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Thank you Cruz for leading us in to the world of image transfers today 👏

HOT TAKES: EPISODE 7

We sit down with Emily Botelho, sip on some coffee and learn more about Emily, Four Poses Photobooth and her current show here at ROONEY’S.

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Video: .lucas
Hot Takes logo:

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In 1972, at the Venice Biennale, Franco Vaccari presented ‘Esposizione in tempo reale n. 4: Lascia su queste pareti una traccia fotografica del tuo passaggio.”

A passport photobooth was placed inside the exhibition, inviting visitors to use it and pin their strip to the wall - gradually forming a collective portrait shaped entirely by those who chose to participate.

By bringing a machine associated with routine identity photos into an art context, Vaccari shifted authorship away from the artist and toward the public. The work evolved day by day, each new strip responding to the last, turning the wall into a living record of those who passed through.

We present this exercise as an homage to Vaccari’s work, and a love letter to our new friends at Rooney’s and the city of Hamilton.

What you see here will grow over the course of the exhibition and will live on as a finished, published piece.

The booth operates as usual, but for the duration of the exhibition participation is free - if you leave a strip behind, email [email protected] and we will refund your session.

Those who take part will receive a copy of the final publication, a record of the work shaped by everyone who contributed.

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The legendary Larry Towell came by for a visit today.

We have a few copies of Larry’s ‘The Mennonites’ in-store.

The Mennonites- Larry Towell
Larry Towell first encountered the Mennonites near his home in Ontario, Canada, and his friendship with them has gained him unique access to their communities. Originating in Europe in the sixteenth century, the Mennonites are a Protestant religious sect, related to the Amish.

Rather than compromise their way of life, they have continually been forced to migrate around the world to maintain their freedom to live as they choose. The greatest numbers are now found in Mexico, and many live or regularly migrate to work in rural Canada. Towell has been photographing Mennonites in Canada and Mexico for over ten years, and this collection, “The Mennonites”, creates a unique and intimate portrait of an often misunderstood people. In addition to his images, Towell’s own texts tell in poignant and descriptive detail his experiences with the Mennonite communities: the harshness and poverty of their rural existence, the disciplines and contradictions of their religion, their hunger for land and work, and the constant struggle to keep the modern world at bay.

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