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Rita Leistner

@ritaleistner

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Artist. Documentarian. Represented by the Stephen Bulger Gallery.

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Rita Leistner looks beyond the forests to the people on the ground replanting our natural spaces.

Her compelling portraits bring the subjects to life intimately. Viewers can almost feel the uneven terrain the planters stand upon and the callouses that line their shovel hands.

Relax and sink into @ritaleistner's full-length documentary "Forest for the Trees" (2021) as part of your visit @forestforthetreesdocumentary

'The Tree Planters' is on until May 31, 2026 in the Nicola Wealth Gallery.

Thank you to @RBC Royal Bank and @nicolawealth for their support. 'The Tree Planters' is organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcmichaelgallery and curated by John Geoghegan. by @ritaleistner

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7 months ago

"Forest for the Trees" is a full-length 🎞️ documentary by photographer and filmmaker Rita Leistner @ritaleistner.

Visitors can kick back and watch “An epic poem about tree planting that digs us inside the planters’ lives and dreams” — John Greyson, film/video artist

The film @forestforthetreesdocumentary is screened inside 📽️ 'Rita Leistner: The Tree Planters.'

Plan to view her stunning large-scale photographs before settling into this intimate look at the real boots-on-the-ground people who plant the next generation of forests in Canada.

'The Tree Planters' runs until May 31, 2026 in the Nicola Wealth Gallery.

We would like to extend our appreciation to @RBC Royal Bank and @nicolawealth for their support. 'The Tree Planters' is organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcmichaelgallery and curated by John Geoghegan. by @ritaleistner

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7 months ago

Rita Leistner shines a light on the real people who work in BC's remote and rugged landscapes in 'The Tree Planters.'

Leistner's large "action hero" photos bring the subjects to life in such an intimate way that you feel the uneven terrain they're standing on and sense the relentless physical demands of the job.

Viewers can watch @ritaleistner's full-length documentary "Forest for the Trees" (2021) as part of their visit. @forestforthetreesdocumentary

'The Tree Planters' is on until May 31, 2026, in the Nicola Wealth Gallery.

We would like to extend our appreciation to @RBC Royal Bank and @nicolawealth for their support. 'The Tree Planters' is organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcmichaelgallery and curated by John Geoghegan. taken in Kelowna Art Gallery by @ritaleistner

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8 months ago

It was our pleasure to work with Rita Leistner on these captivating photographs for her Exhibition at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. @ritaleistner @mcmichaelgallery

Printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta, with a matte Laminate, mounted to black ACP.

Mark your calendars for: Rita Leistner: The Tree Planters
July 5, 2025 – January 5, 2026

About the exhibition:
The Tree Planters is a striking photographic series by award-winning Canadian photographer Rita Leistner. Through large-scale, painterly portraits captured in real-time, Leistner documents the gruelling and heroic labour of professional tree planters in British Columbia. Her work explores themes of human endurance, environmental stewardship, and Canada’s evolving relationship with its forests.

Between 2016 and 2019, Leistner embedded herself off-grid with planting crews, living for months at a time in remote camps. Immersed in the physically demanding world of seasonal tree planting, she documented workers as they planted thousands of saplings each day across the rugged, clear-cut terrain. Her photographs reveal both the intensity of the labour and the resilience of the planters, transforming them into luminous, almost mythic figures.

Using dramatic lighting and dynamic compositions, Leistner elevates scenes of physical toil into compelling visual tributes—portraits that highlight the planters’ deep, often spiritual connection to the land. Having planted more than half a million trees herself, Leistner brings a rare, firsthand understanding and deep reverence to her subject.

The Tree Planters stands as a tribute to the generations of Canadians who have reshaped the nation’s geography and contributed to its cultural identity—one tree at a time.

Rita is represented by the Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto. @stephenbulgergallery

#printedattoimageworks #hahnemühle #mcmichaelgallery #canadianart #canadianartscene #photolab #fineartprinting #toimageworks by @ritaleistner

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a year ago

Bangkok, Hanoi, Seoul, here I come! See ‘ya later winter. by @ritaleistner

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2 years ago

This painting by Andrew Scott makes me happy! I’d known for a long time I wanted to own an @andrewwgscott and was just waiting for the right painting and the right wall space. When I saw this painting on his Instagram I sent him a message and rode my bike to his garage studio near Queen Street West in Toronto. An hour later he delivered my new painting himself! I’m drawn to the bold, rigorous verging on raucous colours and unsentimental use of materials and subject matter. “Flammable Solids: Pickup Burning on Per Kirkeby’s Lawn” is a reference to one of Andrew’s favourite artists and speaks to me first for its gut-pleasing aesthetic and thematically reminds me of my erstwhile pick-up truck-driving life in extreme places, the fires burning our forests, the urgency of that and the urgency, generally, invoked by a truck on fire. But it’s weirdly celebratory too because, well, the madness and the colour and the being-part-of-something-big vibe of it all. It looks so damn good on a wall! It also passed the mom test (note image 2).
I have it from a good source that Andrew and family are moving back to Nova Scotia sometime soon. So now is the time if you want to have a visit with Andrew at his Toronto studio and maybe take a work home the very same day. The artist is “in” most weekdays and some weekends if he’s not touring with his band Sloan... Instagram @andrewwgscott taken in Toronto, Ontario by @ritaleistner

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2 years ago

These are a few of my favourite things of summer 2024 — Installment #1: The wonderful Calgarian songsmith Emily Triggs’s new album, “The Great Escape”, which I’ve been listening to on repeat since I picked up the CD in Banff in April. It’s the perfect summer road trip album, imo. Luckily for those of us in the east, Emily is kicking-off her eastern Canada tour TOMORROW NIGHT IN TORONTO at The Local (Monday June 24th, 9 PM, 396 Roncesvalles). I love the range of her storytelling, which goes beyond traditional themes of country and folk music (I should add that Trigg’s “country music” often has a distinctive rock edge — “The Great Escape” was produced by formidable rock guitarist Paul Rigby, known for his collaborations with Neko Case). For instance, “Summer in Nevada” is about nuclear bomb testing tourism in the 50s. I love the ironic, deceptively breezy tone and implication that things aren’t so different in 2024. Like all great songs, it can mean many things to many people. It’s one of my standout favourites of the year, and my first favourite thing of the summer of 2024. Follow Emily on Instagram for upcoming news and shows, including Montreal in July @emilyvtriggs by @ritaleistner

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

"Forest for the Trees has not left my mind – I've not been touched so deeply and wept as much (in a beautiful, raw way) since I watched it earlier this year!" From Xuanlin Tham, Director of the largest environmental film festival in the UK. "Forest for the Trees" is the closing film of the Take One Action Film Festival this Sunday, Dec 10, in Glasgow, Scotland. taken in Glasgow, Scotland by @ritaleistner

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3 years ago

You can always tell if I have a cool new photo or film shoot coming up when I take “my girls” to bed (pouring over settings and tech details; setting time codes, etc). Reading glasses a must! Tonight I’ll be filming Toronto legends @john_borra and @samferrara17 at the venerable @sellersandnewel Bookshop. taken in Sellers & Newel by @ritaleistner

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3 years ago

Photography Opening in Brooklyn, NY, tonight: British Journal of Photography’s Female in Focus Exhibition, including my photograph from the World Press Photo Award-winning series, “From Janet with Love”, a collaboration with writer/director Helene Klodawsky (thank you Helene for inviting me on board your dream project), featuring the one and only, Janet Mahilum Haydock whose kind and generous heart, indominable optimism and spirit was the subject of our 2017 National Film Board of Canada’s “Legacies 150” interactive media piece. In “From Janet with Love”, the daughter of a Filipino pen-pal bride explores her mother’s life as a dyi philanthropist. (filmed in Montreal). Link in bio. Nb I will not be attending the opening. I’ll be at Sellers & Newel for an evening of great music with Toronto legends Sam Ferrara and John Borra (show sold out, but check out Sellers & Newel Booksellers for upcoming shows). taken in Brooklyn, New York by @ritaleistner

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3 years ago

by @ritaleistner

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3 years ago