As part of the CONTACT Photography Festival, the New York-based organization 10×10 Photobooks is bringing to Toronto more than 90 photobooks, zines, posters, and newspapers focused on protest and resistance—reminding us of photography’s essential role in these struggles.
At the Contact Gallery, protests are on display. Transformed into a reading room, the space gathers 75 years of documented struggles through photographs, curated by 10×10 Photobooks. “Whether it’s about migration crises, territorial disputes, gender inequality, class divisions, racism, war, gun violence, or environmental concerns, we live in a world shaped by conflict. Since its beginnings, photography has captured decisive historical moments, serving either as a tool of protest, a record of it—or often both,” say the organizers of the CONTACT Photography Festival, who invited the New York-based nonprofit to take over the space.
In this exhibition, titled Flashpoint! Protest Photography in Print, recent photobooks such as Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation by Mathieu Asselin or Al Shaab (The People) by Laura El-Tantawy—a visual narrative of the 2011 Egyptian revolution—are showcased alongside older works, such as Chizu (The Map) by Kikuji Kawada, published in 1965, a major work of Japanese photography that explores the aftermath and consequences of World War II in Japan.
Blurring the Boundaries of the Photobook
Committed to providing access to a rich archive, 10×10 Photobooks combines different media to highlight the varied aesthetics of printed photography within protest and resistance movements. “Whether to convey visible anger or a more subtle artistic commentary, printed protest photography operates in all these formats, often blurring the lines between book, zine, magazine, or newspaper,” explain the organizers.
For this edition, the reading room features a selection of zines submitted by the community, and one wall showcases 25 posters—including a striking 1998 black-and-white image of elderly men in suits, accompanied by white text on a red background: “77% of anti-abortion leaders are men. 100% of them will never be pregnant.” The entire collection is organized into seven major thematic chapters: Anti, Gender, Displacement, Race and Class, Environment, Politics, and War and Violence, reflecting the structure of the anthology published by 10×10 Photobooks, from which this exhibition is derived.
13 Years of Reading Rooms
Founded in 2012, the New York-based nonprofit’s mission is to “foster engagement with the global photobook community through appreciation, distribution and understanding of photobooks.” It publishes art catalogs and regularly organizes public events around photobooks. One of its core activities is organizing public reading rooms, such as this one in Toronto.
The first reading room, in 2012, focused on Japanese photobooks. It brought together 100 books selected by 10 experts and was first exhibited at the International Center of Photography during the New York Art Book Fair, later traveling to the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. Thirteen years later, following 10×10 American Photobooks in 2013, 10×10 Contemporary Latin American Photobooks and How We See: Photobooks by Women in 2018, and What They Saw: Historical Photobooks by Women, 1843–1999 in 2021, the organization continues to explore photobooks at the heart of the CONTACT Photography Festival.
The organizers emphasize that Flashpoint! “offers visitors the opportunity to step into others’ lives, confront complex societal issues, and spark conversations that challenge norms while encouraging respectful and constructive dialogue.” The exhibition will be on view in Toronto until June 21st before beginning a worldwide tour through 2027.
CONTACT Photography Festival
Toronto, Canada
May 1st to May 31, 2025
More Information
Flashpoint! Tour with Kerry Manders on June 12, from 7–8 p.m.
