Toronto, ON
M5B1E9

Opening Hours

Wednesday	12pm - 8pm
Thursday	12pm - 6pm
Friday	12pm - 6pm
Saturday	12pm - 6pm

Website

https://theimagecentre.ca/

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