The Ryerson Image Centre (RIC) exists for the research, teaching and exhibition of photography and related media. We are an active partner within the academic fabric of Ryerson University, the cultural network of greater Toronto, and the national and international artistic community.

What's On

A young black woman in a yellow shirt, army pants, and heels, poses against a green wall, looking directly into the camera

The Way She Looks: A History of Female Gazes in African Portraiture

Photographs from The Walther Collection

September 11 – December 8, 2019
Guest Curator: Sandrine Colard
Main Gallery and University Gallery

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Syrus Marcus Ware

Ancestors, Can You Read Us? (Dispatches From The Future)

September 11–December 8, 2019
Guest Curators: Candice Hopkins and Tairone Bastien
Salah J. Bachir New Media Wall

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Layered images of hands turning the pages of a book, holding a paper and making gestures, with black tape afixing the images to one another

Grayson James

After Alexandria

October 30 – December 8
Student Gallery

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Fig.
Nontsikelelo “Lolo” Veleko, *Nonkululeko*, from the series *Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder*, 2003, inkjet print © The artist. Courtesy of the artist and Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg

Fig. 2
Syrus Marcus Ware, *Dispatches From The Future* (still), 2019, multi-channel video. Courtesy of the artist

Fig.
Grayson James, *A Damaged Book/Learning How To Bind* (detail), 2018, architecture prints, found objects, tracing paper, laser prints, inkjet prints. Courtesy of the artist

Fig. 1

Logo for the RIC's podcast, Sightlines.

Sightlines Podcast

Our new podcast, Sightlines, explores the representation of African women in photography through interviews with artists, curators, and collectors. Produced in collaboration with The Walrus Lab.

Listen now

Fig. 2
Time-lapse video the Ryerson Image Centre. Created by Anthony Saleh

Time-lapse tour of the RIC

Take a time-lapse tour of the RIC: from the gallery spaces, to the vault, to the Peter Higdon Research Centre!

Watch video

Fig. 3
Klaus Kindermann, [East Berlin riots against SED government], June 1953, gelatin silver print. The Black Star Collection, Ryerson Image Centre (BS.2005.018313)

The Collection

We maintain a collection of photography spanning the medium’s history, as well as several artist and journalism archives. The RIC's collection offers researchers the remarkable opportunity to study firsthand works by a diverse group of internationally-renowned photographers.

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A photo of a person holding a circular object obscuring his/her face — Fig. 4
A polaroid from a *Youth in Focus* tour with <TRUTH & DARE Project>, February 2018

Youth in Focus

By engaging with new, young audiences, we hope to promote greater inclusivity, equity, and accessibility in a gallery environment. This program is generously supported by BMO Financial Group.

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Black and white photo of a woman walking between cars amidst tall apartment buildings. — Fig. 1
Sabelo Mlangeni, *Woman and City*, from the series *Big City*, 2012 (printed 2017), gelatin silver print © The artist. Courtesy of the artist and The Walther Collection

News

Women in African photography the focus of new exhibition at the Ryerson Image Centre, opening September 11

This fall, the Ryerson Image Centre is pleased to present a major exhibition exploring African photographic portraiture through the perspectives of women, both as sitters and photographers.

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