Max and Iris Stern International Symposium 4

Montréal, April 6, 2010 — The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, in collaboration with Concordia University, is pleased to present ART RELIGION, the fourth edition of the Max and Iris Stern International Symposium. The three-day conference will take place from April 15 to 17, 2010, at Place des Arts’ Cinquième Salle and UQAM’s Agora du Cœur des sciences.

The growing—and often controversial—visibility of religion in the world of international media and the anxiety aroused by its hypothetical “return” in Western societies have sparked considerable debate in philosophical and sociocultural studies, and given rise to a number of cross-disciplinary research projects in academic circles.

Yet the world of contemporary art seems to have paid scant attention to the issue of religion. In fact, the discussions have so far found little echo within the fields of art theory and history, in spite of the efforts emanating mainly from art institutions and museums.

This symposium therefore seeks to bring together leading international specialists from a variety of disciplines to build on the existing body of research and determine potential points of contact between practices and discourses in contemporary art and religion. The guest speakers at the Max and Iris Stern International Symposium 4are:Daniel Adler, AA Bronson, Chanda Carey, Natalie Carnes, Katrie Chagnon, Chris Cuthill, Iftikhar Dadi, Walid El Khachab, Robert Enright, Alain Fleischer, Boris Groys, Kajri Jain, Celina Jeffery, Louis Kaplan, Esther Kim, Jeffrey Kosky, Adi Louria-Hayon, Steven Matijcio, Marie-Josée Mondzain, Natalie Phillips, Catherine Pickstock, Todd Porterfield, Cyril Reade, Bernard Sichère and Ricky Varghese.

Detailed program

The symposium ART RELIGION was organized by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal and Concordia University, under the leadership of François LeTourneux, Associate Curator, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, and by Tim Clark, Assistant Professor, Department of Studio Arts, Loren Lerner, Professor and Chair, Department of Art History, and Jeremy Stolow, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies, of Concordia University.

The conference will take place over three days, from Thursday, April 15 to Saturday, April 17, 2010.

Registration costs $15 ($10 for students and Friends of the Musée).

Information/registration: http://contemporaryartreligion.blogspot.com/ or in person at the Musée d’art contemporain, 185, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest. Tel.: 514 847-6226.

Medium Religion: a video program in conjunction with the symposium

To accompany the major symposium ART RELIGION, the Musée d’art contemporain is presenting a program of videos in BWR Hall from April 13 to May 5, 2010, which come from the exhibition Medium Religion organized by curators Boris Groys and Peter Weibel at ZKM – Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2008-2009. The program features works by the following artists: Adel Abdessemed, Oreet Ashery, Christoph Büchel, Omer Fast, Boris Groys, Jenkins/Lahaye, Rabih Mroué, Nira Pereg, Wael Shawky and Jalal Toufic.

Max and Iris Stern

Since 2006, the prestigious international symposiums held by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal have been known as the Max and Iris Stern International Symposium. From the time the Musée was founded in 1964, Max and Iris Stern contributed significantly to its growth by enriching the Collection with many gifts, including works by Hans Arp, Paul-Émile Borduas, Emily Carr, John Lyman and Jean-Paul Riopelle. The goal of this annual event is to make the latest research of today’s leading thinkers accessible to the public. These scholars work in a variety of fields, such as art history, aesthetics, sociology and literature. Through this commitment, the Musée wishes to foster a greater understanding of contemporary art and pay tribute to the Sterns by carrying on their vision on the international scene.

The Musée d’art contemporain and Concordia University thank the Max Stern Foundation, the Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe, the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture at Concordia University, Place des Arts, Hexagram and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Acknowledgements

The Musée d’art contemporain is a provincially owned corporation funded by the Ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine du Québec. It receives additional funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts.