Plural Fair | Rock-Plural-scissors | The Press

It’s the return of the Fair… Plural. Formerly known as Foire Papier. More than 500 artists represented by some fifty art galleries will be present in the Old Port of Montreal for this annual meeting with visual arts enthusiasts. Here’s what you need to know about this 16^e Fair.

A name change

The management of the Association of Contemporary Art Galleries (AGAC), which organizes the event, justifies its change of name by the fact that the Fair is no longer devoted solely to “works on paper”, and this, since 2019. “Art is plural, there are several mediums today,” says the director general of the AGAC, Julie Lacroix. We liked the idea of ​​the plurality of voices, artists, galleries. “Aware that the name Plural (which also means plural in English) is not unanimous, she believes that the intriguing adjective will make its way. “We had to replace the word ‘Paper’, which did not reflect the full variety of works we present and which did not help us attract the major donors to the museums we want to see here. »

What will we find there?

Historically, we have always found everything at the Papier/Plural Fair, but above all for all budgets. Since 2019, the works have been extremely varied: paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, blown glass, videos, installations, there really is something for everyone, but will there be a preferred form? “We know that there will be a lot of paintings, the art form that always sells the most and that attracts art collectors, says Julie Lacroix. In fact, we will discover the works presented almost at the same time as the visitors since the invited art galleries have carte blanche. Julie Lacroix tells us, however, that the Casa Project collectors have teamed up with Plural to present an installation by young artist Caroline Mauxion.

A fair for whom?

The mission of the now Plural Fair, since its inception, has always been to democratize art, to reach the first buyers and the general public. The event took on the appearance of a “Visual Arts Book Fair”. But for several years, the AGAC has wanted to appeal to another clientele: art collectors. So there are more featured artists, but the prices for the works are also much higher. “It’s true, agrees Julie Lacroix, but we continue to address the general public. For example, there are nearly 300 works under $2,000 this year, so even if they are not prominently displayed behind gallery kiosks, one can ask to see the inventory where they are. Some galleries will also offer their favorites for first-time buyers.

An exhibition devoted to seven artists

New this year: seven Canadian artists in contemporary art have been chosen for this multidisciplinary exhibition bringing together paintings, sculptures, textile works and multimedia installations. Adam Basanta (Ellephant), Rick Leong (Ertaskiran), Shannon Bool (Daniel Faria Gallery), Élisabeth Perrault (Pangea), Graeme Patterson (Chiguer contemporary art), Sarah Stevenson (Blouin Division) and Lorna Bauer (Galerie Nicolas Robert) of the happy couple selected by the Foire Plural steering committee set up for the occasion. Each artist will present a major work. “Next year, we are thinking of entrusting the exhibition to a curator”, specifies Julie Lacroix.

The galleries represented

AGAC has invited some fifty art galleries to take part in its 16^e Fair, five more than last year. All the galleries present must represent artists, which immediately excludes artist-run centers and puts “alternative” galleries at a disadvantage – at the service of artists, but which do not represent them, much like Studio Cache does, a veritable incubator young talents. “We are not opposed to hosting project-galleries, which do not make representations, Julie Lacroix tells us again, it has already happened with the Tap, Parc Offsite or Toward galleries, but we will favor galleries which represent artists. The management had to refuse – for lack of space – a dozen galleries for the Plural Fair this spring.

art and artificial intelligence

This is one of the topics that will be discussed during the Plural Forum. “What is the place of humans in the creative process? will be one of the questions raised in this workshop, which will be attended by Valentine Goddard, lawyer and commissioner with expertise in artificial intelligence. The CEO of AI Impact Alliance will speak out on the many intellectual property issues. The appearance of Dall-E, Midjourney and Stability AI software has changed the virtual landscape of the visual arts. All you have to do is type in a description of what you want to see appear and the style you want to adopt, and bam! a work is thus created. “It’s ultra-realistic,” says Valentine Goddard, who hopes to open the discussion on how to frame these works.

The Plural Fair will take place from April 21 to 23 at the Grand Quai pavilion in the Old Port of Montreal.