She studied Photography at the University of Ottawa, and the Ottawa School of Art, and holds an Honours degree in Art History from Carleton University. Since completing her studies in 2000, she has been regularly showing her work in solo and group exhibitions throughout Canada. Her photographs have appeared in several publications, including two literary anthologies. She has received support for her art practice from both the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council. She also writes about art and artists for a variety of publications.
Tors uses a variety of contemporary and historic photographic media to create pictures which consider the inherently contradictory nature of human existence, in particular, the paradoxical tug between humanity’s fragility and resilience. Her work frequently focuses on the role of objects in peoples’ everyday lives, what they reveal about them and their relationships with their surroundings. She often transforms her images into three-dimensional works by containing them in boxes or placing them on stands.
The addition of depth to a two dimensional picture reinforces its identity as an object and suggests the physical presence of the person to whom the object belonged. Her ultimate goal as an artist is to try to identify hidden clues about the innermost core of human experience. This approach links her work to the traditional artistic practice of incorporating iconographic content into works of art. However, unlike artists of the past who deliberately inserted symbols into their work, Tors is involved in the task of exposing what she considers to be a pre-existing iconography inherent in the objects around her.
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