Launch of the fall 2012 season at the MAC

Montréal, August 17, 2012 — The coming fall promises a bumper crop at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal with two major exhibitions scheduled: Pierre Dorion and Janet Biggs. In addition, the very popular SéminArts program, organized in co-operation with the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation, will be back with two series of five gatherings devoted to the art of collecting contemporary art. And starting September 7, the Friday Nocturnes will resume with Jazz Amnesty Sound System. As always, admission to the MAC is free on Wednesday evenings from 5 to 9 p.m.

Pierre Dorion

Set to run from October 4, 2012 to January 6, 2013 and showcasing some seventy major works produced since the mid-1990s, the exhibition Pierre Dorion provides a critical overview of the painting of this Québec artist. While various authors have rightly noted the importance of photography in Dorion’s process of developing his paintings, this exhibition focuses more on their presentation than on their production. The show opens with a small-scale reconstruction of Chambres avec vues, an exhibition mounted in 1999 in a vacant apartment in the Dauphins sur le Parc building in Montréal, where Dorion made use of installation as a device for presenting his pictorial work. Pierre Dorion will also include a series of new paintings¾among them Gate (The Piers)¾produced specially for this occasion, and will offer visitors insight into the origins of the artist’s current, predominantly spare works.

Janet Biggs

The exhibition by Brooklyn-based artist Janet Biggs is being presented from October 4, 2012 to January 6, 2013 at the MAC as part of Montréal-Brooklyn, a contemporary art event initiated by Centre CLARK with the aim of establishing a cultural exchange between 2 cities, 16 institutions and 40 artists. Biggs is known for her video, photography and performance works that revolve around an exploration of extremes, both geographical and physical. In them, Biggs takes her subjects, and herself, to the very limits of what is possible. Four of the artist’s video pieces will be screened at the MAC: Fade to White, 2010, Brightness All Around, 2011, and In the Cold Edge, 2010, which together form The Arctic Trilogy, and her latest video, A Step on the Sun, 2012. A video work by French-born Montréal artist Aude Moreau will also be on view. In connection with this Montréal-Brooklyn exchange, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal is partnering with Smack Mellon in Brooklyn, where Aude Moreau will present a site-specific installation and Janet Biggs will screen a brand-new video. These exhibitions will run from January 12 to February 24, 2013 at Smack Mellon.

SéminArts

September 26 to December 12, 2012 (in French)

In co-operation with the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal is offering, for the third consecutive year, two series of five gatherings devoted to the art of collecting contemporary art. During these sessions, participants get to meet various players in the art world: artists, collectors, dealers, curators, and others. The activity costs $200 per series. For more information or to register: 514 847-6244, [email protected] or the Musée website: www.macm.org. This fall, by way of exception, both of the SéminArts series scheduled will be offered in French only.

Friday Nocturnes 2012

Our Friday Nocturnes will start up again on Friday, September 7 with the duo of sweet daddy luv and Andy Williams, better known as Jazz Amnesty Sound System (or J.A.S.S.), and will continue with Tanuki Project (October 5), a celebration of the 15th anniversary of the prestigious Constellation label (November 2) and Alaclair Ensemble (December 7). The MAC Nocturnes are unique Friday evenings that feature a laid-back atmosphere with live musical performances, bar service and free run of all the exhibition galleries. Admission with regular Musée ticket or our $20 Wired card, valid for one year.

Journées de la culture 2012

On Sunday, September 30, 2012, as part of the Journées de la culture, admission to the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal will be free and visitors can enjoy the permanent exhibition A Matter of Abstraction to their hearts’ content. In addition, the MAC will be offering visitors of all ages workshop/tour combos on the theme “Voracious Colours.” After observing Lise Gervais’s work titled Vorace multiglore, 1964, participants will use acrylic to paint abstract images made up of splashes of dazzling colours. Free activity. For more information: www.macm.org.