Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art’s Exhibitions

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Table of Contents

Mission
Exhibitions
How the Museum has Formed the Definition of Contemporary Art
Conclusion
References

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal is a Canada-based ultra-modern gallery that is specifically located in Montreal, Quebec. The museum was established over five decades ago, particularly in 1964, as Canada’s first ever ultra-modern art center. In terms of mission, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal is dedicated to revealing to the world the crucial position that the present-day art holds in the community. Some of its collections include the Hito Steyerl of 2014, Jean-Pierre Gauthier of 2013-2014, and Jon Rafman of 2014 among others (MAC, 2018). In addition to presenting two important exhibitions at the gallery, this paper will further demonstrate the significance of the museum’s mission statement while at the same time highlighting how it has enhanced the definition of contemporary art through its artifacts.

Mission

The need for preserving heritage has been the driving force and mission that led to the establishment of the famous Canadian museum (Lauzon, 2016). The Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal’s mission is important because it emphasizes the need to confirm to the word that contemporary art has a central role to play in terms of presenting and preserving societies’ culture and nature. The mission has been significant to the residents of Montreal, Quebec, and the entire Canada because it has helped to assemble local and global performers who have demonstrated their artistic talents to the extent of attracting visitors from within the region or country and even overseas. Hence, the region within which the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal is situated has gained from its interactions with diverse cultures, thanks to the museum’s embracement of its mission of availing outstanding discoveries, including the ever-transforming, innovative and the least anticipated but memorable experiences.

Exhibitions

Leonard Cohen forms part of the most important exhibitions in the Montreal-based museum. The image below shows a part of this exhibition.

Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything

Title: Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything
Date: (9/11/2017-9/4/2018)
Theme: The exhibition’s theme is humanity’s imperfections that cut across all areas of people’s lives. Such imperfections pave the way for rejuvenation
Source: (Barone, 2017)

The exhibition revolves around Leonard Cohen’s years and profession as a visual artist before he met his death. He influenced many artists during his time. Some of the songwriters and performers who benefited from Leonard Cohen include his son, Leonard Cohen, who is currently a renowned instrumentalist in Canada, having released albums such as We Go Home and Like a Man among others (McLean, 2014). According to Kelly, other artists who attribute their expertise to Leonard Cohen include Neema, the writer of the song Painting My Wall Gold. Appendix 1 shows artworks presented in this exhibition.

“There is a Crack in Everything” is an important exhibition that reveals to the world that imperfections in people’s lives may be a blessing in disguise. The multi-faceted presentation will pave the way for global and local songwriters and other artists to showcase assorted collections of their novel artworks, thanks to the motivation they achieved from Leonard Cohen’s approach to music and strategic themes (Johnson, 2016). Guests will also testify of the vibrant and interactive experience where Leonard Cohen will be at the center of the exhibition. They will also appreciate taking home the central theme that their flaws are not meant to pull them back but rather contribute to the beauty of their lives.

“That’s How the Light Gets In” is another crucial exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal. The image below shows the theme of this exhibition.

That’s How the Light Gets In

Title: That’s How the Light Gets In
Date: (15/12/2017-19/08/2018)
Theme: As the theme of the exhibition, light is presented as a contemporary tool that can transform all elements it is subjected to, including people’s lives
Source: (MAC, 2018)

This exhibition is founded on Leonard Cohen’s song Anthem where the key theme of light illuminating dark areas takes the center stage. Here, according to Werber (2016), Cohen uses these words metaphorically to remind people that hope is never lost and that there is always a point in life when all dark moments are overturned.

I regard this exhibition as important based on its message that although life may be characterized by many instances of hopelessness, remaining on course no matter the challenges paves the way for greater potential of achieving the goal at hand. Light dominates this exhibition in an artistic manner to signify the need for determination and the ultimate sigh of relief in the end (O’Neil, 2015; Raab, 2017). Appendix 2 depicts some of the artworks or objects presented in this exhibition.

How the Museum has Formed the Definition of Contemporary Art

The creativity demonstrated in the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal through its exhibitions has significantly redefined art to the extent of shifting from incorporating traditional elements to emphasizing modernity, thanks to the advancements made in various fields such as technology. Such developments have influenced the way people interact, perceive issues, and consequently the way art is presented. The museum under study harbors more than 7,000 pieces of art developed by approximately 1,500 actors, although roughly 300 of them are currently dead, for instance, Leonard Cohen (MAC, 2018). In fact, the museum epitomizes modern art since its collections consist of artworks, which have been produced continuously from 1948 to date.

In terms of what is shown as contemporary art, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal is home to an assortment of disciplines, which consist of canvas, sketches, printmaking, monuments, installations, and films. Most of the contents presented in the museum demonstrate Québec artworks featuring the input of people such as Paul-Émile Borduas, Fernand Leduc, Betty Goodwin, and Geneviève Cadieux, just to name a few (MAC, 2018). It also captures Canadian artworks produced by renowned people, including Jack Bush and Jeff Wall in addition to many more. Performances done by global actors are also available in the museum.

For instance, some of the globally recognized stars whose works appear in the museum are Bill Viola, Louise Bourgeois, and Mario Merz among others. To present the artworks, the museum has invested in exhibitions that deploy ultra-modern technologies, the most recent artistic works, and experimental drama. I think the museum offers the correct definition of contemporary art. Specifically, it has a distinct section of anthologies and actions that are designated for performances or artistic works by actors who are not only currently alive but also individuals who have deployed contemporary media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube among others (Kwastek, 2013). In other words, the center is comprised of artistic materials that have been successfully produced using the newest technologies while at the same time conveying messages concerning current events.

Conclusion

Based on the expositions made in the paper, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal is confirmed to be a center where locals and global guests in need of ultra-modern artworks can visit to gain memorable experiences. Overall, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal is significant because it harbors tangible and intangible information regarding key national or global elements that capture particular countries’ cultural and natural inheritance. As an area of improvement, the museum’s administrators may consider extending the visiting duration by some few hours to allow guests adequate time to learn from the contemporary artwork presented therein. They may also consider increasing the number of car-parking lots to accommodate more visitors in the museum.

References

Barone, J. (2017). Leonard Cohen exhibition is planned for museum in Montreal.New York Times. Web.

Johnson, B. (2016). Leonard Cohen’s third act. Maclean’s, 129(39), 58-62.

MAC. (2018). That’s how the light gets in.Web.

McLean, C. (2014). Interview: Leonard Cohen’s son Adam on his father’s legacy and new album We Go Home.Independent. Web.

Kelly, B. (2016). Brendan Kelly’s Q&A: NEeMA talks creativity, Leonard Cohen and her new album, Painting My Wall Gold.Montreal Gazette. Web.

Kwastek, K. (2013). Aesthetics of interaction in digital art. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Lauzon, C. (2016).The unmaking of home in contemporary art. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.

O’Neil, M. (2015). Leonard Cohen, singer of the bible. Cross Currents, 65(1), 91-99.

Raab, C. (2017). How the light gets in. Commonweal, 144(8), 15-18.

Werber, C. (2016). There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in”: The story of Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem”.Quartz. Web.

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