Ruth Kaplan’s Some Kind of Divine, the artist’s Documentary Media MFA thesis project, looks at the experience of religious faith and skepticism. Kaplan’s large-scale photographs draw us in to consider broader questions about theology, documentary ethics, and the role photography plays in the representation of religion. Through iconic black and white photographs, Kaplan presents intense and timeless moments of spiritual surrender. These images, captured using analogue film, are juxtaposed with low-resolution video interviews with a variety of participants that explore personal convictions ranging from strong belief to confident atheism. This show is presented as the first in a series of MFA Thesis exhibitions continuing through June in Ryerson’s Doc/Now Festival.

Ruth Kaplan is a documentary-based photographer whose work explores a variety of themes such as bathers in hot springs and participants in rituals of spirituality. Drawn toward the theatre of social behaviour expressed through physicality, her work describes intimacy within a public sphere. She has received numerous Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council grants and National Magazine Awards and has exhibited widely. Currently a photography instructor in Toronto, she is represented by the Stephen Bulger Gallery. See www.ruthkaplanphoto.com for more information.

Malka Greene is an independent curator, writer and photo-based artist whose research interests range from social behaviour to the intersections between media, architecture and public space. Selected curatorial projects include Caring Spaces (Mt. Sinai Hospital), Buildings That Spin (p|m Gallery) and Refractions (Ryerson Gallery). She holds a BFA from Ryerson University’s School of Image Arts in New Media and sits on the Board of Directors of InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre. Malka is currently the Development & Alumni Relations Officer at the Ontario College of Art & Design.