CIAC : The Biennale de Montréal

THE BIENNALE DE MONTRÉAL

The Biennale de Montréal 2007 · The CIAC · Claude Gosselin - CIAC executive and artistic director · Wayne Baerwaldt - curator of the Biennale de Montréal 2007 · Press releases

The Biennale de Montréal 2007 :
AN EVENT IN CANADA'S CULTURAL CAPITAL

From May 10 to July 8 2007

The Biennale will be curated around the axis of a focused survey of contemporary Canadian art and presentations by established and emerging international artists. The aim is to induce the unexpected in new and recent art, and to recognize those aspects of art production and presentation that permeate the barriers of mainstream Canadian culture. Montreal is a city widely recognized as Canada's cosmopolitan, sexy urban environ. It is an urbane platform from which to argue for art as diverse, expansive and social.

Bill Smith
system, 2006.
Photo : Bill Smith

Under my curatorship, the Biennale de Montréal 2007 program selection process will also be informed by contributions from established and emerging Canadian curators. Their critical focii and expertise in various formats will address leading ideas behind contemporary art history in Canada as well as critical discourses and aesthetic concerns in international art.

The Biennale de Montréal 2007 emphasizes the primacy of new art, its vitality and ability to generate debate and related ideas. As an active virus for the public's imagination, the Biennale is an art institution that reflects and responds to the changing nature of art practice. The Biennale's seminars, conferences and colloquia will be open to the public.

The fifth edition of the Biennale de Montréal will take place in May and June 2007

Wayne Baerwaldt

The Biennale de Montréal 2007 wishes to thank:

Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal
CIAC

Ed Pien
Two Worlds, 1999-2000
Photo : Guy L'Heureux

The Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal (CIAC) was created in 1983 with a mandate to disseminate contemporary art from Quebec, Canada and abroad.
    A non-profit organization with no permanent space, the CIAC earned an international reputation with the Cent jours d'art contemporain de Montréal, held from 1985 to 1996..
    Since 1998, the CIAC has been pursuing its commitment to contemporary art through the Biennale de Montréal.
    Aside from the organization of major events, the CIAC has been responsible for the production of an electronic arts magazine, solo exhibitions and a writing contest first intended for students, now opened to the general public.
    The Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal, which celebrated twenty years of active commitment in the arts in 2004, has always featured artists from the visual arts, architecture, landscape architecture, graphic and industrial designs, video and film.
    Since 1984, the centre has presented to a general audience the most prominent figures of the contemporary art scene, allowing over 500,000 people to see and appreciate the work of some 800 artists.

Claude Gosselin
CIAC EXECUTIVE AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Awarded a prestigious Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts (Canada) for his exceptional contribution in 2005, Claude Gosselin has been actively involved in the Québec art scene as a curator and cultural promoter for over thirty-five years.
    Gosselin was visual arts agent at the Canada Council for the Arts from 1975 to 1979 and director of temporary exhibitions/curator at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal from 1979 to 1983. In 1983, he founded the Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal (CIAC) and, as artistic and general director, organised the first annual Cent jours d'art contemporain de Montréal, which lit up the city's artistic scene from 1985 to 1996.
    In 1998, he created the Biennale de Montréal, a major and outstanding event within the burgeoning network of international biennials. The following year, he received the Prix Carrière of the Société des musées québécois. Through his constant involvement in the art milieu and his powerful inspiration, Claude Gosselin contributes to the dissemination of contemporary art to a wider audience.
    Claude Gosselin is the curator of the first Biennale d'art contemporain du Havre, wich will be held in France from June 1 to 25, 2006.

Wayne Baerwaldt
CURATOR OF THE BIENNALE DE MONTRÉAL 2007

Wayne Baerwaldt is an independent curator and writer, and the former Director of The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto. He has curated and co-curated numerous exhibitions for institutions such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Modern Art Sao Paulo, Plug In ICA of Winnipeg, the Power Plant and others.
    His best-known projects trace performative elements with an emphasis on shifting identities. He developed and presented official exhibitions at the Bienal de São Paulo (1994), the Istanbul Bienal (1999), the Shanghai Biennale (2000), and the 49th Venice Biennale (2001) where Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller's The Paradise Institute won two prizes. The Paradise Institute continues to tour to renowned museums in Canada and abroad.
    As an independent curator Baerwaldt is the only Canadian member of the Exhibition Committee of Independent Curators International, New York and contributes programming to the Curators' Consortium at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon, Canada. He was recently appointed Adjunct Professor in Fine Arts at the University of British Columbia.
    He has contributed articles and essays to City Magazine, Art&Text, Border Crossings, Parkett, Art on Paper, Guia des Artes, Poliester, Art Paper, C Magazine, and numerous catalogues including the recent monograph, Glenn Ligon: Some Changes.

Press releases

The Biennale de Montréal announces the new dates and the name of the commissioner of its 2007 edition
Wayne Baerwaldt was appointed curator of the Biennale de Montréal 2007
An office for contemporary art

Montréal, September 7, 2005

THE BIENNALE DE MONTRÉAL ANNOUNCES THE NEW DATES AND THE NAME OF THE COMMISSIONER OF ITS 2007 EDITION

Wayne Baerwaldt, guest commissioner of the 5th Biennale de Montréal

The 5th Biennale de Montréal will be under the artistic direction of Wayne Baerwaldt, announced CIAC Director General Claude Gosselin, producer of the Biennale, at a press conference.

"I am very happy to announce that Wayne Baerwaldt has agreed to be the commissioner of the 5th edition of the Biennale de Montréal. Wayne Baerwaldt has vast experience in designing art exhibitions and organising major visual art projects. His expertise is a significant contribution to the Biennale de Montréal. "I am delighted to be able to count on him, an independent commissioner and a renowned author, as project manager for the programming of this 5th edition."

New dates for the Biennale de Montréal

The Biennale de Montréal, which used to be held in September and October, will from now on take place in May and June.

Many reasons have led the CIAC to move the event, among which are a more favourable period for student groups visiting from outside Montreal; the possibility to propose to teachers in September projects related to the themes of the Biennale students can work on through the school year and submit their work at the Biennale; better weather conditions for the discovery of works exhibited outdoors in the public domain, and the possibility to develop partnerships with other cultural events drawing aficionados of related forms of art, be it theatre, electronic arts, dance or music.

By deferring its 5th edition to 2007, the Biennale de Montréal will have optimum planning and programming, with an assured budget and the confirmed support of its public partners.

Positive spin-offs

At a multi-party meeting, on May 4, with the Canada Council, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), the Canadian Heritage Department, Tourism Montreal and the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM), the need to develop a form of multi-year financing was recognised to ensure the success and durability of the Biennale de Montréal and its producer, the Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal (CIAC).

It was also agreed that the deferment of the Biennale to 2007 would enable organisers and subsidising organisations to harmonise their schedules and the CIAC to consolidate its administrative and artistic base.

Thanks to the consensus achieved, the Biennale will be in a position to guarantee fees, exhibition sites, infrastructures and a visibility worthy of an event of international dimension to the commissioner and the artists.

"Echoing the arguments and the strategic vision presented by Claude Gosselin on May 4, we believe the Biennale de Montréal will have positive spin-offs at the artistic, cultural and touristic levels, and this on the local, provincial and national scenes," said Danielle Sauvage, Director General and Secretary of the Conseil des arts de Montréal. "For this reason, we, the representatives of the Canada Council, Canadian Heritage, Tourism Montreal and the CAM, have decided collectively to support the CIAC's efforts and help finance the Biennale de Montréal on a multi-year basis, as the CALQ does since a few years."

Claude Gosselin is grateful for the commitment of public bodies to finance the arts and sincerely thanks them.

"Multi-year financing, the one-year postponement of the event, and the move to May and June will enhance the durability of the Biennale de Montréal. This gives us assurance and a possibility we didn't have before to work in the long term. Everybody stands to gain. We are heading towards the 5th Biennale with enthusiasm."

Founded in 1983, the Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal (CIAC) has given itself a mandate to promote Quebec, Canadian and international contemporary art. A non-profit organisation of no fixed abode, the CIAC first won renown on the national and international scenes with the Cent jours d'art contemporain de Montréal from 1985 to 1996. Since 1998, the CIAC has maintained its commitment to contemporary art through the Biennale de Montréal, the contest Devenez critique d'art, the CIAC's Electronic Magazine, the publication of catalogues, and it takes on exhibition commissions for ad hoc projects.

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Source : Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal
For further information:
Pierre Pilotte
Director of Communications
(514) 288-0811
pierre.pilotte@ciac.ca

Montréal, September 7, 2005

For art as diverse, expansive and social
WAYNE BAERWALDT WAS APPOINTED CURATOR OF THE BIENNALE DE MONTRÉAL 2007

Claude Gosselin, executive and artistic director of Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal — CIAC, announces the appointment of Wayne Baerwaldt as curator of the 5th Biennale de Montréal, which will be held in May and June 2007.

Wayne Baerwaldt's resume

He developed and presented official exhibitions at the Bienal de São Paulo (1994), the Istanbul Bienal (1999), the Shanghai Biennale (2000), and the 49th Venice Biennale (2001) where Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller's The Paradise Institute won two prizes. The Paradise Institute continues to tour to renowned museums in Canada, United States and Europe.

As an independent curator Baerwaldt is the only Canadian member of the Exhibition Committee of Independent Curators International, New York and contributes programming to the Curators' Consortium at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon, Canada. He was recently appointed Adjunct Professor in Fine Arts at the University of British Columbia.

He has contributed articles and essays to City Magazine, Art&Text, Border Crossings, Parkett, Art on Paper, Guia des Artes, Poliester, Art Paper, C Magazine, and numerous catalogues including the recent monograph, Glenn Ligon: Some Changes.

The Biennale de Montréal 2007: for art as diverse, expansive and social

The Biennale will be curated around the axis of a focused survey of contemporary Canadian art and presentations by established and emerging international artists. The aim is to induce the unexpected in new and recent art, and to recognize those aspects of art production and presentation that permeate the barriers of mainstream Canadian culture. Montreal is a city widely recognized as Canada's cosmopolitan, sexy urban environ. It is an urbane platform from which to argue for art as diverse, expansive and social.

Curated by Wayne Baerwaldt, the Biennale de Montréal 2007 program selection process will also be informed by contributions from established and emerging Canadian curators. Their critical focii and expertise in various formats will address leading ideas behind contemporary art history in Canada as well as critical discourses and aesthetic concerns in international art.

The Biennale de Montréal 2007 emphasizes the primacy of new art, its vitality and ability to generate debate and related ideas. As an active virus for the public's imagination, the Biennale is an art institution that reflects and responds to the changing nature of art practice. The Biennale's seminars, conferences and colloquia will be open to the public.

The fifth edition of the Biennale de Montréal will take place in May and June 2007.

- 30 -

Source : Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal
For further information:
Pierre Pilotte
Director of Communications
(514) 288-0811
pierre.pilotte@ciac.ca

Montréal, September 7, 2005

Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal - CIAC
AN OFFICE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART

Aside from the organization of major events, the CIAC has been responsible for the production of an electronic arts magazine (www.ciac.ca), solo exhibitions and a writing contest first intended for students, now opened to the general public.

The Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal, which celebrated twenty years of active commitment in the arts in 2004, has always featured artists from the visual arts, architecture, landscape architecture, graphic and industrial designs, video and film. Since 1984, the centre has presented to a general audience the most prominent figures of the contemporary art scene, allowing over 500,000 people to see and appreciate the work of some 800 artists.

Claude Gosselin, CIAC's executive and artistic director

Gosselin was visual arts agent at the Canada Council for the Arts from 1975 to 1979 and director of temporary exhibitons/curator at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal from 1979 to 1983. In 1983, he founded the Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal (CIAC) and, as artistic and general director, organised the first annual Cent jours d'art contemporain de Montréal, which lit up the city's artistic scene from 1985 to 1996. In 1998, he created the Biennale de Montréal, a major and outstanding event within the burgeoning network of international biennials. The following year, Claude Gosselin received the Prix Carrière of the Société des musées québécois. Through his constant involvement in the art milieu and his powerful inspiration, he contributes to the dissemination of contemporary art to a wider audience. Claude Gosselin is the curator of the 1rst Biennale du Havre, which will be held in France in 2006.

- 30 -

Source : Centre international d'art contemporain de Montréal
For further information:
Pierre Pilotte
Director of Communications
(514) 288-0811
pierre.pilotte@ciac.ca