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Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs The Alberta Tar Sands are a place of superlatives, a place of awesome beauty and destruction where exaggeration of scale and proportion seems almost impossible. They are simply awe-inspiring. With every twist and turn of the airplane, another incredible scene presents itself, followed by another. It’s a linear kaleidoscope of contrasts, colours, and patterns garnished by the movement of machinery below, smoke and effluent; the scene resetting, again and again as the paint of photography – light – makes its daily changes. The tar sands are also topical. Canada is America’s single biggest supplier of oil, almost all derived from the Tar Sands. Despite their importance in our culture, in our economy and, increasingly, in how the outside world views Canada, few know much about them and fewer still have seen them. Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs is described by one critic as “teetering between documentary and abstract.” The tension between the imagery’s beauty and what they represent – the man-made alteration and destruction of a landscape – stimulates thought and imagination, engaging viewers, prompting questions, debate and discussion. The photos were taken from the photographer’s 1946 antique aircraft as a part of a cross country journey with his partner Kristin Reimer in 2008. |
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Artist CV Louis Helbig
1-149 Patterson Ave, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1S 1Y4 work/cell (613) 263 0264 louishelbig (at) egamiimage (dot) ca
As of March 2, 2010
Current Event(s) galleryDK, Toronto. March 4 – 28, 2010. 1332 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada. Solo exhibition, Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs. Opening Thursday March 4, 2010 7-10PM. Hours: Thur-Sunday 12 noon-5PM. Ottawa Art Gallery, Art Rental & Sales Service. As of February 5, 2010, select aerial images on display. 2 Daly Ave, Ottawa, ON. 613 233 8865. http://www.ottawaartgallery.ca/art-rental/index-en.php Future Exhibitions & Events Contact Toronto Photography Festival. May 1 – May 31, 2010. The Rivoli, 334 Queen St. West. Opening Saturday May 1, 2010 3PM-5PM. Hours: 11:30 - 2AM, 7 days/week. ARTIST TALK LOUIS HELBIG Tuesday May 4, 2009, 7PM, THE RIVOLI | $5 suggested donation | Louis Helbig's aerial photography is described as teetering between documentary and abstract. Helbig will speak about his award winning exhibition "Beautiful Destruction - Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs." This will be an interactive presentation with the artist discussing working from his antique airplane and leading a critical discussion of CanadaÕs hottest environmental issue.Toronto. Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs Karsh-Masson & City Hall Art Gallery, Ottawa, ON. 2010 Exhibition Season, July 23 to September 26, 2010. Ottawa City Hall. Solo exhibition, Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs. Vernissage July 22, 2009. Juried: selected from 90 submissions. http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/arts/galleries_exhibit/city_hall/2010_exhibits/index_en.html
Exhibitions & Events – History Toronto Art Expo, Toronto, ON, Canada. Official Patron Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean Governor General of Canada. February 25-28, 2010. Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building, Halls A&B. Selections from Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs & aerial images other parts of Canada. Juried. HAITIAN DISASTER FUNDRAISER. Tuesday February 9, Cube Gallery, 7 Hamilton Street, Ottawa. Residual Bitumen donated. Snapdragon Gallery, Ottawa. December 10. 2009 – January 27, 2010. 791 Bank Street, Ottawa, ON. Solo exhibition, Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs & selection of aerial images other parts of Canada. 791 Bank Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Frederic Remington Art Museum, 5th biannual International Juried Art Exhibit November 7, 2009 – January 16, 2010. Juried: joint exhibition with single works from 39 artists chosen from 220 submissions. Selected work: Alluvial Fan. Frederic Remington Art Museum, 303 Washington St., Ogdensburg, NY, USA. http://www.fredericremington.org/index.php University of Ottawa. As part of Green Weeks. Campus exhibition of Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs. November 2, 2009 – January 7, 2010. One of a Kind Christmas Show & Sale, Toronto, ON, Canada. November 26 - December 6, 2009. Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, 100 Princes' Blvd., Toronto ON. Selections from Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs & aerial images other parts of Canada. Juried. http://www.oneofakindshow.com/xmas09/ Ottawa expo d’Art expo 2009. October 30 – November 1, 2009. Juried art show. Selections from various bodies of work. The St. Elias Centre, 750 Ridgewood Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, http://www.ottawaartexpo.com/ Awards & Nominations: of 50+ artists & 100s of pieces, 9 nominated of which 2 were Louis Helbig’s: Arts and Architecture Gallery, Ottawa. July 8 – August 2, 2009. Arts & Architecture Gallery, 1181 Bank Street, Ottawa, ON. Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs. http://www.artsandarchitecture.ca/welcome.html Viva Vida Gallery, Pointe-Claire (Montréal) Quebec. Ongoing from June 20, 2009. Select prints from Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs. 48-3 Ste Anne Avenue, Pointe-Claire, QC. http://www.vivavidaartgallery.com/ The New Art Festival, Ottawa. June 6&7, 2009. Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs. Awarded Best Work on Paper (Printmaking/Photography) – the Patrick Gordon Framing Award. http://www.artinfoboy.org/awards.html Contact Toronto Photography Festival. April 30 – May 31, 2009. Koma Designs, 1239 Queens Str West Toronto. Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs http://www.contactphoto.com/view.php?eventid=1353 Contact Toronto Photography Festival. April 30 – May 9, 2009. Ben Navaee Gallery, 1111 Queen Str East, Toronto. Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs http://www.contactphoto.com/view.php?eventid=1547 Ottawa International Writers’ Festival. April 22 – May 2, 2009. Saint Brigids Centre for the Arts & Humanities, 314 St. Patrick Street, Ottawa. Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs http://www.writersfestival.org/ Art in the Park, Ottawa. June 2008. Exhibition of Aerial Photographs, Ottawa area. Agriculture, urban, rural & industrial patterns. Over and Under, Aerial & Underwater Photographs. Joint Exhibition with Ric Frazier. May 2 – May 13, 2008. Red Wall Gallery, School of Photographic Arts Ottawa (SPAO), 168 Dalhousie Str. Ottawa. http://www.spao.ca/redwall.html
Media – Reviews & Recommendations: FUTURÉALE Toronto Arts & Culture Magazine (Toronto, ON, July 1, 2009) Cover photo & exclusive interview. “CONTACTing the Public: Louis Helbig’s Beautiful Destruction.” http://www.futureale.com/magazine/2009/july/ Toronto Star (Toronto, ON, May 25, 2009) “A Photo a Day: Contact 2009 … Helbig's aerial images teeter between document and abstraction, and capture the terrible beauty of man's ability to alter the landscape at will." http://thestar.blogs.com/untitled/2009/05/a-photo-a-day-contact-09-louis-helbig-koma-designs.html Los Angeles Anthem Magazine (Los Angeles, USA, May 1, 2009) "Louis Helbig, an Ottowan obsessed with the mind-bending Canadian tar sands" http://anthemmagazine.com/story/1503 Toronto Now Magazine (Toronto, ON, April 30, 2009) as "worth seeing ... as part of the Contact Photography Festival" http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=169221 Adrian Harewood, host of CBC All In A Day, (Ottawa, April 21, 2009) describes the images as "stunning."
Publications & Film: Writing Matters: A Handbook for Writing and Research, McGraw-Hill Higher Education Publishers (2010, Columbus, OH, USA) Author: Rebecca Moore Howard. With Ric Frazier photos from Over/Under exhibition. Dirty Oil, full-length feature film directed by Academy Award nominated director Leslie Iwerks. Narration by Neve Campbell. Still photographs. World Premier Hampton’s International Film Festival, New York, October 11, 2009. http://www.babelgum.com/dirtyoil Canadian Dimension, inside photo accompanying story: “The Road to Copenhagen Doesn’t go through the Tar Sands.” November/December, 2009. http://canadiandimension.com/magazine/issue/november-december-2009/ Manitoba Eco-Journal, Photo Essay: Beautiful Destruction. September/October, 2009. http://mbeconetwork.org/eco_journal Art not Oil: 2010 Diary published by Rising Tide UK, September 2009. Launch date October 3, 2009 Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, UK. Bitumen Slick selected as one of “52 of the strongest” worldwide submissions. http://www.artnotoil.org.uk/ United Church Observer. Cover & inside photos accompanying feature story on Alberta Tar Sands. Toronto, ON. September, 2009. The United Church Observer is the oldest continuously published magazine in North America & the 2nd oldest in the English speaking world. http://www.ucobserver.org/justice/2009/09/tar_sands/ Divided We Fall: The Tar Sands vs. The Rest of Canada, Matt Price, Environmental Defence, Gillian McEachern, Forest Ethics & Jacque LaCroix, Equiterre. May 2009. Cover Photo. http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/reports/dived_we_fall.html Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives. Cover photo to accompany focus (lead) story: Oil Sands Development: A Health Risk Worth Taking?. April, 2009 http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2009/117-4/toc.html Sierra Club, SCAN. Cover photo to accompany story on the tar sands & President Obama’s visit to Ottawa. April, 2009. http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/scan/index.html Freedom from Dirty Oil: Ontario’s Tar Sands Decision, by Matt Price, Environmental Defence & Gillian McEachern, Forest Ethics. Cover & some inside photos. January 2009 http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/reports/tarsands_jan_2009.html SPAO Spring-Summer Calendar 2008. School of Photograhic Arts: Ottawa. Cover photo to introduce Louis Helbig’s workshop/course: “Go Up, Look Down and See: Aerial Photography”
Websites: General: http://egamiimage.ca Stock Photos (largest publicly available stock of tar sands photographs): http://www.louishelbig.com Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs Exhibition: http://www.beautifuldestruction.ca
Employment 2006 – present egamiimage.ca – self-employed. Photography business, Ottawa.
Until 2006 consulting/employment as senior economist, policy analyst, conference director, economics instructor, research assistant, commercial pilot, editor etc, variously with Foreign Affairs Canada, Canadian Diabetes Association, Sharp Wings, CUSO, Canadian Co-op Association, Government of British Columbia, University College of the Cariboo, etc.
Education 2007-2008 The Art of Inkjet Printmaking & Photojournalism & Documentary Photography courses at the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa (SPAO) 2006-2007 Photoshop (Introduction & Advanced) courses at Algonquin College, Ottawa 1996-1997 Uppsala University, Sweden. preliminary Ph.D. studies 1995-1996 London School of Economics. Master of Science, Economic History 1991-1995 McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Bachelor of Arts, Great Distinction: Political Science, Economics, & International Development
Other English & German. Functional Swedish & French. Extensive travel/residence throughout Asia & Europe. Extensive backcountry experience in Canadian wilderness. |
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