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. This year’s prompt was inspired by the myth-making present in Martine Gutierrez’s ANTI-ICON: APOKALYPSIS, currently on view at The Polygon alongside new, richly storied work by Tau Lewis. The 2024 Chester Fields theme challenged young artists to choose a phrase or sentence from a significant folktale, myth, legend, or other cultural text, and to make an image based on these words.

The resulting works, selected by the jury for presentation in this gallery are shown alongside quotations and texts chosen and written by the artists. They include a vast variety of reflections on how stories change across time and through interpretation, and demonstrate the agency of artists in paying homage or offering critique. Together, they ask how photography might encapsulate, amplify, and in certain cases exceed what is written.

View the finalists here

RSVP for the Opening Celebration on Saturday, July 27 at 1pm

Generously Supported By
The Hamber Foundation, Hemlock Printers, and The Lab Vancouver

Media Partner
North Shore News

Banner Image: Emily Magson, The Cycle of The Trickster, 2024