Chester Fields is a professionally juried photography exhibition for high school students. Initiated in 2009 and named for The Polygon Gallery’s former home at 333 Chesterfield Avenue, the programme proposes a theme for artists to respond to through an original work of photographic art.

In 2025, the theme of Shadow Play was shaped in the context of the forthcoming exhibition Star Witnesses, on view at The Polygon Gallery this summer. Students have been invited to consider how sensors in camera technology render – or fail to render – darkness, and how the resulting images compare to human vision. Operating at the limits, and limitations, of visibility, how might photographs reveal deeper insights about the world, and the imaginations of its witnesses?

Jurors for the 2025 edition include artist and writer Lucien Durey; Capture Photography Festival Curatorial Assistant Khim Mata Hipol; and The Polygon Gallery Assistant Curator Serena Steel.

View previous Chester Fields years here

Opening Celebration on Saturday, May 31 at 1pm

Curated by Jana Ghimire, Curatorial Assistant

Generously Supported By Beech Foundation, Deux Mille Foundation, The Hamber Foundation, and The Lab Vancouver

Banner Image: Mia Laba