In Mirrorface, Vancouver artist Angela Fama examines that moment of self-absorption and candidness when we check our appearance in a mirror. The exhibit consists of 12 double portraits of men and women between the ages of 25 and 35. After shooting a straight-on passport-style photo of each subject in her studio, Fama left each person alone in the room with a mirror and a way to signal when they felt they were showing their private face to the lens. The second photo was taken remotely, without Fama present, by the camera mounted on a tripod. The diptychs invite us to study each face in both the guarded and unguarded moments.

Angela Fama studied art in high school in Ontario and earned a Photo Imaging Diploma from Langara College, Vancouver in 2004. She currently works as an artist and a commercial photographer from her studio in Cartelera Talent House, a local collective of 12 painters, writers and photographers. She created Mirrorface in the summer of 2008 and has shown in several group shows, including Photo Mission: Three Stories at the Elliott Louis Gallery (2007) and 440hz Electromagnetic Explorations (2007), a Canada Council-funded project.

Fama was a winner of Flash Forward – Emerging Photographers 2009 (Magenta Foundation) and has received honourable mentions for her work from the International Photography Awards (2009) and Photographer’s Forum (2003). She has shot commercially for many magazines and other publications, and for numerous designers and musicians.

Mia Johnson