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Review: Euan MacDonald “9,000 Pieces”

Currently on view: Montréal
Euan MacDonald “9,000 Pieces”
at Silver Flag Projects, 21 May – 18 June 2011

Courtesy of the artist.

Silver Flag Projects presents “9,000 pieces” by Euan MacDonald, a looping five and a half minutes single channel HD video projection, which meticulously documents a piano operated by a testing machine. The test performs a short sequence, so-called “repetition and responsiveness testing”, one of the final stages in the assembly line of a musical instrument factory, situated on the outskirts of Shanghai, China.

MacDonald’s video is largely composed of close-up piano parts, nine thousand to be precise, aptly indicated for us form the piece’s title. This volume of elements forming the completed piano interacts with what seems an equal quantity of testing machine parts, all moving in a synchronised mechanical ballet. The filmic sequence begins somewhat mysteriously, with a hand pressing a big green “ON” button, followed by a digital display counting time. Extreme close-ups of rotating crankshaft, coiled springs, and spinning things challenge the viewer to grasp the sense of scale of this contraption, which doesn’t yet reveal enough to understand it as a musical instrument. Dozens of thick green metal bars continue their frenzied motion, and metal legs oscillate mercilessly, all under incessant cacophonic noise.
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Interview: Montreal Biennale Artistic Director Claude Gosselin

Since founding the Centre International d’Art Contemporain, Claude Gosselin has been a commanding figure for Montreal’s art scene. Hosting events such as Les Cents Jours d’Art Contemporain, and more recently, The Montreal Biennale, he often acted as the middle-man between international and local artists, by putting them on equal platforms. M-KOS interviews Claude Gosselin, perhaps now at a decisive moment in his career.

M-KOS: Claude Gosselin thank you for granting us this interview, here we are already drawing near the end of this year’s Biennale and its exhibition period, can you share with us some of your impressions, are you happy with the results so far?

Claude Gosselin: Yes indeed reactions from the public and even the critics have been very good, in fact we have seen a 30% increase in visitor attendance from our previous edition, and also increases in attendance at our educational and cultural activities. We had different components of the Biennale this year, we had creative workshops, also a cinema program and an electronic arts program. Then for the satisfaction of the general audience we had a mixture of artists, half coming from Canada, half from abroad, also they were of many different generations. So there was an array of works responding to different audiences, and this is probably what caused the Biennale to be so well attended.
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Last Chance To See Montreal Biennale This Weekend

Ian Wallace (pictures), “Les Pages répandues” (2011), Acrylic and photolaminate on canvas, variable dimensions, Courtesy of Yvon Lambert New York, Photo Credit: the artist / David Armstrong Six (sculptures) “L’Esprit de l’escalier” (partial view), 2011, wood, steal, bronze, paint, plaster and glass, Variable dimensions, Courtesy of Parisian Laundry, Photo: Ludovic Beillard / BNL MTL 2011

The seventh edition of the Montreal Biennale concludes this week from a month-long program of exhibitions, screenings, workshops and more, themed this year by quoting Stéphane Mallarmé’s “Un coup de dé jamais n’abolira le hazard” (A throw of dice never will abolish chance), first published in a collection of poems from 1897. Historically, this “coup” went on to instigate several artistic revolutions, such as the schools of Dada, Surrealism and Futurism. Not only playing a pivotal role in the history of modern art after The Great War, chance also represents a central element in Fluxus as in the quieter revolution of Quebecois Art, like 1950’s Automatism. The Biennale’s affiliation to such movements is reiterated upon visiting the Guido Molinari Foundation, a satellite venue of the Biennale, within which hangs a series of paintings by the same artist, produced in 1951 whilst blind-folded. Artistic director Claude Gosselin, co-curator David Liss and electronic arts curator Paule Mackrous put into perspective the enduring prominence of chance in contemporary art, with a comprehensive exhibition acknowledging both national and international talents.
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Interview: Gwenaël Bélanger

A series of “Comic Strip (orange)” (2011) inkjet print. Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Graff. © 2011 Gwenaël Bélanger

Canadian artist Gwenaël Bélanger works in close, critical observation of phenomena which lie at the limit of perception for the naked eye, but are enhanced using mainly photographic and other lens-based processes. In creating tension between what audiences see and expect to see, Bélanger finds his creative arena, where perceptive deceptions, constructions and manipulations flourish.

M-KOS interviewed Bélanger in occurrence with “Broyer du Noir + Color Break”, his latest solo exhibition at Galerie Graff in Montréal, which featured some of his latest experiments in photography, glass and colour, plus a few surprises.

M-KOS: Can you tell us if any specific event triggered you to produce this new series of works?

Gwenaël Bélanger: This is the first solo show I organized since being awarded the Pierre Ayot Prize. There’s no direct connection with the works I entered for that submission, but a specific sum in that prize was dedicated to the promotion a forthcoming exhibition, which is this one.

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ELEKTRA 12: International Digital Art Festival 4–8 MAY 2011

ELEKTRA 12 – International Digital Arts Festival
04-08 May 2011
Various venues in Montréal
www.elektramontreal.ca

(Clockwork from top left) Cod.Act “Cycledïd-E” (2009) kinetic installation. courtesy of the artist ©Xavier Voirol; Martin Messier “Sewing Machine Orchestra” (2010) AV performance. courtesy of the artist; 1024 Architecture “Euphorie” (2010) AV performance courtesy of the artist; Mary Ellen Bute (1906–1983) film screening curated by Sandra Naumann, courtesy of S.Naumann and Elektra; Yam Lau “Rehearsal” (2011) installation. courtesy of the artist; Kurt Hentschläger “Feed” (2005–06) AV performance. courtesy of the artist

For its 12th edition, ELEKTRA offers a wide selection of the recent digital creations. Based on this year’s theme “Visualising Sound” the festival showcases diverse programs of audiovisual performances, as well as robotics, interactive art and installations, hosted at several Montréal venues.

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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
Follow BNL MTL 2011 on Twitter or Facebook

(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.”

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Review: Kent Monkman “My Treaty Is With The Crown”

Currently on View: Montréal
Kent Monkman “My Treaty Is With The Crown”
Leonard + Bina Ellen Art Gallery
4 March – 16 April 2011

Kent Monkman “Mary” (2011) High definition video. Courtesy Bailey Fine Arts, Toronto

Nearly two decades ago, I visited the National Museum of the American Indian in Harlem (It relocated in One Bowling Green, New York City in 1994). An art student at the time, I was curious to find links between my upbringing in Japanese Shinto religion and the Native American’s worship of nature. I vaguely remember the features of this space, but I did notice that only a handful of visitors were in the museum and, after settling in for a while, I could hear echoes of drumming in the hallways. When I followed the sound I found a man presumably in his early 30s, playing on a traditional animal skin drum, singing a song of folklore. He wasn’t dressed in any overstated ceremonial costume but simply festooned with ornaments on his long dark hair. Children and adults gathered around as the man continued his performance, in this space dimly lit to preserve the nearby artifacts stored behind glass cases. A split-second later, my eyes were blinded by a flash of light, coming from the camera of an elderly person standing next to me. The singing man sternly frowned, ceased playing. He spoke in the elderly person’s direction, in a firm yet polite manner: “Please don’t take my picture because I’m not an exhibition display”. After a measured pause and palpable tension in the air, the man resumed his drumming with dignity.

Kent Monkman’s exhibition “My treaty with the crown” recalled in me this buried memory of the proud signing man, I may have completely forgotten otherwise. The exhibition proffers multilayered narratives and profound symbolism from Monkman’s work, together with other paintings, objects and ornaments from the collection of Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the McCord Museum of Canadian History.

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PAPIER 11: Contemporary Art Fair of Works on Paper

PAPIER 11
Contemporary Art Fair of Works on Paper / Foire d’art contemporain d’œuvres sur papier
14–17 April 2011 / 14–17 Avril 2011

English (Scroll down for French)

Contemporary Art Galleryies Association (AGAC) presents the 4th edition of Papier – Contemporary Art Fair of Works on Paper from 14 to 17 April 2011 at the Quartier des Spectacle, in the heart of Montréal.

This year, 38 galleries from Montréal, Québec, Toronto and Ottawa will participate in the fair representing over 1,000 artworks by over 400 artists which includes drawings, engravings, photographs, collages, installation and many more.

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SéminArts – Discover the contemporary art collector in you

Look in the mirror, do you see an art collector? Have you ever said to yourself while looking at a work of art, “I wish I could bring this one home”? If so, why not give it a go. These days art collecting is much more accessible and affordable to anyone with a bit of spare cash, ready to indulge. Collecting art is not so different from buying shoes, bags, watches, cars, stocks and so on. Art prices range from bargain to luxury levels, and of course, it’s all about names, as between H&M and Gucci. The major difference however, is that art works tend to increase more steadily in value then other collectables.

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Review: Fiona Tan “Rise and Fall”

Currently On View: Montréal
Galerie de l’UQAM. Curated by Bruce Grenville.
26th Feb 2011 – 16th April 2011


“Rise and Fall” (2009) courtesy of the artist and Frith Street Gallery

Fiona Tan’s exhibition “Rise and Fall” has started its journey from Aargauer Kunsthaus, Switzerland, via Vancouver Art Gallery, Freer & Sackler Gallery in Washington DC and it is currently on view at Galerie de UQAM as its final tour date.

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