“Ma is a Japanese concept of negative space. Rather than an absence, it is the gap or pause that brings poignance to form. The interval created, whether in the mind or the physical realm, is a regenerative pause. Within this space, a break in the composition of our active minds can exist, deepening our awareness of what is around us.

This series was first initiated during the pandemic lockdowns; collaborating with dancers from the National Ballet Of Canada, choreographers and other artists, who were unable to perform at the time, the images were photographed outside and at a distance with the aim to collaboratively transcend that moment in time.

In 2025, Petelko revisited the series and has produced new complementary works that lean into personal embodiment, freedom and resilience.

(With thanks to: actor, Chloe Rose; dancer, Adelaide Sadler; choreographer and dancer, Andrea Nan; and from the National Ballet Of Canada: Connor Hamilton, Calley Skalnik (First Soloist) and Siphe November (Principal Dancer).”

Collaborators
Actor: Chloe Rose
Dancer: Adelaide Sadler
Choreographer and contemporary dancer: Andrea Nann
From The National Ballet of Canada: Connor Hamilton, First Soloist Calley Skalnik, Principal Dancer Siphe November