Exhibition heaven

>>Urban design, haute couture, eco
art and up-and-comers set a new
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WRITTEN ON THE BODY: From Prenez soin de vous
by Sophie Calle at DHC/ART

by STACEY DEWOLFE

The heat of summer is finally (well, almost) upon us, and though many of the city’s smaller galleries take their annual leave in June and July, there is nevertheless an abundance of excellent art-going to be had over the next few months.

If you’re like me, that is, nurturing an obsession with all things urban/modernist/design, then you will want to check out Some Ideas About Living in London and Tokyo at the Centre for Canadian Architecture (1920 Baile) on until October 26.

Featuring the work of Ryue Nishizawa and Stephen Taylor, the show is an inspiration, investigating the challenges inherent to creating liveable spaces within the urban milieu, as well as exploring the impact that different cultural contexts can have on architecture and design.

Leaving the realities of city living behind, escape into the fantasy of haute couture at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (to September 28) where a new retrospective of Yves Saint Laurent highlights the fine line between art and fashion.

Over at Parisian Laundry (3550 St-Antoine), until July 12, Nathan J. Wasserbauer’s The Armada of Panoramix examines the fragile balance between order and chaos. Working with an ice cream coloured palette, the paintings possess a vitality and depth that surprises, as abstract acrylics can sometimes seem as though they are clinging to the surface of the canvas.

Downstairs in the bunker, you can check out the sculptures of Valérie Blass, whose work is also on view as part of the Musée d’art contemporain’s first ever triennial devoted exclusively to the work of contemporary Quebec artists.

HEADLONG INTO THE FUTURE:
White Noise by Kristi Ropeleski at Art Mûr

ETHICAL ART

For art and design lovers committed to ethical living, a new gallery and retail space on St-Laurent has answered your call. Striking a balance between aesthetics and environmental sustainability, CO feels like a labour of love, handpicking its wares from art communities around the world. See their Web site for upcoming shows this fall, www.galerie-co.com.

Fans of recycling should also check out Rotation, Rotation, June 28–29 at Articule (262 Fairmount). The fundraising sale will also mark the launch of the summer window project.

In July, when the incessant heat turns from blessing to curse, seek cooler climes in the gorgeous gallery spaces of DHC/ART (451/468 St-Jean). The North American premiere of Sophie Calle’s much anticipated Prenez soin de vous (Take Care of Yourself)—which opens on July 11 and runs to October 19—is on the top of my list.

Produced for the Venice Biennale in 2007, the multimedia collaboration between Calle and 107 invited female participants was inspired by her attempts to come to terms with a failed relationship after receiving a break-up e-mail from a lover.

Or if you are one of those people who can’t get enough of summer fun, stay outdoors and take in the sights on the Festival International Montréal en Arts’ Boulevart, a stretch of Ste-Catherine between St-Hubert and Papineau upon which you can view dozens of installations and exhibits, and have the opportunity to meet the artists behind the work.

One project that sounds particularly enticing is Victoria Stanton’s Eat How You Feel-Mange tes sentiments, which is described as an opportunity to feed cake to a perfect stranger, offering a “moment of sweetness for the tongue, and for the heart.”

SPLAT: The Long Defeat
by Nathan J. Wasserbauer at Parisian Laundry

YOUNG GUNS

A host of shows await visitors to the Belgo Building (372 Ste-Catherine). The Summer Practicum at Skol brings together a group of young artists and writers to explore the theme of borders as it relates to artistic practice. The fruits of their labours will be on view from July 18–Aug. 14.

Visual Voice, in conjunction with FIMA, presents Kaléidoscope Latin featuring the paintings of Mariana Escribano and the sculptures of Maridilia Martins throughout the month of July.

Farther north, away from the bustle of festival insanity, Art Mûr (5826 St-Hubert) hosts the fourth annual Peinture fraîche-Fresh Paint (July 12–Aug. 16). This showcase of new painting was curated by professors from across Quebec and Ontario who selected student work based on its quality and originality.

And finally, for those who may find themselves hosting visitors this summer, the good folks at Pavilion Projects have made your life a little bit easier, with the Montréal Art Map, a handy guide to the city’s art scene. To download, go to their Web site, www.pavilionprojects.com/map.