LOUIE VILLANUEVA - EXPOSURE EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE

Images selected are from the self-published 2020 book Ten Thousand Cups of Tea. The sequence of images aims to explore the act of photographic idiomatic ‘noticing’—where light, patterns, alignment, and colour prod the visual field. The idea of a road trip or travelogue unites the photographs and they echo the Zen practise of sitting meditation but instead through a type of seeing meditation. The work marks a shift away from client and commercial work into a dedicated art practice.

The concept of photographic vernacular pioneered by Stephen Shore serves as a point of departure for the work. A world of lush flora and ironies abound in unavoidable colour, structuring a journey from home into the muggy nights of southern Alberta, through to the San Francisco Bay Area and back to the prairie skies and suburbs.

BIOGRAPHY

Louie Villanueva (b. 1995) is a photographer based in Mohkinstsis, located on Treaty 7 territory—also called Calgary, Canada.

Born to parents of Filipino descent and self-taught in the practice of photojournalism, Villanueva explores the dialectic of art and craft in photography. His fascinations with Zen Buddhist practice, minimalism as a lifestyle, and productivity intermingle with philosophies of art and applying his way of seeing to everyday activities—walking to work, running errands, and parties.

Currently an independent photojournalist for the National Observer, he has also had work featured in the Calgary Herald, Sun, and the CBC. He is a preferred photographer for the University of Calgary, peddles the tools of the trade at The Camera Store, and operates Neat Film Lab.