“Once the language and bond of eye contact is established, it should be cherished. Savour the knowing looks, the love and understanding that exists without a single word, and the intimacy built on nothing but glances and stares.”

– Christine Redfern

ELLEPHANT is proud to present “The Look: Evergon, Emmanuelle Léonard and JJ Levine”, three generations of important photographers based in Montreal. The exhibition marks the first time these three artists have been presented together. What unites the photographs selected for “The Look” is the subjects in each photograph stare directly at the viewer with a confrontational gaze.

Evergon (b. 1946) is the winner of the 2023 Governor General Award in Visual Art, and the Prix Paul-Émile Borduas 2023. The highest honours awarded for the visual arts in Canada and Quebec respectively. “The Look” presents six artworks from the artist’s best known series created over his 50 + year career.

Emmanuelle Léonard (b. 1971) has four photographs in “The Look”, two that focus on the Arctic and two reflecting the lives of incarcerated women. Both series capture the hierarchies found within our social, judiciary, military and religious systems that Emmanuelle Léonard’s work has consistently explored over the past two decades.

JJ Levine (b. 1984) contributes four new works to “The Look”. These photographs are part of his ongoing series Queer Portraits, started in 2006, in which he photographs the individuals, couples and children in his queer community, his extended chosen family. JJ Levine’s work contributes to visual representations of alternative, queer and trans family structures.