A wealth of exhibitions in the Quartier des Spectacles

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With winter at our doorstep, indoor activities are increasingly attractive. It’s the perfect season for enjoying the many art galleries of the Quartier des Spectacles, which are presenting plenty of shows worth checking out. Here’s a quick look at what’s going on.

PATEL BROWN

372 Sainte-Catherine St. W.

Is this it? by Kim Dorland

Don’t miss your chance to see Kim Dorland’s “Is this it?” – the exhibition runs until November 11. The visual artist, who has long been fascinated with the future, answers the titular question in paint. Dorland focuses on ecosystems and has previously painted forests ravaged by fire, but the mega-fires that tore through Canada in 2023 pushed him to go farther and imagine an imminent end of the world. That said, this show, curated by Bénédicte Ramade, is not so much an expression of anguished reaction as an urgent call to action.

GALERIE DE L'UQAM

1400 Berri St., Pavillon Judith-Jasmin | Room J-R120

Le septième pétale d’une tulipe-monstre by Caroline Boileau, Mimi Haddam, Daze Jefferies, Ikumagialiit, Helena Martin Franco, Dominique Rey, Winnie Truong

Starting November 3, the UQAM gallery presents the group show “Le septième pétale d’une tulipe-monstre.” Co-produced with La Maison des artistes visuels francophones (Manitoba) and Galerie d’art Louise-et-Reuben-Cohen (New Brunswick), the exhibition explores perceptions of the body through hybrid, indecisive forms and by investigating the possibilities of metamorphosis. The project was developed to be presented as three distinct exhibits in each gallery, giving each one the freedom to choose their path through the show.

CENTRE DES ARTS ACTUELS SKOL

372 Sainte-Catherine St. W.

Denis Rioux : Travaux d’atelier

“Denis Rioux: Travaux d’atelier” presents studio and outdoor photographs by the artist, reflecting the sources of his photographic inspiration. For more than two decades, Rioux has been exploring the conditions of existence of photography as a means of capturing reality. The works, on display until December 16, testify to the obsessiveness of the artist’s quest for light, shape and space.

CINÉMATHÈQUE QUÉBÉCOISE

335 De Maisonneuve Blvd. E.

Félicité Landrivon: Independent Poster-Maker

Félicité Landrivon’s posters are being displayed at the Cinémathèque québécoise, for the first time in Canada, until February 4. This exhibition is an opportunity to discover the artist’s vision along with the film screenings the posters advertise, treating them as unique, ephemeral events. The poster is a medium with space for illustrating the small asides that punctuate a screening. Exhibition-goers soak in the atmosphere of each of the travelling screenings illustrated by the artist.

Nightlife (La vie nocturne) by Cyprien Gaillard

Also at the Cinémathèque québécoise, presented in collaboration with the Musée d’art contemporain, is the 3^D film Nightlife by Cyprien Gaillard, until November 5. The French artist, who won the Marcel-Duchamp prize in 2010, examines the erosion of shapes, meaning and historical perspective through his contemplation of architecture. Presented as an immersive installation, the film – shot entirely at night in Berlin, Cleveland and Los Angeles – reveals the political, social and environmental impacts of human interactions, even if we do not see any human presence at all…

MACM Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal

Place Ville-Marie – Gallery Level 

Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia by Maria Alyokhina

First they rattled the Putin regime, then they attracted its ire and paid a heavy price for their dissidence – smiling the whole time. “Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia” is the first exhibition dedicated to the feminist collective’s activism. It was made possible when activist artist Maria Alyokhina (imprisoned with two other members of Pussy Riot in 2012, after a guerrilla performance in Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral) met Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson. The show, running from October 25 to March 10, documents the artistic and activist work of the group, which called its relationship with the authoritarian Russian state “dancing with the devil.”

PROMENADE DES ARTISTES

Between de Maisonneuve and Président-Kennedy

Vibrer ensemble, 20 ans d’expériences mémorables

To mark the 20^th anniversary of the Quartier des Spectacles, relive the fondest memories of residents, visitors, artisans and artists with this retrospective exploring every facet of the city’s cultural heart. The open-air exhibition, designed by Urbania, is open to all until November 12. Enhance your visit with the digital component: vibrerensemble20ansqds.ca.