Montréal, January 7, 2010 — The winter season at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal kicks off on January 13 with the world premiere presentation of Karl Lemieux’s film Mamori as part of the Projections series. That debut will be followed, on February 4, by the launch of exhibitions devoted to Canadian artists Marcel Dzama, Luanne Martineau and the Montréal-based Etienne Zack. It will actually be a twofold celebration, since the museum will take this opportunity to introduce Marie Fraser, its new Chief Curator and head of the curatorial team. Also on view at the Musée are the ongoing exhibitions of works from the Permanent Collection that opened in November. The Friday Nocturnes will resume on February 5 with Land of Talk and this year’s All-Nighter will take place on the night of February 27 to 28.
Exhibitions
Marcel Dzama – Aux mille tours (Of Many Turns)
February 4 to April 25, 2010
While Toronto and Vancouver may have boasted the most vibrant artistic scenes in Canada in the 1980s and 1990s, Winnipeg took over in the 2000s, spurred on by Marcel Dzama. This artist quickly carved out an international reputation for his unclassifiable, disconcerting work distinguished by its rigorous technique and seductive appeal. The exhibition comprises some sixty pieces, including dioramas, videos, sculptures, paintings, collages and drawings, and examines his favourite themes: nostalgia, early modernism and the relationship between irony and cynicism, politics and subjectivity. Aux mille tours is the largest solo exhibition of his art ever organized by a museum. Dzama has been living and working in New York since 2004.
Luanne Martineau
Until April 25, 2010
Saskatoon-born artist Luanne Martineau is known primarily for her hybrid felt and wool sculptures. Virtually indescribable, they produce an experience that wavers between fascination and repulsion, between the microscopic and the macroscopic. This show will give visitors a chance to explore her astonishing world through a dozen recent works: an artist’s book, sculptures, drawings and what she calls “drulptures,” a unique combination of the latter two art forms.
Etienne Zack
Until April 25, 2010
The approach of Etienne Zack, who was one of the artists featured in The Québec Triennial, focuses on the context in which artworks are produced and exhibited, and the physical and conceptual tools that go into creating them: the studio, art gallery and painter’s materials. Zack is now the subject of a solo exhibition at the Musée that brings together over twenty paintings produced in the last six years, including two works created specifically for the show.
Major Gifts
November 7, 2009 to April 5, 2010
In 2009 alone, the Musée was given artworks worth $4,800,000—the most ever in its history—through the exceptional generosity of a great many artists, art dealers, collectors and patrons. A selection of these works and others donated over the last three years are highlighted in the exhibition Major Gifts, which showcases pieces by David Altmejd, Yves Gaucher, Anselm Kiefer, Rober Racine, Francine Savard and Lorna Simpson.
Cubes, Blocks and Other Spaces
November 7, 2009 to April 5, 2010
The show Cubes, Blocks and Other Spaces offers a reading of the urban, architectural and media frameworks that dominate modern life. It asks three fundamental questions: What are the forces that govern us? How have we confronted them in the past? And how do they affect us today? The exhibition presents works by Josef Albers, Alice Aycock, Joseph Beuys, Dara Birnbaum, Ian Carr-Harris, Paterson Ewen, Fischli & Weiss, Gilbert & George, Peter Gnass, Joan Jonas, Kurt Kranz, Guillermo Kuitca, Suzy Lake, Sherrie Levine, El Lissitzky, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Alex Morrison, Jean-Paul Mousseau, Gunter Nolte, Anders Oinonen, Nam June Paik, Giulio Paolini, Mary Pratt, Richard Prince, Keith Sonnier, Haim Steinbach, Lotte Stam-Beese, Paul Strand, Françoise Sullivan, Serge Tousignant, Ian Wallace, Weegee, Gordon Webber, Rhonda Weppler & Trevor Mahovsky, and Bill Woodrow.
Projections Series
Karl Lemieux
Mamori
January 13 to March 14, 2010
As part of the Projections series, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal is proud to present, with the collaboration of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), the world premiere of Mamori (2010), an experimental animated film (8 min, 35 mm) by Montréal artist Karl Lemieux. In the heart of the Amazon rain forest, Lemieux set out to capture the textures of tropical vegetation and its various transformations according to the phenomena of light. The result is an experimental animated film, produced by the coming together of two forms: the acoustic abstraction of the original music of Spanish composer Francisco López and the visual abstraction of Lemieux’s images as refilmed by him back in the studio.
Friday Nocturnes
The Nocturnes are on hiatus in January but will resume on February 5 with Land of Talk, followed by We Are Wolves on March 5 and the Trio Torngat on April 2. On the first Friday of every month, the Nocturnes provide access to the exhibition galleries, live music and bar service. Admission with regular Musée ticket or with our $15 Wired card.
All-Nighter
On the night of February 27 to 28, this year’s All-Nighter at the MAC will revolve around the colour white. In the foyer, the sails of the Capture project will catch images in midair along with electro pop music generated by computer with the keyword blanc. In the art workshops—for all, with family or friends—participants will create giant icebergs, and in the exhibition galleries, Marcel Dzama’s albino bats will be awaiting visitors. From 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Source and Information
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Anne Dongois
T. 514 826-2050
[email protected]
