An image from Shoes, Brenda Hoffert’s CONTACT show, on display at Gallery 888 (888 Queen St. E.) until May 30.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, and you can tell a man by his shoes, then you’re in for a treat this month. Run, don’t stroll, meander, saunter, strut, lolli-gag or sashay – put heel to toe to check out Brenda Hoffert’s CONTACT show, Shoes.

The show is exactly what the title suggests: footwear, clean and simple. It’s my kind of show because, as the viewer, I have to create the dialogue, develop the location. Finish painting the picture, so to speak.

Brenda started with the premise of McLuhan’s maxim “The medium is the message”, then layered in the idea of advertising’s pervasive influence.  “I set out to capture the essence of the modern shoe,” she explains, “because consumerism has made brand awareness and shoe snobbery a deciding factor when making a purchase.”

My favourite photos are the two shown here. Combat boots and Louboutins, both fashion statements, both stories that I can imagine myself involved in. What’s your story?