Kutlug Ataman
Sammy Baloji
Yael Bartana
Robert Burley
Jim Campbell
Pascal Convert
Luc Courchesne
Michael Flomen
Jeff Guess
Joana Hadjithomas
Khalil Joreige
Alfredo Jaar
Emmanuelle Leonard
Yveline Loiseur
Shelley Miller
Oscar Munoz
Cheryl Pagurek
Alain Paiement
Pavel Pavlov
Anne Ramsden
David Rokeby
Zineb Sedira
Beat Streuli
Pierre Tremblay
Yang Zhenzhong
Gaelle Morel
11th presentation around the theme "The Spaces of the Image", developed by guest curator Gaelle Morel. The event will feature 24 solo exhibitions by artists from 13 countries presented in a variety of different sites across the city in partnership with museums, galleries, artist-run centres, and maisons de la culture.
Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal is delighted to present the preview of
the program for its 11th presentation, to be held from September 10 to October 11, 2009. This fall,
the event will transform the city into a vast exhibition of contemporary photography.
Organized around the theme The Spaces of the
Image, developed by guest curator Gaëlle Morel,
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.
Taken out of their traditional framework, images
will be deployed in the exhibition spaces in the
form of in situ photographic and video
installations. Visitors will be invited to immerse
themselves in a variety of visual and sound
experiences: enlargement and monumentalization of prints, projections, the use of objects
and devices, staging strategies, etc.
EXHIBITIONS
The event will feature 24 solo exhibitions by artists from 13 countries and 4 continents, whose
practices combine images with scenographic experiences. Among them are Luc Courchesne
(Canada), Jeff Guess (USA/France), Alfredo Jaar (Chile/USA), Emmanuelle Léonard (Canada),
Oscar Muñoz (Colombia), and Beat Streuli (Switzerland). A number of the works are being
presented for the first time in North America or as world premières.
The exhibitions and public space interventions will be presented in a variety of different sites
across the city in partnership with museums, galleries, artist-run centres, and maisons de la
culture. The public event launch and several exhibitions will be held in the historic Saint-Henri
district. Thanks to the generosity of our partners, all of our exhibitions and activities open to the
general public will be presented free of charge.
ACTIVITIES / COLLOQUIUM
To compliment the exhibitions an array of activities will be offered: public event launch,
openings, artists’ talks, guided tours, program of cultural mediation offered to the general public
and to students, and an international colloquium to be held on Friday, October 2 at the Canadian
Centre for Architecture.
PUBLICATION
The publication accompanying Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal 2009, also titled The Spaces of the
Image, is edited by Gaëlle Morel and will bring together new and original contributions by art
historians and critics interested in scenographic issues. Lavishly illustrated, this 300-page
bilingual reference work will retail for $34.95 and will be available shortly before the event starts.
AWARDS
For its 11th presentation, Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal will renew its presentation of awards to
artists. Once again, the Dazibao Award will enable an artist to produce a book for Les portables
series, and the book by the 2007 winner will be available during the event. Other awards will be
announced closer to the event.
ARTISTS
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).
GUEST CURATOR’S BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
For the first time since the new artistic formula for the event was adopted, in 2003, Le Mois de la
Photo à Montréal has engaged a foreign guest curator. Gaëlle Morel, a French art historian and
freelance curator, holds a doctorate in the history of contemporary art from Université Paris 1
Panthéon-Sorbonne. Recently, she edited Photojournalisme et Art contemporain. Les Derniers
Tableaux (Paris: Éditions des Archives Contemporaines, 2008) and wrote, with Thierry Gervais,
La Photographie (Paris: Éditions Larousse, 2008). She is currently preparing an exhibition on
Berenice Abbott for the Jeu de Paume in Paris (2011).
ABOUT THE EVENT
Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal is an international biennale of contemporary photography first
presented in 1989, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the invention of photography. In 2007, the
editor of the British Journal of Photography, Simon Bainbridge, listed Le Mois de la Photo à
Montréal among the 10 best photographic events in the world, and named it "North America’s
premier biannual photo festival."
FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal is a charitable organization, and as part of our first fundraising
campaign, we invite you to visit our Web site where you can offer your support. Every donation
is greatly appreciated. Your commitment will enable us not only to continue our activities, but
also to make each edition into a unique, innovative event.
The official program is available in the exhibition sites, at our distribution partners, and can be downloaded on our Web site.
Conctact:
Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal
661, rue Rose-de-Lima, local 203 Montréal (Québec) H4C 2L7 Canada Phone: 514.390.0383 / Fax: 514.390.8802
Image: Jeff Guess, From Hand to Mouth, 1993. Installation view, The American Center, Paris, 1995. Courtesy of the artist.
Media Relations:
Marie-Catherine Leroux - Editorial Coordinator and Communications T 514.390.0383 mc.leroux@moisdelaphoto.com
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.
ALL EXHIBITIONS AND ACTIVITIES OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC WILL BE FREE OF CHARGE.