From November 9 to December 15, 2006

The Alliance Française, the School of Image Arts of Ryerson University and the Consulate General of France in Toronto are proud to present this exhibition of Christopher Boyne.

SHORE DRIVE
"The photographs were taken during this past winter and were exhibited in part at Maximum Exposure at the School of Image Arts at Ryerson University. The images are of objects of obscure importance. They were things which belonged to me or to my family or to my house on Shore Drive in Bedford Nova Scotia. The objects were photographed on the window sills of the house which is very old and is the only house I have lived in. The minimal focus in the photographs obscures what is seen through the window turning a recognizable environment into an abstract one."
CHRISTOPHER BOYNE

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From September 8th to October 21st, 2006

The Alliance Française and the Consulate General of France in Toronto are proud to present this homage to Isabelle Huppert in conjunction with the International Film Festival of Toronto.

Isabelle Huppert: A Woman of Many Faces
One of cinema's greatest actresses, Isabelle Huppert (born in 1953) made her first film when she was still in her teens. Over the past 35 years, she has appeared in nearly 35 films directed by such illustrious filmmakers as Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard, Michael Haneke, Otto Preminger and Andrzej Wajda. These 17 black and white portraits of Huppert, shot by some of the world's most-renowned photographers, including Robert Doisneau, Édouard Boubat, Willy Ronis and Jacques Henri Lartigue, capture the many sides and expressions of this fascinating and intriguing actress, and pay homage to Isabel Huppert's most
provocative and challenging roles.

From August 15-30, 2006

The Consulate General of France and the National Agency for AIDS and HIV in cooperation with the Alliance Française are pleased to present you the exhibition on French AIDS research in the developing countries: "Hope springs from the sharing of knowledge", from August 15 till August 30, 2006 at the l'Alliance Française.

The world's largest HIV/AIDS conference in Toronto provides an international, open and independent forum for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and research which will inform HIV/AIDS programmes and strengthen prevention, treatment and care efforts worldwide.
France, at the behest of the Department of Foreign Affairs, therefore undertook a vast research program in, for and with the developing countries, notably through its National Agency for AIDS and Viral Hepatitis Research (ANRS).
This exhibition highlights on progress in developing countries which can be enhanced by investing in treatment access.

" France's involvement in AIDS research in the developing countries has helped the international community to see that health is an absolute priority for these regions of the world. This is no more than it should be, health being by definition the right of each and every human being. "
Prof Michel Kazatchkine,
Ambassador for the fight against HIV/AIDS and communicable diseases

Contacts :
M. Said KARFA, Scientific Officer, Consulat Général de France à Toronto : 416 925 80 41 poste 266
Mlle Patricia GUERIN, Cultural Assistant, Alliance Française de Toronto : 416 922 2014 Ext. 35

From July 21st to August 5th

The Alliance Française and the Consulate General of Spain in Toronto are proud to present the Arantxa Cedillo's exhibition, that will take place at the AFT, from July 21st to August 5th.

Arantxa is an independent documentary photographer who over the last few years has focused primarily on social issues. After completing a BA in Education and starting to study a Masters in Peace and Development Studies in Spain, she discovered photography as a useful means of communication between cultures and a tool to promote social change.
She is a graduated of the International Center of Photography and has received the Ian Parry Scholarship 2005 for her work at the Emergency Room at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.
Arantxa is currently working on the canadian public healthcare system to establish a comparison with the U.S. one. She is a founding member of the New York based Agency Veras Images.

For more information: http://www.verasimages.com

Press article: L'Express
Press article: Le Métropolitain

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From May 3 to May 26 and
June 14 to July 14

The Alliance Française and the Consulate General of France in Toronto are proud to present the Bruno Rosier's exhibition during the Contact Annual Photography Festival.
In 1992, Bruno Rosier found twenty-five prints from 1937 to 1953 in a flea market, showing the same person posing alone in front of famous landmarks all over the world. This discovery was the starting point for a photographic odyssey that was also intended as an exploration of self-representation and the artistic process. Rosier decided to follow this man's footsteps (only his initials, R.T. are known), in order to re-create the same shots half a century later he dressed and posed in accord with the original photographs. The fifty prints in this exhibition are twin images of such tourist meccas as the Egyptian Pyramids, Niagara Falls, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Acropolis of Athens. Through these self-portraits, Rosier disturbs the viewer by exploring an individual's singular identity which ultimately ends up disappearing amid the banality of everyday life and images.
The exhibition was first shown at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris in November 2004, and currently at the Aperture Gallery, in New York. His installation activities can be found at www.aproposdumonde.org

Press article: L'Express
Press article: Le Métropolitain
Press article: Toronto Star
Press article: NOW Magazine

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June 1st - 11, 2006

This exhibit about Iannis Xenakis presents, through drawings, manuscripts, sketches, photos and score excerpts, not only the intensity of his creative life, but also the man and his unique itinerary.
It was realized by the CDMC (Contemporary Music Documentation Centre - Paris) in collaboration with Sharon Kanach and sponsored by the "Friends of Iannis Xenakis" Association.

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From April 21 - 28, 2006

Since January 2006, sixty students, led by Professor Barry Sampson of the University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture, have been working on a project to enlarge and expand the Alliance Française building. The goal of this project is to transform the Alliance's existing building into an extensive new Francophone cultural centre. The new building will also be located in central Toronto and will be equipped with larger instructional facilities, an auditorium, a coffee shop and many other amenities that will better meet the needs of individuals coming to the Alliance Française.

This exhibition is dedicated to architecture and will thus be made up of scale models, preparatory drawings and plans executed by students at the University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture.

Press article

From April 3-15, 2006

On the occasion of the Mod'Art International Hat Show, which will take place on March 31 in Hazelton Lanes, the Alliance Française is featuring an exhibition of Vincent Lappartient's fashion photographs.
Mr. Lappartient has been teaching at Paris fashion schools for six years - primarily at Mod'Art - and simultaneously aiming his camera behind the fashion scene. The resulting photographs have appeared in numerous exhibitions in France and abroad.He collaborates with such fashion houses as Fendi, Celine, Givenchy and Lagerfeld Gallery and also takes in-house photographs for young designers.

The photographs presented in this exhibition were taken backstage at major fashion shows over the past two years.

Press article: L'Express
Press article: The Look Magazine

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From January 19th to March 6th, 2006

Imagine that you are living in our modern society and are totally unable to perceive light or sound. And yet, that is reality for people who are blind and deaf.

Natalie Schönfeld has been conducting research in Canada and abroad on deafness and blindness for eight years. She began her research while writing a student thesis at Ryerson Polytechnical University.

The artist has worked closely with various associations in Canada, including the CDBRA (Canadian Deafblind and Rubella Association) and the Canadian Helen Keller Centre. Her research has resulted in the creation of a work on individuals in Canada afflicted with deafness and blindness. Natalie Schönfeld has also pursued these same themes in France and Nepal; and in Israel, she completed a photographic work about a theatre company named Na'alagat made up of deaf and blind individuals.

This exhibition contains documentary images taken in Canada, Nepal, France and Israel. It also includes an installation to allow viewers to explore the various degrees of perception of people afflicted with blindness and deafness.

NATALIE SCHÖNFELD, photographer
She moved to Toronto from Caracas, Venezuela 14 years ago. She is an Honours Graduate of Ryerson Polytechnic University currently working as a freelance photographer. Natalie was nominated for the World Press Masterclass 2001, she won First Prize at the "Israel's 50th anniversary Exhibition" (Toronto, Canada- Feb.1998) and her work "his world: LA MAR" has been exhibited in Toronto- Canada (Contact 99), Caracas- Venezuela (August 99), Bogota- Colombia (Dec. 99), Ottawa- Canada (July 2000), New York- NY (August 2001). Other bodies of work include "TUERI: a look within"- Exhibited at Gallery 44 (Nov. 1999), "Festival of Holi, India" - Exhibited at Nathan Shiff Gallery (Contact 2000), "Liliana Medina: 13 yrs old and a mother"- Exhibited at the Tenth Muse Studio (Contact 2000), "God Save the Ganges, India"- Exhibited at Davis Green Gallery (Contact 2001), "Perceptions of Light- work in progress", Exhibited at Nathan Shiff Gallery (Contact 2001), "Postcards: Body of Water"- group show- Exhibited at Luft Gallery (Contact 2002).

Press article

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