Comfort and Indifference: Recent Acquisitions by the MAC

November 4, 2025 – May 3, 2026
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion – Level S2

Motivated by a shared desire to promote Quebec artists, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) have joined forces to present Comfort and Indifference: Recent Acquisitions by the MAC. Organized by the MAC and hosted by the MMFA, this exhibition brings together 37 works acquired by the MAC between 2020 and 2025.

Spanning a diverse range of themes and mediums, these works were created by 22 artists born or living in Quebec: Lorna Bauer, Ari Bayuaji, Valérie Blass, Sorel Cohen, Dana Michel and Tracy Maurice, Dayna Danger, Alexandre David, Jannick Deslauriers, Rosika Desnoyers, Russell T. Gordon, Alexis Gros-Louis, Michel Huneault, Joyce Joumaa, Marlon Kroll, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Robert Holland Murray, Yves Tessier, Joseph Tisiga, Laurence Veri, Zanis Waldheims and Chloe Wise.

The exhibition takes its title from Denys Arcand’s 1981 documentary Comfort and Indifference, which recounts the events leading up to and following the 1980 referendum on Quebec independence. The film examines how people’s pursuit of material comfort can take precedence over political agency. Seen against the backdrop of the crises currently shaking the globe, this title takes on a new and broader meaning today. The show brings together works created between 1975 and 2024, each of which, in its own way, encourages us to reflect on how we can turn our apathy into empathy and our inaction into engagement. 

The second collaboration between the MAC and the MMFA

This exhibition marks the second collaboration between the two museums after 1+1=1. When Collections Collide. Presented at the MMFA in 2014, the latter was organized to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the MAC and brought together some of the most remarkable works from both museums’ contemporary art collections.

 “The MAC is delighted to renew its bonds of friendship with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts through this second dialogue between our institutions. As the MAC continues its transformation at Place des Arts, the MMFA is a precious ally in showcasing our ongoing collection efforts. We extend our deepest gratitude to them for welcoming our recent acquisitions into their spaces, and we hope that this exhibition will help fuel public interest and curiosity about our new, transformed museum.”
− Stéphan La Roche, Director, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

“The MMFA and the MAC have different missions, but they overlap in their desire to support Quebec’s artistic community and promote our cultural heritage. Given that the MAC has limited exhibition space due to its ongoing transformation project, it was only natural for us to open one of our galleries, normally dedicated to our permanent collection, to allow the public to discover this selection of recently acquired works by Quebec artists, which are both deeply relevant and meaningful.”
− Stéphane Aquin, the Rossy Foundation Director of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

“The works shown together in this exhibition reflect a range of formal, social, and political concerns, expressed by artists who are active participants in the debates of their time. Some address memory, territory or acts of care, while others are interested in the impact of violence, surveillance or structural inequalities. Through their unique visual languages, they open up spaces for reflection at the intersection of compassion, critique and speculation.”
− Mark Lanctôt, Exhibition Curator and Curator of the Collection at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal.

Associated programming

A series of tours combined with meetings with artists whose works are part of the exhibition will be held in connection with the exhibition. These activities will be announced at macm.org.

Accessibility

An audio guide, available in the gallery and online, will provide descriptions of elements of the works displayed in the exhibition, both for visitors who are visually impaired or blind, or who simply wish to deepen their understanding of the exhibition’s visual content. This guide is also available in Quebec Sign Language (LSQ) and American Sign Language (ASL).

Credits and curatorship

An exhibition organized by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, in collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Curator: Mark Lanctôt, Curator of the Collection at the MAC.

MAC acknowledgements

The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) is a provincially owned corporation funded by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec. It receives additional funding from the Government of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts. The MAC would like to thank Denys Arcand for permission to use the title of his film for this exhibition. The Museum would also like to thank its Foundation and the many donors who contribute to its success.

The purchase of several works featured in this exhibition was made possible thanks to the support of generous donors to the MAC. We would like to thank Stanley Desgrottes, Myriam Mechouat and Alexandre Mogharaei, Glenda M. Patrick, Matthieu Robillard and Colin Rofls for their contributions to the purchase of Valérie Blass’s work; the Paule Poirier Fund for the purchase of works by Lorna Bauer, Joyce Joumaa, Joseph Tisiga and Jannick Deslauriers; the Hamelys Fund for the purchase of Jannick Deslauriers’ work; the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation for the purchase of Chloe Wise’s work; and the Symposium des collectionneurs Banque Nationale Gestion privée 1859, 2023 edition, for the purchase of Ari Bayuaji’s work.

MMFA acknowledgements

About the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

Quebec and Canada’s premier museum dedicated exclusively to contemporary art, the Musée d’art contemporain (MAC) reflects the fundamental role of contemporary art in our society. It brings together Quebec and international artists, their works and diverse audiences, celebrating art as an essential component of life in Montreal and Quebec. With its headquarters in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles undergoing a major architectural transformation, the MAC has temporarily relocated to Place Ville Marie, another iconic Montreal landmark.

From its temporary home at Place Ville Marie, the MAC offers visitors a wide range of artistic and educational activities that familiarize the general public with contemporary art in all its forms. With a history that already spans over half a century, the MAC is more committed than ever to pursuing its mission: to make known, promote and preserve contemporary Quebec art, and to ensure a place for international contemporary art through acquisitions, exhibitions and other activities

Since its founding in 1964, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal has accumulated more than 8,000 works by Quebec, Canadian, and international artists. This collection constitutes a social legacy and a shared heritage that stands out for its wide variety of disciplines, its diversity, and its depth. For a unique perspective on the works, artists and activities that have contributed to the development of the visual arts in Quebec and to the writing of its history since the 1960s, the MAC offers the public access to its MACrépertoire, an evolving research platform highlighting the rich variety of artworks and resources related to the MAC’s national collection and cultural programming. 

About the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Founded in 1860, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) has been built on the generosity of multiple generations of Montrealers. Its mission is to acquire, conserve, study, interpret and present significant works of art from around the world and from every era, in the hope that members of its community and all Museum visitors may benefit from the transformative powers of art.

The MMFA’s collection showcases Quebec and Canadian heritage, Indigenous art and international art from a progressive and innovative perspective. It comprises close to 47,000 paintings, sculptures, graphic artworks, photographs, multimedia installations and decorative art objects dating from antiquity to the present. The MMFA’s exhibitions and cultural programming aim to inspire new ways of looking at art and the history of art.

As a hub of art, community and exchange and a pioneer in the provision of art therapy, the Museum collaborates with partners in the fields of community organization, education, health and technology to offer all audiences an enriching and transformative experience of art. Thus, through each of its projects, the MMFA continues to strive towards a more inclusive, accessible and just world. mbam.qc.ca