Indigenous artist wins $50,000 Photography Award

 Shelley Niro: Twitter
 

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Toronto, May 11 (Canadian-Media): Shelley Niro, a member of the Six Nations Reserve, Bay of Quinte Kanien'kehaka (Mohawk) Nation, Turtle Clan had been selected from among a trio of finalists for the $50,000 Scotiabank Photography Award at a  gala in Toronto on Tuesday night, media reports said.

She was selected for the award from three finalists, which included Montreal-based photographers Raymonde April and Donigan Cumming. The two other shortlisted artists receive cash prizes of $10,000 each.

Founded in 2010, the Scotiabank Photography Award celebrates the accomplishments and creativity of Canadian photographers.
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Niro's photography depicted challenging stereotypical images of indigenous identity and history in her multimedia work.
which focused on  painting, beadwork and film and her work had been exhibited at museums and galleries across Canada.

Niro had received Aboriginal Arts Award presented through the Ontario Arts Council in 2012, and in 2017 was a winner of the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.

Niro's short film "The Shirt" was presented at the 2003 Venice Biennale and the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

She was the recipient of several awards for her 1998 comedy-thriller "Honey Moccasin" starring Tantoo Cardinal and Billy Merasty.

Niro won the Santa Fe Film Festival's Milagro Award for best indigenous film for her 2009 feature film "Kissed by Lightning" about a grief-stricken Mohawk painter mourning her lost husband. 

Besides cash award, Niro will have a solo primary exhibition at the Ryerson Image Centre in Toronto during the 2018 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.

An art book publisher Gerhard Steidl would publish her work and distribute it worldwide. 

"Shelley's art provides us with an enriched view on contemporary indigenous life and connects us with a better understanding of these communities," jury chair and award founder Edward Burtynsky said in a statement Tuesday.

A solo primary exhibition at the Ryerson Image Centre would be celebrate the 2017 winner, Suzy Lake, which would open to the public free of charge through Aug. 13.

(Reported by Asha Bajaj)

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