What Matters Most

This fall, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) presents the first exhibition devoted to Fade Resistance, a recently acquired collection of more than 4,000 found Polaroids and instant images dating from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Collected by Toronto artist and educator Zun Lee, these lost, discarded or abandoned images of birthdays, graduations and family reunions contain powerful glimpses of African- American life and community. Opening August 27, featuring more than 500 photographs from that collection, What Matters Most: Photographs of Black Life is co-curated by Lee and Sophie Hackett, AGO Curator, Photography. 

Very little is known about any of the individual images in the Fade Resistance Collection – neither where or by whom they were taken, who they depict, nor how they came to be lost, but seen together they stand as a powerful testament to Black life and tragedy and hope. In this exhibition, visitors are encouraged to consider how these images might have come to be lost, and what it means for them to be seen, at the AGO, now. 

“For me, the power of these images is not just in what they represent, but in the many conversations they enable. They offer a rare glimpse into the richness of everyday Black life. They are also heartbreaking, as their loss reflects the ongoing social conditions that deem Black lives and culture disposable. And while I am conflicted about their institutional ownership, sustaining debate about the care and preservation of these images, and of Black visual culture, is vital,” says Lee. “Polaroids are sociable – in their act of creation people came together, touched them and shared stories and I believe this exhibition can inspire a similar experience. There is something recognizable in all these images. That spark of recognition is what leads us to these conversations, with openness and humility.” 

Organized poetically, the selected images range in format and depict a variety of everyday experiences, from intimate family gatherings, to holidays, birthdays, street parties, pets, BBQs and special occasions. The images are displayed at eye level, on magnet boards inside the Edmond G. Odette Family Gallery and as a silent slide show in the adjacent Robert & Cheryl McEwen Gallery. The exhibition acknowledges the tactile quality of Polaroids, with paper reproductions available for visitors to touch, discuss and keep.

A leader in the acquisition and preservation of vernacular photography, since 2010, the AGO has acquired numerous collections showcasing historically underrepresented photographers, makers and subjects, including the Casa Susanna Collection, a selection of photographic albums related to the First World War, the renowned Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs as well as the Fade Resistance Collection. 

“Beyond captivating us visually, the Fade Resistance Collection presents yet another opportunity to think anew about the role of family photographs in a public art museum – as vehicles for reflection, as evidence of harm, as seeds for study and as an index of loss,” says Sophie Hackett, AGO Curator, Photography. “The questions these images provoke are numerous and occasionally uncomfortable, and we encourage visitors to spend time with them: What role do family photos play in forming community? How do we honour unknown makers? Can seeing private pictures in a public place have a broader social purpose?”

What Matters Most: Photographs of Black Life goes on view Saturday, August 27, through to January 8, 2023, at the AGO.