TORONTO, April 25, 2012 /CNW/ - On Thursday, May 3, 2012 at the Design Exchange the works of 2011 Scotiabank Photography Award (SPA) winner Lynne Cohen will be featured as a Primary Exhibition organized by the Scotiabank Photography Award (SPA) as part of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.  The exhibition "Lynne Cohen: Nothing is Hidden" runs until the end of June and admission is free, courtesy of Scotiabank. As part of her SPA honours, the book 'Lynne Cohen: Nothing is Hidden,' funded by SPA and published by Steidl (Germany), will be available for sale after May 9, 2012.

"I'm inspired by the breadth of talent and interest the Scotiabank Photography Award has attracted in its first two years," said Jane Nokes, Director, Scotiabank Corporate Archives & Fine Art, Executive Director, Scotiabank Photography Award. "Showcasing incredible artistic talent and being able to help make it more accessible to the public is an important part of our work in enriching the Canadian communities where we as Scotiabankers work and live."

Jurors of the SPA 2011 were unanimous in their choice of Lynne Cohen as winner of the SPA's inaugural year.  Chaired by Edward Burtynsky, the jurors were; William A. Ewing, Director of Curatorial Projects, Thames & Hudson; Karen Love, Independent Curator and Manager of Grants and Publications, Vancouver Art Gallery; and Marie Josée Jean, Director VOX, centre de l'image comtemporaine, Montreal.

"It was not easy to reduce last year's twelve strong candidates, down to three for a shortlist, and finally a winner," said William A Ewing, Director of Curatorial Projects, Thames & Hudson.  "The length of Lynne Cohen's career, the consistency and coherence of her work, the evolution from black and white to colour, mastered brilliantly - the wit, the humour, the acute observation, and her unique subject matter led us to our choice.  Lynne Cohen is unquestionably one of the finest photographers on the international stage."

The "Lynne Cohen: Nothing is Hidden" exhibition will feature 31 photographs representing a cross section of her work.  The exhibition includes rare and early black and white photographs, as well those of vivid colour, angular contrast and often wry imagery that she seeks out in contemporary public spaces.

The Photographer

Lynne Cohen has been in countless solo and group exhibitions around the world, and is represented in over 50 public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Australian National Gallery, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Canada Council Art Bank. In addition to the SPA book, the photographer's images have been published in five monographs: "Occupied Territory", "L'endroit du décor / Lost and Found", "No Man's Land, Camouflage" and "Cover".

The Award

• The SPA was conceived and developed by Ed Burtynsky, one of Canada's most respected photographers and Jane Nokes, Director of the Fine Art Collection and Corporate Archives at Scotiabank. Mr. Burtynsky serves as Chair of the SPA and Jane Nokes is the Award's Executive Director and both serve on the Board of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.
• The winner receives a cash prize of $50,000.00, a book of their work by internationally-renowned art photography publisher Steidl (Germany) and primary exhibition at CONTACT the following year.  The two shortlisted artists each receive $5,000.00. In total the award has a value of more than $100,000.00 for the winner.
• The hardcover SPA book, 'Lynne Cohen: Nothing is Hidden' was designed by award-winning designer Barr Gilmore and printed by famed photo art book publisher Gerhard Steidl. The book has 127 full colour plates, and black & white images, and essays by noted British writer Jenny Diski and Ann Thomas, National Gallery of Canada. The book will be distributed worldwide by Steidl through its Spring catalogue and 15,000 booksellers.
• The SPA 2012 finalists are: Fred Herzog (Vancouver), Arnaud Maggs (Toronto) and Alain Paiement (Montreal).  The winner will be announced on May 9, 2012 in Toronto.
  
• Media sponsors for the SPA are the Globe and Mail and CTV.

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad, through our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank Bright Future.  Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $45 million annually to community causes around the world over each of the last five years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.