Wayne Salmon
Play Mas: A Portrait of Carnival

May 2026

Gallery 1888 is pleased to present Play Mas: A Portrait of Carnival by Wayne Salmon, on view in May 2026 as part of the CONTACT Photography Festival.

For over twenty-five years, Salmon has photographed Carnival not only as spectacle, but as a living cultural practice. Play Mas traces the connection between Trinidad’s Carnival and its continuation in Toronto, focusing on the individuals who build, sustain, and pass on these traditions across generations.

The images present Carnival as something lived and carried—shaped by histories of movement and diaspora, from the Middle Passage to the present. Through Salmon’s work, Carnival emerges as an ongoing expression of identity, community, and continuity.