Montréal, March 27, 2024. The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) is proud to announce the sixteenth Max and Iris Stern International Symposium. On April 12 and 13, at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, the symposium will bring together fifteen participants from various fields, exploring the points of contact between nature and artificial intelligence, as well as new ways of inhabiting the world.

 

MORE THAN HUMAN, MORE THAN NATURE: BEYOND THE LIVING BEING

Under the curatorship of Bénédicte Ramade, art historian and critic, More than Human, More than Nature: Beyond the Living Being aims to deconstruct the concepts of “nature,” “living,” and “human,” to outline new semantic, philosophical, and artistic avenues. Drawing inspiration from David Abram’s thoughts on the “more than human” and transposing them to the exponential capacities of machines and the diversity of the living world, participants will speculate on unprecedented forms of relationship building.

The symposium will bring together philosophers of plants and artificial intelligence, as well as artists and exhibition curators from here and abroad. Their lectures will be in French and English, and simultaneous interpretation will be available. Information and complete programming.

This annual event aims to provide a public forum for research by practitioners and theoreticians working in diverse fields, in connection with the upcoming exhibition femmes volcans forêts torrents. Through the symposium, the Musée wishes to foster a greater understanding of contemporary art and pay tribute to Max and Iris Stern by carrying on their vision on the international scene.

« By inviting philosophers, curators, artists, and academics to come together to consider new formulations of the “living” (le vivant), I sought to offer new avenues of thought and creation, to engage the world of art and its different audiences in a fruitful reflection on our common environmental future. »

  • Bénédicte Ramade, art historian, critic and curator of the symposium

 

femmes volcans forêts torrents

Presented in our spaces at Place Ville Marie and open to the public from April 11 to August 18, this group exhibition, curated by Marie-Eve Beaupré, will highlight the works of nine women artists currently living in Québec: asinnajaq, Jacynthe Carrier, Maria Ezcurra, Caroline Gagné, Anahita Norouzi, Nelly-Eve Rajotte, Sabrina Ratté, Sonia Robertson, and Malena Szlam. these artists aim to stimulate reflection on the hierarchical relationship between nature and the “living” through a variety of media.

 

About the International Symposiums

Since 2006, the prestigious international symposiums held by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) have been known as the Max and Iris Stern International Symposiums. After the Musée’s foundation, in 1964, Max and Iris Stern contributed significantly to its growth by enriching the Collection with many donations, including works by Hans Arp, Paul-Émile Borduas, Emily Carr, John Lyman, and Jean Paul Riopelle.

 

Participants

The participants in the sixteenth Max and Iris Stern International Symposium are Giovanni Aloi, asinnajaq, Marie-Eve Beaupré, Mojeanne Behzadi, Soren Brothers, Jennifer Carter, Emanuele Coccia, Julie Crenn, T.J. Demos, Kama La Mackerel, Michèle Magema, Stéphanie Posthumus, Bénédicte Ramade, Aseman Sabet, and Robert Wiesenberger. More details about their backgrounds and approaches here.

 

Practical Information

Date: Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13, 2024

Location: Canadian Centre for Architecture, 920 Baile Street, Montréal

Price:

  • Regular: $25
  • MACarte: $20
  • Students: $10

Prices include taxes. Tickets grant access to both days of the symposium.

Acknowledgments

The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal thanks the Max and Iris Stern Foundation, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, and the Consulate General of France in Québec for their support.

Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

For close to 60 years, years, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal has been bringing together local and international artists, their works and diverse audiences, celebrating art as an essential component of life in Montréal and Québec. The museum’s headquarters, located in the heart of the Quartier des spectacles, is about to undergo a major architectural overhaul. In the meantime, the MAC has temporarily relocated its activities to Place Ville Marie, an iconic location in Montreal’s business district. Since December 1, 2021, and throughout the expansion and renovation, the Museum has continued to engage the public with temporary exhibitions highlighting exceptional artists and presenting a variety of practices. In addition to two major exhibitions per year, the MAC at PVM offers public programs, as well as a range of educational services and community outreach activities. www.macm.org

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