Montréal, December 22, 2010 — Next year at the Musée d’art contemporain looks to be a full one indeed, with an extensive program spotlighting works by Québec artists. The fall will see the eagerly awaited second edition of The Québec Triennial, set to run from October 7, 2011 to January 3, 2012. Before that, from May 26 to September 5, 2011, the museum will showcase our artistic heritage with a wide-ranging presentation titled Déjà: The Collection on Display. The coming winter promises to be no less exciting, with the first appearance on the Canadian art scene by Albanian artist Anri Sala and a brand-new work by the Toronto duo Young & Giroux. The Projections series kicks off 2011 with Epic Journey by Kevin Schmidt. The fifth edition of the Max and Iris Stern International Symposium will focus on exhibition curating, and the SéminArts series, offered in cooperation with the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation, will provide an introduction to the art market. Our Friday Nocturnes will resume on February 4 with a Percussion evening, while Nuit blanche at the MAC will celebrate women, on February 26 from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
EXHIBITIONS
Anri Sala
February 3 to April 25, 2011
A unique opportunity to discover the remarkable works of Albanian-born artist Anri Sala, this eponymous exhibition comprises a dozen installations based mainly on film, but also featuring photography and music. It revolves around the projection of the film Answer Me (2008), a brilliant piece that was recently acquired by the Musée and that conjures up a sense of rupture, solitude and estrangement. Sala considers the process of producing his works and that of exhibiting them to be equally important. Visitors thus move seamlessly through the show as if it were a single piece, reorienting themselves in order to follow the rhythm of the various projections and the beat of the percussion in the work Doldrums. This is the artist’s first major solo exhibition in Canada, and his largest in North America.
Young & Giroux
February 3 to April 25, 2011
The works of Toronto duo Daniel Young and Christian Giroux re-examine modernism, the use of space and the built environment. For this exhibition, the artists have continued their exploration by creating a new piece, called Mr. Smith. A monumental, modular sculpture inspired by the work of American artist Tony Smith (1912?1980), it gives visual form to the structural logic of Smith’s minimalist sculptures while also utilizing the non-linear spatial potential of the modular, near-architectural nature of his work. Accompanying their sculpture is the film Every Building, or Site, That a Building Permit Has Been Issued for a New Building in Toronto in 2006, produced in 2008, which arises out of their investigation of the sculptural forms that underlie the built environment.
Projections Series
Kevin Schmidt
January 12 to March 13, 2011
The Projections series presents Epic Journey, 2010, by Canadian artist Kevin Schmidt. In this video work with a total running time of eleven and a half hours, Schmidt takes a monument of pop culture, the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and uses it for a projection on a boat drifting down the Fraser River in order to explore the experience of time. Born in Ottawa, Schmidt is based in Vancouver. This is his first presentation at the MAC.
Max and Iris Stern International Symposium 5
Manufacturing Exhibitions
March 24 and 25, 2011
On March 24 and 25, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal presents the fifth Max and Iris Stern International Symposium, which will launch a year-long series of events focusing on exhibition curating in contemporary art. Entitled Manufacturing Exhibitions, the symposium will examine the theme of exhibition curating by looking back at the main events and issues that have defined it in recent history.
SéminArts
SéminArts is an educational program providing an introduction to the contemporary art market, offered in cooperation with the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation. Each of the five sessions will allow participants to meet various players in the art world: art expert, artist, gallerist, private collector, corporate collector. On Wednesday evenings from March 9 to May 11 in French, and from March 16 to May 18 in English.
Deadline for registration: February 25, 2011.
Information and registration: 514 847-6244 or [email protected]
Friday Nocturnes
Nocturnes: the first Friday of every month, for hip, original evenings, with exhibitions, live music and bar. After a break in January, they’ll be back on February 4 for a percussion evening, with live musicians plus a DJ and VJ; March 4: Jimmy Hunt; April 1: The Sainte Catherines. Open to all. No reservation required. Admission with regular Musée ticket or with our $15 Wired card, valid for one year.
Nuit blanche
Women will be in the spotlight for Nuit blanche at the MAC, on Saturday, February 26 from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Performances by the amazing harpist M’Michèle will add to the beat of this festive night (from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.). Armed with their off-the-wall humour, rubber gloves and kitchen utensils, WWKA (Women With Kitchen Appliances) will explore the sonic potential of the Bistro Le Contemporain (at 9:30 p.m.). And our art workshops, for families and everyone else, will offer a workshop inspired by a piece by Marcelle Ferron (from 6 to 9 p.m.). Free admission.
Source and Information
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Anne Dongois
T. 514 826-2050
[email protected]