Exhibitions

Salina’s work has been widely exhibited. In May 2024, her photographs were featured in Jamatkhanas in Canada: Architecture, Identity and Community at the Ismaili Centre in Toronto. In 2021, she documented the revitalization of Massey Hall, with the work shown at Massey Hall and Roy Thompson Hall. That same year, her exhibit MINIMAL, focusing on minimalist architectural elements, was part of the CONTACT Photography Festival in Toronto, hosted at Montauk. In 2019, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto commemorated its five-year anniversary by exhibiting 77 Building Connections, Salina’s construction documentary of the museum itself. Her images also marked the 150-year celebration of Massey Hall at Toronto City Hall in 2018, and she was part of CAPTURE at the Dylan Ellis Gallery the same year. In 2017, Salina’s documentation of the restoration of the Global Centre for Pluralism was featured in its opening exhibit at 330 Sussex in Ottawa. Her collaborative work with Photosensitive included the 2015 exhibit Aging at BCE Place in Toronto. Earlier, in 2014, her construction photographs of the Aga Khan Museum and the Ismaili Centre were displayed during the opening exhibit of the Ismaili Centre Toronto. Prior to that, she contributed to several community-focused exhibits with Photosensitive: The Cancer Project in 2008, Communities in Focus in 2007 (commemorating 25 years of The Trillium Foundation’s work), and Strength Within in 2006, which celebrated 50 years of United Way’s activities in Toronto.

Awards

In 2024, Salina received an Honorable Mention in the Architectural MasterPrize for Cultural Exterior photography. Her continued excellence was recognized in 2023 with the Canadian Architect Photo Award of Excellence and as a finalist in the Architizer A+ Awards for Photography and Architecture. That same year, she was named a Citation Award Winner in Interior Photography by the LOOP Design Awards and earned an Honorable Mention from the International Photography Awards. Her work was shortlisted twice in the 2022 Dezeen Awards for Architecture Photo of the Year—once for the “Mud Hut Project” and again for a series titled “Decay.” In 2021, she was a finalist in both the Architizer One Photo Challenge and M Mode Creative. Her earlier achievements include winning the Canadian Architect Photo Award of Excellence in 2020 and the Best Black and White Photograph at SNAP Toronto in 2003.

Documentaries

Salina Kassam has directed her lens toward humanitarian issues through a number of impactful documentary projects. In 2004, she worked with Canadian Crossroads International in Tamil Nadu, India, to document the efforts of the Human Uplift Trust (HUT), a grassroots organization responding to the HIV crisis in a region where access to education and healthcare is limited. Despite cultural stigma, HUT’s initiatives have focused on awareness, support, and the creation of a welcoming environment for those affected. That same year, Salina collaborated with Net Aid in Andhra Pradesh, India, to document the work of Shangamitra Society in the village of Vijayawada. Her images revealed the socioeconomic impacts of climate change on rural populations, and how access to primary education is being used as a transformative tool to foster ambition and sustainability within entire communities. In 2003, Salina traveled to Zambia with CAMFED International to photograph their pioneering efforts in education and health for girls. The organization’s focus on equality and opportunity resonated deeply with her ongoing interest in stories of resilience and structural change. Two years prior, in 2001, she was on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Guatemala, where her documentary work highlighted healthcare access challenges in remote communities and the vital role of MSF’s mobile medical units.

Selected Clients

Salina’s ability to document both architecture and human-centered stories has led to collaborations with some of the most prominent names in design and construction. Her selected clients include Moriyama & Teshima Architects, KPMB Architects, SvN Architects + Planners, LEMAY Architects, and Cindy Rendely Architexture. She has also worked with Elias + Landscape Architecture, structural engineers FAST + EPP, and academic institutions such as the University of Toronto and George Brown College. Additional clients include BDP Quadrangle Architects, Ware Malcomb, Eastern Construction, PCL Construction, and cultural institutions like Massey Hall. Her photography not only reflects the aesthetics of space but also captures the philosophy, labor, and narrative that bring each built environment to life.