In Collecting Dust, multi-disciplinary artist Ryan Van Der Hout reimagines traditional still-life Vanitas in a photographic and installation-based solo exhibition that considers our human fascination with our own mortality. Tablescapes arranged with canonical symbols such as skulls or butterflies, are placed among sex toys, Shabbos candles and other personal items. The artist covers these meticulously arranged tableaus with dust and ash, to don the appearance of years of neglect. This black and white series explores the transformation and re-birth that emerged through the pandemic, both personally and universally, along with the accompanying anxiety and grief.

Collecting Dust is a core exhibition for Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival.