La Biennale de Montréal 01–31 May 2011

BNL MTL 2011: The 7th Montréal Biennale
01 – 31 May 2011
at the former École de beaux-arts de Montréal /
La Fondation Guido Molinari /Le Cinéma du Parc
www.biennalemontreal.org
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(Clockwork from top left) Karilee Fuglem “There’s a place on my back that ins’t there” (2005) courtesy of the artist and Pierre-François Ouellette Art Contemporain; John Bock, “Nothingness under the jaw” (2011) courtesy of the artist and Regen Projects; Lois Andison “Heartbreaking 91” (2009) courtesy of the artist and Art Mür; David Armstong Six “The Law of the Excluded Middle” (2010) courtesy of the artist and Parisian Laundry; Rodney Graham “Good Hand Bad Hand” (2010) courtesy of the artist and Lisson gallery

BNL MTL 2011, the seventh edition of La Biennale de Montréal will open from Sunday 1st until Tuesday 31st May 2011. Curated by Claude Gosselin, executive and artistic Director of CIAC (Centre international d’art contemporain de Montréal) and David Liss, artistic director of MOCCA (Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto), the theme of the biennale is “La Tentation du hazard / Elements of Chance”. It is inspired by Stéphane Mallarmé’s 1897 poem “Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hazard / A Throw of the Dice Will Never Abolish Chance” which pushed formal boundaries by allowing its readers to choose a starting point and reading order; each person’s experience of the poem is therefore unique—and a matter of happenstance. Since its publication, the poem inspired many works of art. According to Gosselin, “Chance touches on the very idea of freedom. To give yourself over to chance is to embrace freedom, the unknown, total openness.”

Works by over 30 artists from Quebec, Canada, Europe and US will go on display across the venues, the former École de beaux-arts de Montréal, La Fondation Guido Molinari and Le Cinéma du Parc. Special projects by web-based artists will be presented in CIAC’s e-magazine during the biennale.

Members of the public can also participate in the biennale’s Flickr photography contest themed “Capture Chance”.

Artists

VISUAL ARTS:
Lois Andison (Canada/Ontario)
David Armstrong Six (Canada/Ontario/Québec)
Gilles Barbier (France)
Jean-Pierre Bertrand (France)
Walead Besthy (USA)
John Bock (Germany)
Sylvie Cotton (Canada/Québec)
COZIC (Canada/Québec)
Jean Dubois (Canada/Québec)
Jean Dupuy (France)
Rodney Graham (Canada/Bristish Columbia)
Karilee Fuglem (Canada/Québec)
Kristiina Lahde (Canada/Nova Scotia)
Scott Lyall (Canada/Ontario)
Guido Molinari (Canada/Québec)
Gareth Moore (Canada/Bristish Columbia)
Nadia Myre (Canada/Québec)
Werner Reiterer (Austria)
Jeremy Shaw (Canada/Bristish Columbia)
Daniel Spoerri (France/Italy/Austria)
Derek Sullivan (Canada/Ontario)
Keith Tyson (UK)
Ian Wallace (Canada/Bristish Columbia)

ELECTRONIC ARTS:
Mark Amerika (USA)
Grégory Chatonsky (France)
Jhave (Canada)
Martine Neddam (The Netherlands)
Jon Thompson & Alison Craighead (UK)

Venues:

The former École des beaux-arts at Montréal
Open daily from noon to 6 pm, Thursday extended until 9 pm.
May 1-31 2011.
3450, St. Urbain Street at the corner of Sherbrooke Street West.
Place des Arts. Bus : 80 or 129.

La Fondation Guido Molinari
Open Wednesday to Sunday, from noon to 5 pm, last entrance at 4:30 pm.
May 1-31 2011.
3290, Sainte Catherine East Street.
Papineau, Frontenac, Préfontaine. Bus: 34, 29 or 125.

Le Cinéma du Parc
Open every Sunday from May 2011.
3575, Avenue du Parc
Place des Arts. Bus : 80 or 12