May 1 to July 17, 2021
Chris Myhr
The Prefix Prize
Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art is thrilled to announce that the winner of the inaugural Prefix Prize is Chris Myhr. A resident of Hamilton, Ontario, Myhr is a media artist who engages with the still and moving image, sound, electronics and installation. Juried by a panel of five senior experts in contemporary photographic art, the prize is a core programme of the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival.
As the recipient of the Prefix Prize, Chris Myhr receives an exhibition, a publication and a cash prize of $2,000.00 CA. The exhibition, which is presented in the surround gallery at Prefix ICA, features the world premiere of selected photographs from the series Ab-Solutes (2020), accompanied by the sound design from the video Fathoms: The Weight of Smoke (2018). The associated publication P.S.–1.3, which is the third in the series of exhibition catalogues produced by Prefix, features an essay by Scott McLeod. Exclusively digital and entirely free, it is available for downloading from www.prefix.ca.
The Prefix Prize is presented by Prefix ICA with the assistance of its presentation partners, the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival and Underline Studio, and its founding partner, Partners in Art. As a result of the generous support of its founding partner, Prefix provided all of the entrants to the inaugural Prefix Prize with a rebate of $30 on their entry fees.
The exhibition, which was mounted on May 1, 2021, but delayed by the pandemic restrictions, opens to the public on Saturday, July 3, 2021, at Prefix, located at 401 Richmond Street West, Suite 124, Toronto. Gallery hours are from Wednesday to Saturday, 12 PM to 5 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free. The exhibition continues until Saturday, July 17, 2021.
Prefix is following a strict regimen of cleaning and other protocols in order to ensure the health and safety of our staff and visitors. In accordance with Step Two of the Roadmap to Re-opening of the province of Ontario, the gallery is limited to 25% capacity, or a maximum of eight visitors. Physical distancing and mask wearing/face covering are required.
The artworks in the exhibition, as well as our publications, are available for sale. The price list is available onsite at the gallery, or upon request.
About the artist
Chris Myhr is a media artist whose practice engages with the still and moving image, sound, electronics and installation. He completed undergraduate studies at Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, BC) and the University of Lethbridge (Lethbridge, AB) before finishing graduate work at NSCAD University (Halifax, NS). His work has been exhibited at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (Oshawa, ON), Art Gallery of Windsor (Windsor, ON) and CICA Museum (Gimpo, South Korea), among other galleries, while his media art has been screened at festivals throughout the world, including in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, India, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and the United States, where it has garnered numerous awards. Currently an assistant professor in the department of Communication Studies and Media Arts at McMaster University, he lives and works in Hamilton, Ontario.
About the Prefix Prize
The Prefix Prize is a new annual prize awarded to a photographic artist of any nationality. Launched on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival, the prize consists of an exhibition, a publication and a cash award of $2,000.00. The prize is designed to honour artists at any stage of their careers who have yet to receive the recognition they deserve.
The inaugural prize was juried by five senior experts in contemporary photographic art, including Pamela Edmonds, senior curator, McMaster Museum of Art (Hamilton); Scott McLeod, founding director, Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art (Toronto); Fidel Peña, creative director, Underline Studio (Toronto); Bonnie Rubenstein, artistic director, Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival (Toronto); and Alexia Tala, independent curator of contemporary art (Santiago de Chile). In addition to choosing the recipient of this year’s prize, the jury recognized Mathieu Grenier with an honourable mention. Grenier is a Montréal-based artist who draws upon the virtual, sculptural and photographic in his photo-installation practice.
The second Prefix Prize will be awarded in May 2022. Information about entry requirements, timelines and deadlines will be forthcoming shortly. For details, please watch our website at www.prefix.ca.
Acknowledgements
For their support of The Prefix Prize, Prefix gratefully acknowledges presentation partners, the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival and Underline Studio, and founding partner, Partners in Art. Prefix also gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts, Department of Canadian Heritage, the Ontario Arts Council, Business for the Arts, and the Toronto Arts Council with funding from the City of Toronto.
Photo: Detail from “Athabasca River (KAR6 Open)” from Ab-Solutes (2020). Courtesy the artist.
For more information, print-ready images or to schedule an interview with the artist, please contact 416-591-0357.
