Artist Statement
Over the history of my practice, the human figure has provided an empathetic base for my visual explorations whether working above water (1983-2002) or below (2002 to present day). I am interested in the illusionary possibilities of photography - pushing the perceptual boundaries of the traditional two-dimensional photographic image. I play with notions of distortion and illusion, depth and abstraction; flattening perspectives, distorting bodies. This is achieved mostly in-camera.

 

 

Barbara Cole's artwork is extensively collected by both public and private institutions, and has been exhibited worldwide in such venues as the Canadian embassies in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, Japan. Throughout her career, Cole has worked internationally on commercial projects and large-scale art commissions including installations for the Breast Cancer Centre in Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital and for Trump Hollywood, Florida. She has won prestigious awards such as the Grand Prize at the Festival International de la Photographie de Mode in Cannes, and third prize at the International Photography Awards in New York. Barbara Cole lives and works in Toronto, Canada.


Les œuvres de Barbara Cole peuvent aujourd'hui être admirées dans les collections publiques et privées. Elles ont été exposées aux quatre coins de monde et notamment dans les Ambassades du Canada de Washington et Tokyo. Durant sa carrière Barbara a été amenée à travailler sur des projets commerciaux internationaux tel que le Trump Hollywood en Floride et a été mandatée par des institutions majeures comme le Centre du Cancer du Sein de l’hôpital Princess Margaret de Toronto. Son œuvre a été récompensé par le Grand Prix du Festival International de la Photographie de Mode à Cannes, ainsi que lors de l’International Photography Awards à New York. Barbara Cole vit et travaille aujourd'hui à Toronto, Canada.