Two artists worth watching

Two emerging artists just received news that can change the course of a career: they have become the next Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellows in Contemporary Art. Andréanne Abbondanza Bergeron of Concordia University and Martin Leduc of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) were this year’s recipients of the prestigious award offered by the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation.

With a value of $60,500, the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellowship in Contemporary Art offers recipients the recognition and support that is essential to the development of their work and the advancement of their creative research at a crucial moment in their career, as they transition from an academic environment to the professional world. The fellowships are awarded annually to two new graduates — one from UQAM and one from Concordia — in a master's or PhD program in media or visual arts.

“For eight years now, we have been able to observe the development of each of our fellows, from emerging talent to recognized artist. We could not be prouder of the accomplishments of every one of them,” says Claudine Bronfman.

“By getting involved at the very start of an emerging artist's career, we not only encourage the coming generation, but also support the Montreal arts scene. We want Montreal to retain its title as a major cultural hub,” adds Stephen Bronfman.

Abbondanza Bergeron’s large-scale installation work seeks to reveal the tensions between private and public and the social structures of control in the built environment. She constructs new hybrid spaces that lead to exchanges between the structure and the human, as a form of inquiry into the nature of space and its relationships to the human body as well as the social structures that dictate its use. She describes it as “simultaneously spatial, structural, virtual and abstract.” She completed her MFA in Sculpture at Concordia University and is the recipient of the 2015-2016 Yvonne L. Bombardier Graduate Scholarship in Visual Arts.  

Martin Leduc is a graduating PhD student in Art Studies and Practice at UQAM. His interdisciplinary approach builds on studies in anthropology, electroacoustics and interactive media. The installations he creates respond to the actions of the public and to variations in the architectural context. Emerging in real time, the spatial and temporal forms of his works evoke multi-sensory aesthetic experiences. His installation art inhabits a space of co-creation with the public, offering singular experiences at the intersection of contemplation and surprise. Concepts that inspire him include embodiment, Francesco Varela’s autopoiesis, and Iannis Xenakis’ stochastic synthesis. Leduc’s works have been shown in Brazil, the United States and Quebec.

“As each of the Bronfman fellows continue their work in the world, we can see how this extraordinary 'family' of alumni build a Montreal base to support and extend their international reach. If we think about the university experience as a kind of armature on which arts practices and careers are initially constructed, the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellowship transforms this preparation into something even more sweet and solid — a professional infrastructure that is long lasting and all-encompassing,” says Rebecca Duclos, dean of Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts.

“The Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellowship in Contemporary Art is the most prestigious award that emerging artists from Concordia and UQAM can hope to receive. But even more importantly, these fellowships provide artists with a priceless period of creative freedom at a key moment in their journey. They have helped launch more than a few careers,” adds Jean-Christian Pleau, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at UQAM.

The winners were announced at a ceremony at UQAM on April 27, 2017. 

Previous winners

To date, 16 exceptional artists have been awarded the fellowship. Previous winners are:

• 2016: Yannick Desranleau (Concordia) and Guillaume Adjutor Provost (UQAM)
• 2015: Velibor Božović (Concordia) and Myriam Jacob-Allard (UQAM)
• 2014: Marie Dauverné (UQAM) and Brendan Flanagan (Concordia)
• 2013: Nadia Seboussi (UQAM) and Kim Waldron (Concordia)
• 2012: Sébastien Cliche (UQAM) and Julie Favreau (Concordia)
• 2011: Aude Moreau (UQAM) and Pavitra Wickramasinghe (Concordia)
• 2010: Steven Bates (Concordia) and Véronique Savard (UQAM)