Glenn Gear's animated installation lights up the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
An installation by Concordia alum Glenn Gear, MFA 98, is transforming the facade of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion. ulitsuak | marée montante | rising tide is not only a powerful visual experience but also represents a milestone for Indigenous representation in Montreal's art scene. Running from dusk until 11 p.m. every night through March 30, 2025, the large-scale projection is the first Indigenous art commission created specifically for the museum's outdoor spaces.
Joining tradition, animation and environmental reflection
With roots in Inuit culture, Gear's installation combines Indigenous artistry with an urgent environmental message. The artist uses projected Inuit geometric figures to trace the architectural lines of the pavilion, “tattooing” the building with light in an homage to traditional Inuit tattoo art. It’s a skill long preserved by Inuit women, Gear explains. The work engages in dialogue with the building’s colonial architecture, creating a symbolic narrative of Indigenous resilience and presence.
“My goal was to create an animation that would be visually intriguing with multiple layers of meaning,” Gear says. “I wanted to speak to the reality of rising sea levels and melting ice caps while engaging with the building’s history as well as its architectural lines, from my perspective as an urban Inuk.”
‘Concordia allowed me to explore’
Since graduating, Gear has worked in fields as diverse as video game design, graphic arts and education. He has also helped facilitate film workshops as a mentor for Indigenous and Inuit youth. Currently, he teaches animation in the Department of Film and Media at Queen’s University.
Reflecting on his time in Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts, Gear shares how he had the freedom to experiment across mediums and contexts, enriching his practice.
“Concordia allowed me to explore various forms of installation, sculpture and image-making within an interdisciplinary environment. It gave me the foundational skills to teach and share my knowledge in diverse learning contexts, where I encourage experimentation, curiosity and play.”
‘My hope is to spark deeper questions in viewers about the urban environment’
“The public has a limited attention span and time to view public artworks. The projection provided me with an opportunity to intervene into this downtown space, to activate this building in a way that is unexpected and meaningful,” Gear highlights.
“With an outdoor piece viewable from the street, I hope to spark curiosity and provoke thought about our urban environment and our connections with nature.”
Gear has divided the animation into three scenes, each evoking themes of transformation, water and nature. It begins with Inuit tattoo geometrics spreading across the pavilion's marble facade, followed by a rising waterline that floods the space in shades of blue and green. The final sequence introduces a kaleidoscopic motif of beadwork, with silhouettes of Arctic char swimming across the scene.
“My hope is to intrigue and delight, even if only partially glimpsed, and spark deeper questions in viewers about the urban environment, interconnection and how public spaces can be activated by Indigenous artwork.”
To find out more about Glenn Gear's installation on view until March 30, 2025, visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
