Situated on the third floor of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, The World of Yousuf Karsh: A Private Essence displays 111 works by Yousuf Karsh, one of Canada’s most well-known portrait photographers. Having immigrated to Canada from Armenia at a young age, he eventually gained fame and recognition on[Read More…]
Art
‘Human Weighted Blanket’ experiment aims to smother anxiety through platonic touch
After months of strict isolation and social distancing regulations, many are missing the comfort of a good hug. Self-proclaimed “Artivist” Red Jay, a.k.a. Joshua Oliver, has created a remedy for the loneliness the pandemic has fostered. On World Mental Health Day, October 10, Red Jay presented a two-part exhibit called[Read More…]
Computing creativity: A visit to UQAM’s ‘Vers un Imaginaire Numérique’
Upon entering UQAM’s exhibit Vers un Imaginaire Numérique (Designing the Computational Image), tessellated sculptures created from delicate steel and acrylic mesh hang from above. Inspired by biological synthesis, machine learning creates the canopy system, which includes spiralled metallic stars and pyramidal struts. This installation is but the beginning of the[Read More…]
PHI’s newest exhibit imagines post-pandemic human connection
Five artists, each with their own unique artistic methods, mediums, and backgrounds unite in the exhibition …And Room in the Bag of Stars currently on display at the PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art. Curated by Daniel Fiset and inspired by science-fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1986 short essay The[Read More…]
‘What the Pop!’ booths showcase local talent
As the August heat faded and the leaves began to curl and drift away, the Montreal arts community said one final goodbye to summer at What the Pop!, a pop-up exhibition run by YES Montreal. The free public exhibition gave dozens of local artists the opportunity to sell their art[Read More…]
Sarah Stevenson’s ‘Before the Storm’ explores the turbulent intimacy of stillness
When one enters the Fonderie Darling main hall, they find themselves wandering through an industrial room populated by a family of six colourful hanging wire skeletons. These grand sculptural ghosts—resembling airy animal shells, phantom produce, and woven costumes—are the manifestations of human experiences. Montreal-based artist Sarah Stevenson’s new exhibition, Before[Read More…]
Stephanie Dinkins revolutionizes fine art and artificial intelligence
On March 17, transmedia artist Stephanie Dinkins presented her work at a virtual talk hosted by the Feminist and Accessible Publishing, Communications, and Technologies speaker series. Dinkins, a professor at Stony Brook University in New York, spoke on how her art questions the place of artificial intelligence (AI) in our[Read More…]
Round table presents traditional Inuit knowledge in the contemporary world
Broadcasting live from Iqaluit, Nunavut on March 19, Aaju Peter lit and kindled a small fire over a large stone tub of oil as students, professors, and artists witnessed the flame spread. By lighting the qulliq—a traditional oil lamp used by Arctic Indigenous Peoples—Peter commenced Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Traditional Knowledge in[Read More…]
MMFA lecture examines Riopelle’s Arctic inspiration
On Mar. 10, Roy Ellenwood, a retired professor from York University and translator of Québécois literature, presented “Riopelle and Indigenous Art: The French Connection,” an online lecture with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). The presentation, which complemented the exhibit Riopelle: The Call of Northern Landscapes and Indigenous Cultures,[Read More…]
Heartbreak Museum offers students a cathartic space to express hurt
For those who are single, have recently ended a relationship, or are simply not interested in romance, Valentine’s Day can often feel like a punch in the gut. With the additional isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s solitude hits especially hard. Enter the Heartbreak Museum, an annual exhibition hosted[Read More…]