MONTREAL, Oct. 30, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - On the first anniversary of Leonard Cohen's passing, the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal invites Montreal and Leonard Cohen enthusiasts to come together at the foot of Silo No. 5, at 6 p.m. on November 7, to commemorate the remarkable wordsmith. The MAC will be inaugurating a silent, majestic installation by artist Jenny Holzer as part of its Leonard Cohen: Une brèche en toute chose / A Crack in Everything exhibition, which will open at the MAC on November 9, 2017. Presented by CBC/Radio-Canada, the exhibition is part of the official program for Montreal's 375th anniversary celebrations.
Click here for a clip of For Leonard Cohen
* Please note the real artwork will be silent.
This unique and ephemeral work will be visible for five nights only, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., starting on November 7, the first anniversary of Cohen's death, and going until November 11.
"It's unusual for the MAC to venture beyond its walls and take over an urban space to give Montrealers a one-of-a-kind, public, collective experience. It was important for us to organize a sizeable, free event for Montrealers on the occasion of Montreal's 375th anniversary. It is also a moment we wanted to offer anyone wanting to mark the first anniversary of Leonard Cohen's death. In this sense, Jenny Holzer's majestic piece is a heartfelt, creative and touching silent tribute to the poet who left us so recently."
— John Zeppetelli, Director and Chief Curator at the MAC, and co-curator of the Leonard Cohen: Une brèche en toute chose / A Crack in Everything exhibition.
ENJOY THE PROJECTIONS WHILE LISTENING TO COHEN'S MUSIC ON ICI MUSIQUE
For an enhanced experience during the projections, ICI MUSIQUE offers a free "Tribute to Leonard Cohen" internet radio. You'll be thoroughly moved by the powerful emotion delivered by his deep, warm voice as well as the talent of other great artists who pay tribute by performing his songs. The selection includes: Leonard Cohen (of course), Rufus Wainwright, Ariane Moffatt, Diane Reeves, Jeff Buckley, Isabelle Boulay, Nina Simone and Philip Glass. This internet radio is a free, random playlist available via the ICI MUSIQUE app or on ICIMusique.ca.
SEE THE PROJECTIONS FROM THE MARCHÉ DES ÉCLUSIERS
To fully appreciate the work, stop at the Marché des éclusiers, which will be opened for the five nights of the event. For this occasion, a special menu, inspired by Montreal and Leonard Cohen, will be offered.
FOR LEONARD COHEN
Jenny Holzer has been projecting light onto buildings and landscapes since the early 1990s, creating large-scale installations that illuminate and reveal. Text exploring themes such as sex, war, power, fear, love, and loss is set in motion in public spaces, in sometimes startling juxtapositions that evoke solitary and shared contemplation. As part of the MAC's Cohen exhibition, Holzer will present a series of mammoth projections on Silo no. 5, one of Montreal's most iconic architectural structures. The installation will feature phrases from Cohen's poems and songs, projected in both French and English. The integration of Cohen's writing into Holzer's monumental work offers an alternative perspective on the author's words, a new way of experiencing his meanings and messages. In manifesting the relationship between the image and the written word, the language of Holzer's projections becomes, in the words of poet Henri Cole, "direct, open, unselfconscious, precise, and human."
JENNY HOLZER'S BIOGRAPHY
For more than thirty-five years, Jenny Holzer has presented her astringent ideas, arguments, and sorrows in public places and international exhibitions, including 7 World Trade Center, the Venice Biennale, the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her medium, whether formulated as a T-shirt, a plaque, or an LED sign, is writing, and the public dimension is integral to the delivery of her work. Starting in the 1970s with the New York City posters, and continuing through her recent light projections on landscape and architecture, her practice has rivaled ignorance and violence with humor, kindness, and courage. Holzer received the Leone d'Oro at the Venice Biennale in 1990, the World Economic Forum's Crystal Award in 1996, and the Barnard Medal of Distinction in 2011. She holds honorary degrees from Williams College, the Rhode Island School of Design, The New School, and Smith College. She lives and works in New York.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) wishes to first thank Leonard Cohen, who gave his generous consent to the exhibition concept while alive. The MAC also wishes to thank the family and friends of Cohen, in particular Robert Kory and Adam Cohen, who provided important support for the organization of this exhibition.
The MAC is pleased to be associated with local institutional partners who have generously contributed to the production of this exhibition. The MAC extends its warm thanks to CBC/Radio-Canada, the exhibition presenter and creator of exclusive content for the exhibition. CBC/Radio-Canada also made its archives available at no charge to the artists creating work for this project.
The MAC also wishes to thank its exhibition partners: DeSerres, Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) and the Société de transport de Montréal (STM).
Co-curatorial partners provided specific support in the realization of this exhibition. The MAC wishes to thank the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), which also made their full archives available free-of charge to the artists. The MAC and NFB are co-curators and coproducers of a work of art with the Daily tous les jours collective. The concert series Leonard Cohen: 5 concerts / 5 albums was produced in collaboration with POP Montréal.
The MAC thanks Sony Music and Sony ATV for granting permission to use the songs and archival video material of Leonard Cohen to the artists and for the purpose of the exhibition.
The MAC greatly appreciates the contribution of partners who directly supported the creation of artworks by the artists: Goethe-Institut (Candice Breitz), Spotify (Daily tous les jours), Audio Z (George Fok), Consulate General of Israel in Montreal and the Swiss Institute (Ari Folman), as well as Lytro (Zach Richter).
The MAC is a provincially owned corporation funded by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec. It receives additional funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts. The MAC also thanks its partners Loto-Québec and Ubisoft Montréal, and its media partners La Presse and Publicité sauvage.
Finally, the Musée sincerely thanks the following for their generous support: The Azrieli Foundation, the Stephen and Lillian Vineberg Family Foundation, Nick Tedeschi and Sal Guerrera, and Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation.
About the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MAC)
Located in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles, the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) makes today's art a vital part of Montréal and Québec life. For more than fifty years, this vibrant museum has brought together local and international artists, their works and an ever-growing public. It is also a place of discovery, offering visitors experiences that are continually changing and new, and often unexpected and stirring. The MAC presents temporary exhibitions devoted to outstanding and relevant current artists who provide their own particular insight into our society, as well as exhibitions of works drawn from the museum's extensive Permanent Collection. These may feature any and every form of expression: digital and sound works, installations, paintings, sculptures, ephemeral pieces, and more. In addition to its wide range of educational activities familiarizing the general public with contemporary art, the MAC organizes unique artistic performances and festive events. It is a window onto a myriad of avant-garde expressions that extend the reach of art throughout the city and beyond.
www.macm.org
About the Society for the Celebration of Montréal's 375th Anniversary
The Society for the Celebration of Montréal's 375th Anniversary is a non-profit organization whose mission is to organize the celebrations and socioeconomic contributions that will mark Montréal's 375th anniversary in 2017. With a focus on promoting Montréal expertise, it acts as a catalyst for local forces in carrying out its mandate: to mobilize the community, implement a funding strategy, rigorously manage public funds, develop quality programming and ensure the visibility of the celebrations.
The Society benefits from the support of the Ville de Montréal, the Québec government, the Canada government and private funding from 12 Great Montrealers. For more information, see 375mtl.com.
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