On the occasion of the publication of Firelight, her latest monograph published with Laura Serani by Editions L’Artière, in camera galerie is presenting around fifteen previously unseen prints by Amy Friend, drawn from her series Dare Alla Luce. Amy Friend writes:
“The project began through intimate conversations with my Nonna, as we looked through family photographs together. She told me stories from her life—moments spanning generations and continents—but at times the memories blurred. Names, places, and events became elusive, leading me to reflect on the nature of photographs as objects and on the meanings they carry when their stories fade. What happens when the context behind an image is lost? How do personal photographs shape our understanding of the world, both individually and collectively?
Rather than focusing solely on my own family images, I broadened my research by collecting vernacular photographs from a range of sources. These anonymous images, detached from their original context, intrigued me. They allowed me to reflect on the way photographs communicate—or conceal—when their provenance is lost.
Through experimentation, I developed a process of perforating the photographs by hand, allowing light to pass through them. This use of light became central to the project, symbolizing the rebirth of these forgotten images. The title, Dare Alla Luce, translates from Italian as “to bring into the world” or “to bring to light,” an expression used to refer to childbirth, but which here also alludes to the renewed presence and new interpretations of these “lost” photographs. The title felt appropriate to me, as it encapsulates the idea of rebirth—the way photographs are continually reborn each time they are looked at again.
Photography, born of light, is inherently malleable: each gaze subtly transforms it, shaped by the evolution of our perceptions.
(…) Within this vast archive of vernacular photography, I was struck by what was missing
—entire swaths of the population, historical moments, and significant periods remained undocumented, hidden, or lost.
Dare Alla Luce presents a fragmented collection of vernacular photographs, inviting reflection on the mystery, joy, sadness, solitude, and creativity they contain. ”
Amy Friend
Amy Friend grew up in the suburbs of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, where the Detroit River meets Lake St. Clair. She studied at OCAD University’s Faculty of Art and Design in Toronto before traveling through Europe, Africa, Cuba, and the United States.
Upon her return, she decided to continue her studies and graduated with honours, earning a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Education from York University in Toronto, followed by a Master of Applied Arts. She became an Assistant in the Department of Applied Arts at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Friend’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in major exhibitions, festivals, and institutions, including the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Paris), Paris Photo, the Centre d’art contemporain de Meymac (France), the GetxoPhoto Festival (Spain), the DongGang Photography Museum (South Korea), the Onassis Cultural Centre (Greece), GuatePhoto (Guatemala), Encontros da Imagem (Portugal), Alzueta Gallery (Spain), Photoville (New York), Museum London (Canada), Rodman Hall (Canada), and the Abbaye de Silvacane (France).
Her work has appeared in major publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Time, California Sunday Magazine, GUP (Amsterdam), EKI (Italy), LUX (Poland), and The Walrus (Canada).
Friend was selected for the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2019 at the National Portrait Gallery (London, United Kingdom). She was selected among the top 50 photographs in the international Critical Mass photography competition and was a Critical Mass winner in 2014.
In 2018 at Paris Photo, Friend’s work was selected for the Elles X exhibition, organized by Fannie Escoulen, presenting 100 women photographers from the beginnings of photography to the present day.
Friend’s photographs are held in several public collections, including the Fondazione Orestiadi (Gibellina, Sicily), the Onassis Foundation (Athens, Greece), the City of St. Catharines (St. Catharines, Canada), and York University (Toronto, Canada).
Friend is currently creating new work with the support of the Ontario Arts Council, and her new monograph, Firelight, was published by Editions L’Artière under the direction of Laura Serani.
Amy Friend : Dare Alla Luce
March 26 to May 23, 2026
in camera galerie
21, rue Las Cases
75007 Paris
T: +33 (0)1 47 05 51 77
Tuesday to Friday, 1 pm to 6 pm; Saturday, 2 pm to 7 pm
www.incamera.fr
