How to treat an image: Manipulating Personal Archives

Experiment with personal and found archives as visual representations of memory and manipulation as a tool for self-reinvention. Participants will learn techniques to transform archival photographs into canvases for personal narratives using materials including copper, glass and fine art paper.

No prior experience is necessary to participate and all materials will be provided. Participants will need to send 3-4 archival photographs by April 17. These images will serve as the foundation for creating 1-3 final works. Participants are encouraged to bring their own objects and surfaces to transfer images onto, and explore the advantages and challenges of working with different materials.

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Instructor Ernesto Cabral de Luna (b. 1996, Cholula, Mexico) is a lens-based artist working with archival imagery and documents to create digital and analog works that emphasize the multi-dimensionality and materiality of the image. His work centers around altering perception through image manipulation – providing new ways to experience recognizable imagery in unconventional manners and outside of their intended purpose. Drawing from his immigrant experience, Ernesto explores themes of identity and representation, creating artwork that is relatable to people who feel like they are from two worlds in one sense, and from neither in another. Ernesto received his BFA in photography from OCAD University in 2024, has showcased his work in various galleries and artist-run centres in Toronto and has worked on campaigns with brands like the Toronto Raptors and Coors Light.