Ellen artists at Musée d'art contemporain
When the Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery’s director Michèle Thériault saw the lineup for the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal's (MACM) Québec Triennial 2011, she made a pleasant discovery.
"Of the 50 artists chosen by the curators, 19 of them have a history at our gallery,” she says. “They have been featured in an exhibition, either group or solo, or participated in activities, such as performances or lectures.”
As indicated by its title, the Québec Triennial is an art event held every three years in Montreal that includes exhibitions, lectures, performance art and workshops. This edition, the second in its history, runs until January 3 at the MACM, Place des Arts, and Quartier des Spectacles. It opened October 6 with an interactive light sculpture created by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, a Concordia physical chemistry graduate. The work can be seen every night in the skies over Montreal until November 6.
Why so many Ellen Art Gallery artists?
"One of the Triennial's main goals is to show the works of young artists – the renewal of art by a younger generation,” says Thériault. “So I think (our success in the event) demonstrates that we are playing a feature role in showcasing those artists. Our exhibitions are in tune with what's happening in the arts today.”
Thériault speculates that the selection committee shares many of the Ellen Art Gallery's goals, namely to choose artists who stretch boundaries and provoke critical thought.
"We look for all kinds of artistic practices, for work that raises issues about contemporary art today, and that rethinks its own parameters,” she adds. “We don't necessarily offer what's already been done."
The gallery also showcases a broad artistic palette. "We are interested in work that touches on a diversity of issues, such as gender, representation, even the nature of democracy itself,” Thériault explains. “It's not just about looking at something and finding it beautiful. We want work that raises questions in the viewer's mind, and wrestles with important contemporary issues. The Triennial is also looking for that."
Many, but not all, of the Ellen Art Gallery veterans are current or former Concordia professors and students. As recently reported in NOW, 32 of the 50 Triennial artists have a Concordia connection.
"Clearly, Concordia has a strong place in the Montreal artistic community,” Thériault says. “It may be because the Faculty of Fine Arts gives students a lot of freedom to pursue their own artistic goals. So we produce artists who stand out because they have a unique vision and viewpoint."
The gallery also lent art from its collection for the Triennial, specifically a piece by Thérèse Mastroiacovo, a lecturer in the Faculty of Fine Arts.
Related links:
• Concordia Faculty of Fine Arts
• Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery
• Québec Triennial, Musée d’art contemporain