Concordia students revisit a masterpiece at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
On March 24, the performance duo Las Sabinas gathered Fine Arts students from Concordia and the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) for an ambitious artistic collaboration at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA).
The duo staged a tableau vivant — or “living picture,” in which artists present a scene, painting or sculpture by replicating the image silently and motionlessly with their bodies — of Raphael’s iconic fresco, “The School of Athens.”
The performance, titled École de Montréal / School of Montreal, took place in the historic Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion For Peace. “The pavilion was conceived of and built as the first museum in Montreal,” explains Sabina Rak, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) candidate in the Intermedia program at Concordia and one-half of Las Sabinas, the duo that led the project.
““The School of Athens’ is an icon of Renaissance art, but its take on knowledge and education is limited,” says Sabina Gámez Ibarra, also an Intermedia MFA candidate and Rak’s collaborator. “Our tableau vivant is an homage to artists and art creation as well as to Montreal and its art institutions. It aims to show student artists as creators of knowledge.”
As the MMFA is home to the oldest art library in Canada, the museum provided a fitting backdrop for the performance. The administration provided access to the space free of charge, allowing the student-led initiative to take shape within its walls.
"The original fresco represents philosophers, mathematicians and scientists, with art playing only a minor role," the two explain in the project statement. "Our work reclaimed that space for fine arts creation and acknowledged student artists as active contributors to knowledge."
A cross-university collaboration
The project brought together fine arts students from both Concordia and UQAM, the two Montreal universities that offer MFA programs. Organizers recruited around 25 students from both institutions, with participants dressing in makeshift Roman-style attire and bringing objects that symbolize their artistic practice — be it a camera, sketchbook, ceramic piece or a roll of paper.
The initiative took inspiration from the 2024 Irish project “School of Hibernia,” staged at Trinity College in Dublin, which reinterpreted “The School of Athens” with contemporary women political figures. L’École de Montréal aimed to feature student artists, living and learning in Montreal, from a variety of backgrounds.
Future presentations
As the performance took place on a day the museum was closed to the public, the organizers are currently exploring ways to showcase the final work to outside audiences. Discussions are ongoing about potential presentations at both Concordia and UQAM. The project was also documented through photography and video.
To find out more on the project, visit the Las Sabinas project page.
Learn more about Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts.
