PRESS RELEASE – April 14, 2022

Toller Cranston: Metamorphosis

The Artist as Subject, Muse, and Model

“Toller was an incredible performer and I could not stop shooting him.”

Cylla von Tiedemann, Photographer

Toronto, ON – Donna Child Fine Art Gallery, in conjunction with the Scotiabank 2022 CONTACT Photography Festival, is pleased to present Toller Cranston: Metamorphosis, a series of never-before exhibited photographs by Cylla von Tiedemann, one of Canada’s most sought-after performance photographers. The exhibition explores Toller Cranston (1949-2015)—artist, skater, visionary, genius—as the subject, the muse, and the model.

Exhibition Dates:  May 3-31, 2022

Exhibition Opening: Saturday, May 7 from 4-7pm

Remarks at 5pm by:

• Donna Child, Gallery Director
• Cylla von Tiedemann, Photographer
• Phillippa Cranston Baran, Special Guest

In the mid 1980’s, at the time of this photoshoot, Toller Cranston was already a Canadian icon. His innovative theatrical style had transformed men’s figure skating into a performance art form that revolutionized the sport and remains relevant today. With his paintings actively sought for public and private collections internationally, Toller had achieved extraordinary success—both athletic and artistic. He was at a pinnacle—preparing to embrace the destiny that would take him in new directions. It was a time of great transformation: a metamorphosis.

Photographer Cylla von Tiedemann, in the early days of her long and successful career, was already a great admirer of Toller. She had agreed to join him in the studio for a photoshoot that became an incredible performance. The spirit and beauty Toller expressed with his body portrayed his moment of metamorphosis.

“Toller was an incredible performer and I could not stop shooting him…I must have shot 15 rolls of film…bang, bang, bang. He’s truly a dancer. His spirit and his beauty are in his body. It’s in every muscle. He has such an understanding of presenting; of bringing that out and performing. He gave me a lot to work with.”

Cylla had arrived in Canada from Germany in the early eighties. As a photographer, she realized that it was the arts that attracted and engaged her—especially the Performing Arts: dance, theatre, and music. She is renowned worldwide for her dance portraiture and live theatre photography and she remains a respected visual designer for the stage.

Her photographs have been exhibited internationally and are part of prestigious private and corporate collections. She has collaborated with artists from Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, and the USA. She has worked with the leading dance and theatre companies in Canada including the National Ballet of Canada, the Stratford Festival, Mirvish Productions, Danny Grossman, and the Toronto Dance Theatre. She teaches photography and has presented creative workshops at multiple universities across Canada. A publication from the National Arts Centre called The Dance Photographs of Cylla von Tiedemann, recognizes her contribution to dance photography.

Over the years, she has been represented by the Jane Corkin Gallery, Elaine Fleck Gallery, and the Green Gallery, and she has now joined the Donna Child Fine Art Gallery.

The extraordinary images that comprise Toller Cranston: Metamorphosis, are being exhibited for the first time.

For further information or interviews:

Donna Child – donna@donnachildfineart.com or 416-620-0500

Phillippa Cranston Baran – phillippabaran@gmail.com or 343-540-5910

Exhibition Preview

https://donnachildfineart.com/artists/tiedemann-cylla-von/#toggle-id-2

10% of all exhibition sales will be donated to the Toller Cranston Memorial Fund through the Canadian Olympic Foundation