Sanza-Hanza by Jamie-James Medina and Matthew Salacuse opens at the Emporium next week!!!

Sanza-Hanza by Jamie-James Medina and Matthew Salacuse opens at the Emporium Gallery (3035 St. Antoine Ouest, #74) on Thursday, October 16th from 7PM to 11PM. The exhibition will also be open from Friday, October 17th to Sunday, October 19th from 12PM to 6PM. Private viewings will be available by appointment on Monday, October 20th and Tuesday, October 21st.

About Sanza-Hanza-
Jamie-James Medina and Matthew Salacuse are New York City-based photographers. Taking its name from a Zulu-dialect term for King Surfer, Sanza-Hanza is a collection of photographs that Medina and Salacuse took of train surfers in Soweto, South Africa. Human and beautiful, Sanza Hanza will surely be a thought provoking exhibition.

Artist Statement-
Soweto is South Africa's largest ghetto, a sprawling stretch of townships on the outskirts of Johannesburg. With an estimated population of one million, this former centre of the anti-apartheid struggle faces chronic problems of poverty and overcrowding, and remains a notoriously dangerous place to live.

It is here where you’ll find Train-Surfing, the semi-suicidal act of climbing outside, on top and under the city's public trains while in full-flight. Born in the early Nineties out of a restless desire to embrace life (and death) after years of oppression, Train-Surfing has evolved into something of an underground sport, not unlike skateboarding in the 1970’s.

‘Sanza-Hanza’ follows V.I.R.U.S. (Very Intelligent Riders Usually Survive), a gang of young Surfers searching for the ultimate ride or ‘play’, as they call it, testing their already weak embrace on mortality.

About Jamie-James Medina-
Jamie-James Medina is a 26-year old London-born, Bangladesh-bred, New York-based photographer. He has shot features and cover-stories for every major UK-broadsheet.

He supports the Arsenal Football Club, the Miami Dolphins, the Pittsburgh Pirates and, for the sake of argument, the Ottawa Senators. You can see more of Medina's work here.

About Matthew Salacuse-
Matthew Salacuse is a native New Yorker who has been shooting for 9 years- for magazines such as XXL, Spin, Blender and Maxim. He holds the record for shooting 6 covers of the Canadian hip hop magazine, Pound.

He has had solo gallery shows at New York's Wall Space gallery and the Jack Spade store. He also participated in a group show at the Museum of Sex.

Salacuse, firm but fair, is proud to be showing his work in Canada for the first time. You can see more of Salacuse's work here.

For more information click on the eflier above or visit the Emporium Gallery website here. Thanks, Ben Pobjoy