nick kozak

[kozaknick]

Last month I held an artist talk about my current project and past work at the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture as part of my residency in Dawson City, Yukon. 

[kozaknick]

nick kozak photojournalist - baras / les roses d'acier - gladstone

Nick Kozak Photography

Last year around this time I was furiously preparing to fill two floors of the Gladstone Hotel for the annual Contact Photography Festival in Toronto. I showed Paris: Baras / Les Roses d’Acier, which spanned the third and fourth floors of the historic building on Queen Street West. There were 27 dibond mounted pieces ranging in size from 24 x 36″ to 32 x 48″ with comprehensive vinyl texts and pamphlet designed by my friend Mark Bain (http://www.markbaincreative.com/), 

[kozaknick]

Jackie Olson of #DawsonCity and Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation, cuts willow by the side of the Klondike Highway just outside of town, before it begins to bud. Jackie and others (Sue Parsons, Chris Clark, Bo Yeung, all in distance) were harvesting willow for a project called Weaving Voices where they will install a willow-basket hut on the side of Moosehide Slide in Dawson. The project is part of a national art initiative called Landmarks which invites artists, curators, and universities to think critically of #Canada150. Weaving Voices is inspired by Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in culture and is about honouring and creating space for the legacy of Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in stories and acknowledging the racist colonial history since the gold rush. 040117. #Yukon #Canada #willows #community #TrondekHwechin #FirstNation #healing #reconciliation #truth #legacy #colonial #history #land #culture #practice #tradition #natural #environment #people #Dawsonite #Canadian #local #WeavingVoices #nickkozak #photography #storytelling #photojournalism #documentaryphotography (at Klondike Highway)

[kozaknick]

James Brown, a musician and an electrician, originally from Windsor, Ontario, has been living in #DawsonCity for a year. He is pictured at the Dawson dump's construction site waste pile. 032917. #documentaryphotography #photojournalism #portrait #man #local #dump #skills #north #northern #Canada #people #spring #kiacartistinresidence #photography #nickkozak #dailylife #community #yukon (at Dawson City)

[kozaknick]

I once met Nav (Navneet Sondhi) while on a Toronto Star shoot at his friend’s place of business (Cake Opera Co.) A few days ago Alexandra Pellegrino of Cake Opera reached out to me with the sad news that her friend had passed away and asked if I had any photographs of him. This one was taken one day while out shooting Parkdale for The Atkinson Foundation.  

Nav, who struggled with anxiety and schizophrenia, seems to have been a real fixture in Parkdale and many have said he will be dearly missed for his kindness and ability to make people feel happy and safe. 

Rest in peace Nav. 

A very informative article by Lauren Pelley on CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/navneet-sondhi-1.4041709 

[kozaknick]

Volunteer Ed Christensen removes the Canadian and Yukon flags from the border between the US State of Alaska and the Canadian Yukon Territory near the village of Eagle, Alaska after the final musher passed them on his way back to Dawson. The flags are put up for the annual #PercyDeWolfe Memorial Mail Race between Dawson City and Eagle. 032417. #Canada #USA #border #flags #Yukon #Alaska #bordercrossing #north #northern #Canadian #American #story #photography #photojournalism #documentaryphotography #volunteer #nationality #mushing

[kozaknick]

Week 2 of the Photojournalism and Documentary Photography workshop that I'm running and which is hosted by @kiactweets in #DawsonCity, Yukon, Canada. Andrea Magee (@amageephotography) sorts through some of her folders containing work shot in the first week of the workshop. We're all excited to see what workshop participants shoot as they dig into their stories. 031417. #AndreaMagee #KIAC #KIACArtistInResidence #nickkozak #workshop #documentary #photojournalism #lowlight #editing #storytelling #art #photography #north #northern #community #Yukon #Canada #evening #artists #working (at Dawson City)

[kozaknick]

Toronto Street 021617.

[kozaknick]

While in Paris I made a visit to the home of the Baras collective in the suburb of Bagnolet. After more than two years the group of West African migrants (whose numbers fluctuate) is still at home in the former employment office and technically facing imminent expulsion. For the first time since October 2015 I met, chatted with, and photographed Amadou Traore. He is still involved in theatre on a regular basis. I’m sending him some photographs from our meeting. 

[kozaknick]

I came to Detroit to follow up on the story of Yusef Bunchy Shakur, but I’m glad I went and saw it for myself, a #DonaldTrump rally last night just two days before the election. I’m still processing it. I will say that I’m troubled mostly by the things I heard. 

On a basic human level I get it, average people who love their country, USA all the way, but the slogans, chants, and messages were mostly ugly and damn confrontational. I felt like I might get it if I’m not careful or don’t seem like I’m part of the crowd (I entered along with everyone else and not media). 

I also get it, Hillary is a terrible choice with what I think will be an oozing of bad news about her corruption to come, especially if she gets elected.

On the eve of #USAElection2016 I bid a Good Luck to America at the culmination of a pretty nasty election, I don’t know that there is the possibility of a good result. It’d be nice if the Green Party at least garnered the 5% it needs to get federal funding moving forward. 

Photos taken on November 6, 2016 at Freedom Hill Amphitheater in Sterling Heights, MI. 

[kozaknick]

Photographer captures plight of youth in remote northern Ontario First Nation

A freelance documentary photographer hopes his pictures depicting life in Fort Albany, Ont., shed light on the issues facing youth in remote First Nations.

Interview with Markus Schwabe on Morning North CBC Sudbury this week. 

[kozaknick]

The hope, beauty and heartbreak of life on a First Nations reserve

Toronto photographer Nick Kozak beautifully documents the lives of youth in the remote Cree First Nation of Fort Albany

Toronto Life interview with several images from #FortAlbany First Nation. 

[kozaknick]

Young people wait for their cue to take part in the Children’s Ceremony at the Fort Albany Sundance in July. The ceremony marked the end of Fort Albany First Nation’s first Sundance. Photo shot on 35mm film. 

While up in Fort Albany (traditionally known as Peetabeck) I shot a few rolls of film on my Mother’s old Vivitar 35EE rangefinder. That camera has travelled around the world. I just picked up the results yesterday and there are a few fantastic surprises. I’m more or less a digital photographer but I’m glad that I managed to expose some film during my 6 weeks in the community. 

[kozaknick]

Chariton Lazarus is 16 years old and although communication is difficult (Chariton has autism) I got to work with him and get to know him in Attawapiskat while visiting for Cree Fest with @artscanoperations. Chariton loved using the cameras that were brought up by @douglasromanowmusic. A big thank you to #ArtsCanCircle for involving me. 081916. #Attawapiskat #youth #daily #outdoor #life #northern #remotecommunity #FirstNation #Aboriginal #photostory #photojournalism #young #person

[kozaknick]

Robert Sutherland tries to boost a truck outside his home in #Attawapiskat. We finally got it running on the third attempt with someone else's truck. 081816. #northern #community #daily #people #challenge #transportation #truck #FirstNation #reserve #boost #Canada #Ontario #photostory

[kozaknick]

A scene that truly broke my heart in Attawapiskat while there for CreeFest with @artscanoperations. I was outside of Kattawapiskak Elementary School playing basketball with kids before a concert when one of the youngest pulled out a pack of cigarettes and proceeded to smoke. One of the kids asked me "what, you've never seen a 12-year-old smoke?". I've thought about this long and hard and one of the reasons I was shocked was probably that in my years of travelling around the globe I don't remember ever seeing such a young person smoking and clearly someone who has already got experience with it. I was further saddened later on when I saw him partake in a vicious fight with another kid. Clearly there are some very at risk youth in the community who need help. #canada #Ontario #youth #vulnerable #community #atrisk #smoking #north #FirstNation #youngpeople #Attawapiskat #northern #story #photojournalism #issue #documentary #shocking

[kozaknick]

Allan Okitchquo at his late Mother's grave at the cemetery in #Attawapiskat First Nation during a memorial service for the late Peter Paul Martin who recently passed away. His death was felt throughout the communities on the western coast of #JamesBay. On this day the community in Attawapiskat came out with families and friends who stood in rememberance at the graves of their loved ones. The three day Cree Fest (which I attended with @artscanoperations) was impacted as well because when a member of the community passes the entire community mourns his or her death. 082016. #FirstNation #people #tradition #loss #family #cemetery #cross #memorial #Indigenous #Aboriginal #death #religion #grave #community #storytelling #photojournalism #documentary