SHADOW and LIGHT: DARKROOM EDITION Volume 2 Artist Talk
We invite you to the opening reception and artist talk of SHADOW and LIGHT: DARKROOM EDITION Volume 2, a Talking Walls group exhibition exploring the intersection of negative-based film, traditional darkroom practices and contemporary storytelling.
This collection of black and white images showcases the results of a specialized portrait workshop hosted by the Hart House Camera Club at the University of Toronto, where four photographers engaged in a rigorous three-hour workshop, followed by a darkroom exercise in visual storytelling via negative-based film.
While the participants shared the same physical environment utilizing the same models, props, and lighting, the resulting images reveal the profound subjectivity of the creative eye. The exhibition acknowledges that perception is the architect of reality; though the space was shared, the experiences captured remain deeply personal and distinct… perception becomes reality.
Central to this exhibition is the technical artistry of the wet darkroom process. The final creative output relies on the delicate calibration of exposure, aperture, and contrast to translate a film negative into a finished print. Each frame serves as a moment punctuated in time, where the tactile manipulation of light and shadow is used to deliver the photographer’s specific vision and emotional voice.
The works displayed in this exhibition were developed during Michael Chambers' 2025-2026 residency. As part of this residency, which supports The University of Toronto’s Hart House Camera Club artists in developing innovative darkroom expressions, Chambers facilitated this workshop that married technical instruction and individual artistic exploration. With the incredible talent of the photographers who participated, this collaboration for ‘Shadow and Light: Darkroom Edition Volume 2’ came to be.
Please join us at Hart House for an evening with the artists. Light refreshments provided.
Artists: Hadi Amtaeleq, Karina Feng, Samuel Lui, Fernando Luna
Curator: Michael Chambers
Exhibition Date: Sep 3 – Sep 28, 2026
Location: The Arbor Room Hallway
Poster image: Samuel Lui, Apokalypsis (The Unveiling). 2026.