The Quebec art scene is ON FIRE.

La Belle Province is home to the country’s most exciting artists, many of which are included in the excellent Quebec Triennale at the MAC in Montreal.

Montreal also hosted the recent IKT (International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art) congress in May, which brought international curatorial eyes to the city thanks to Chantal Pontbriand of Parachute.

One of Canada’s best new galleries, the DHC Art Foundation, continues to make waves with their programming –Feist is playing the opening of Sophie Calle’s solo exhibition later this week.

Canadian chanteuse Leslie Feist. Image: rcrdlbl.com

The MMFA has co-organized the superb YSL retrospective and with the always excellent Canadian Centre for Architecture and the city’s many galleries, there is no doubt that Quebec and Montreal in particular, is the hottest place in contemporary Canadian art right now.

Here are a few of VoCA’s discoveries:

Continue reading →

The Works Art & Design Festival, Edmonton

Friday June 20 – July 2, 2008

This free, city-wide arts festival, sponsored in part by the city, the province and Canadian Heritage, sees over 400 artist’s work showcased in 28 sites housing 44 exhibitions.

The original Fantastic Planet poster. Image: aquabooks.ca

Highlights include:

-The film Fantastic Planet (Click HERE for more on the 1973 Sci-Fi film).

-Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara’s brilliant documentary on Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi in the Citadel Theatre complex Click HERE to watch some of the film.

Continue reading →

1. NEWS: CALGARY

Dennis Oppenheim’s sculpture, Device to Root out Evil moves to Calgary from Vancouver.

Dennis Oppenheim, Device to Root out Evil. Image: metamedia.stanford.edu

Originally celebrated by the Vancouver Sculpture Biennale and arguably the most valuable piece of public art in Vancouver, Oppenheim’s compelling 22-foot glass, steel and aluminum structure became more than the Vancouver Public Parks Committee could handle.

Continue reading →

While VoCA is in Europe, we asked contributor Bill Clarke to report back from this year’s Power Plant Gallery fundraiser, the Power Ball to see how it compared to the AGO’s fundraiser, Massive Party (see VoCA’s report HERE.)

To start, we must say that the PB ad campaign was fantastic:

Continue reading →

VANCOUVER:

Moodyville at Presentation House Gallery
May 3 - 15 June, 2008

An image by Dan Siney. Image: tinyvices.com

Moodyville is a group exhibition featuring work by:

Karin Bubaš - click HERE
Jim Breukelman - click HERE
Babak Golkar - click HERE
Mike Grill - click HERE

Continue reading →

1. How much will the Toronto International Art Fair improve now that Paul Morris is in charge?

Morris, a co-founder of New York’s Armory Show, now oversees six fairs owned by the Chicago-based Merchandise Mart, including Art Chicago, Next: The Invitational Exhibition of Emerging Art in Chicago (Where some of Canada’s best galleries, Birch Libralato, Edward Day, Goodwater, Greener Pastures, Katherine Mulherine, Newzones, the Other Gallery, Pierre Francois Ouellette, Clint Roenisch and Skew are exhibiting this week), Volta fair in New York and Basel, the Armory Show and TIAF.

Armory Show founder Paul Morris. Image: newyorksocialdiary.com

Continue reading →

VoCA recommends General Idea: Art, AIDS and the fin de siecle, a fantastic new film by Annette Mangaard, screening at Toronto’s Hotdocs festival on April 20 and 26, 2008.

General Idea. Image: aabronson.com

It’s a wonderful look at the history of the Canadian artist collective General Idea. Group members Felix Partz, Jorge Zontal and A.A. Bronson were active from 1969 to 1994. After Partz and Zontal died of AIDS, Bronson reinvented himself as A.A. Bronson: Healer.

Continue reading →

Has the AGO done it? Is Massive Party Toronto’s best contemporary art fundraiser?

Image: coachella.com

Continue reading →

Curators announced for Nuit Blanche 2008!

And the curators are…Wayne Baerwaldt, Dave Dyment, Gordon Hatt and Haema Sivanesan.

Continue reading →

Manitoba Arts and Culture Week: March 8 – 15

Manitoba arts and culture week is a week-long showcase of arts and cultural activities. Dance, theatre, music and the visual arts are celebrated throughout the province. Here are some interesting exhibitions on in Manitoba:

For the full schedule, please click HERE.

1. ALICIA POPOFF: PRAIRIE MEDITATION at the Ken Segal Gallery.

Mixed media works by the artist about her experience of life on the prairies.

Alicia Popoff, Space Whorls, 2006. Image: kensegalgallery.com

Continue reading →