Comfort and Indifference

The exhibition’s title comes from Denys Arcand’s critical and lucid documentary, Comfort and Indifference (1981). The film shows the events preceding and following the first referendum on Québec independence in May 1980 and emphasizes the ways in which many Québécois at the time, preoccupied with their own search for material comfort, remained indifferent to their political agency. Today, in the face of global crises, the title takes on new meaning and speaks volumes: What does it take to transform the privilege of apathy, maintained by the consumerism and inaction it creates, into a clear-sighted engagement sustained by a sense of empathy and solidarity?

Presenting this selection of works made by twenty-two Québec artists in one exhibition space allows for new perspectives on their subject matter and formal characteristics, while also underscoring the MAC’s involvement in the community of artists who were born or have worked in Québec.

Credits and Thanks

This exhibition is organized by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal in collaboration with the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts.

Thank you to Denys Arcand for allowing us to use the title of his film for the exhibition.