11TH PRESENTATION: THE SPACES OF THE IMAGE
Over the past thirty years, photography has been integrated into the field of contemporary art through the work of numerous artists whose practices bring images together with scenographic experiences. The 11th presentation of Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal will explore the questions of mechanisms and staging, perceived as essential keys to reading the different photographic projects presented in recent years. Due to the range of possibilities –– the technical diversity of film and digital cameras, formats, printing procedures, and the many alternatives offered in terms of museography and occupation of the space –– photographers are increasingly called upon to become aware of their relationship with the exhibition. Production methods and viewing modalities, as integral parts of projects, exert a direct influence on the aesthetic of images. Enlargement and monumentalization of prints, slide projection, in situ conception, the making of objects and machines, visual and audio mise en scène –– for each approach there is a corresponding pragmatic use of display techniques that determines the form and meaning of the images shown.
The Spaces of the Image was developed by French Guest Curator Gaëlle Morel. The event features 24 solo exhibitions and public space interventions in a variety of different sites throughout the city. Artists from 13 countries explore the question of mechanisms and staging in contemporary photography.
A publication accompanying the Festival, The Spaces of the Image, is edited by Gaëlle Morel and brings together new and original contributions by art historians and critics interested in scenographic issues. Lavishly illustrated with the works of the participating artists, this bilingual reference book is available in bookstores and in several exhibition sites during the event.
Artists include:
Kutluğ Ataman (Turkey) • Sammy Baloji (Democratic Republic of Congo) • Yael Bartana (Israel/the Netherlands) • Robert Burley (Canada) • Jim Campbell (USA) • Pascal Convert (France) • Luc Courchesne (Canada) • Michael Flomen (Canada) • Jeff Guess (USA/France) • Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige (Lebanon/France) • Alfredo Jaar (Chile/USA) • Emmanuelle Léonard (Canada) • Yveline Loiseur (France) • Shelley Miller (Canada) • Oscar Muñoz (Colombia) • Cheryl Pagurek (Canada) • Alain Paiement (Canada) • Pavel Pavlov (Canada) • Anne Ramsden (Canada) • David Rokeby (Canada) • Zineb Sedira (France/UK) • Beat Streuli (Switzerland) • Pierre Tremblay (Canada) • Yang Zhenzhong (China)
Exhibition Sites:
Canadian Centre for Architecture • Darling Foundry • Galerie B-312 • Galerie de l’UQAM • Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Concordia University • Les Ateliers Jean Brillant • MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) • Maison de la culture du Plateau-Mont-Royal • Maison de la culture Frontenac • SBC Gallery of Contemporary Art • VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine
Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal is an international biennale of contemporary photography. In 1989, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the invention of photography, VOX, centre de diffusion de la photographie, presented the first Mois de la Photo à Montréal, which included more than 60 exhibitions as well as a large number of related activities. This original event was a catalyst, creating a gathering place, unprecedented in the Montreal and Canadian artistic community, and served as an inspiration for transforming Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal into a biennale –– one that, under the auspices of VOX, produced seven events between 1989 and 2001.
In September 2002, Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal became an autonomous not-for-profit corporation and its charitable status was obtained in 2006. The change in administration was accompanied by a shift in the artistic direction: for each presentation of the event, the appointment of a new Guest Curator with a new theme lends to each biennale a singular artistic and theoretical orientation. This artistic formula was proven successful for the 2003, 2005 and 2007 events.
About the image:
Alain Paiement, a Montreal based photographer, is exhibiting his latest work Arrangements d’après nature at The Darling Foundry in collaboration with Mois de la Photo. The impressive space of the gallery hosts Paiement’s gigantic photomontages perfectly. You can step back and enjoy the full experience and then get right up close and catch all the details. The piece, shown above, is of a husband’s collection of taxidermy animals and hunting trophies and is hung directly in front of the wife’s collection of silverware and porcelain dolls. Paiement’s attention to detail is amazing, the distorted vantage point feels awkward and the sizes of the works are overwhelming. All this adds up to some pretty impressive work.
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