The exhibitions of your holidays

During your holidays, wherever you are, you will have the opportunity (especially if the weather turns bad!) to take refuge and take your mind off things in museums, galleries and art centres. Here are some suggestions for escaping into the world of visual arts…

Eric Clement
The Press

In Montreal museums, purple hour, by Nicolas Party, is still on view at the MMFA in conjunction with the Stanley February exhibition. Mika Rottenberg is featured at the MAC, the McCord Museum exhibits the photographs of Alexander Henderson and those of JJ Levine, and at Pointe-à-Callière, the Vikings meet their fans! At Phi, the immersive works of Yayoi Kusama are the attraction of the moment. Book your tickets for a visit in August.

The Simon Blais Gallery presents two exhibitions: the sculptures and pastels of the British David Nash and the complete black and white serigraphs of Guido Molinari from the 1960s. Two periods to visit them: until July 30, then from August 23 to September 10.

At Blouin Division, two exhibitions start this Saturday. The Specular reflectionsby the painter Karine Fréchette, and Light Wishes, paintings by Alberta-born Montrealer Corri-Lynn Tetz (Information). Mature art returns with its summer edition, Fresh paint and new construction, and some forty emerging artists, from Saturday until August 27. Juno Youn presents the Canadian cartoonist Jay Dart, Pierre-François Ouellette pays tribute to the Inuit artists of the Venice and Sydney Biennials and Robert Poulin proposes Singular Plurals IIIwith notably Daniel Erban, Harold Klunder, Julie Ouellet and Simone Fick.

The Guild presents Paperholic: paper obsession with 11 artists whose medium is paper, including Sébastien Gaudette, Stéphanie Morissette, Karine Demers and Christine Sioui Wawanoloath. Italian artist Johny Ngbwa is in residence at Piroir, where he exhibits his prints until August 6.

Alex Coma hung his latest paintings until July 24 at the Belgo (Galerie POPOP). An exhibition curated by designer Rad Hourani, and works that represent the artist’s discoveries through readings, meditations and ideas acquired by practicing an ancient Egyptian ritual.

Underground Art offers an urban display at ten locations in Montreal, with works by three established artists paired with three up-and-coming artists: Nicolas Grenier and Andrée-Anne Mercier, Jannick Deslauriers and Jesus Castro Rosas, and Karen Tam and Tong Zhou Lafrance.

In Pointe-Claire, Stewart Hall presents Crossing/Crossing, curated by Didier Morelli, with Lori Blondeau, Chris Boyne, Michelle Furlong, Hazel Meyer, François Morelli, Nadia Myre and Derrick Woods-Morrow. An exploration of the links between water sports and contemporary art.

In Laval, the 3^e edition of the “Banlieue Triennale!” will begin on July 31 at the Maison des arts. Theme: the dynamics that link human habitat and natural ecosystems. With 19 artists, including Ludovic Boney, Nicolas Grenier, Marilou Lemmens and Richard Ibghy, Andreas Rutkauskas and Steven Orner.

In Saint-Hyacinthe, as part of Cultivate humility | M8jagen piwihozw8gan – the 7^e edition of the ORANGE – art event, 11 artists are exhibiting at the Expression center and the Daniel A. Séguin garden. An edition devoted to plants.

In Joliette, the Art Museum offers the first Canadian exhibition of Béatrice Balcou, a French artist living in Brussels, installations by Vancouver native Kevin Schmidt, works by Samuel Roy-Bois and others by Vicky Sabourin. An exhibition of prints by the late Louis-Pierre Bougie will also be presented from July 23 at the Cookshire-Eaton art gallery, a deployment celebrated in music by the Molinari Quartet, on September 17.

In Quebec, the offer is too dense to indicate all the quality events. Let’s mention the route Unusual passages to do on foot and the exhibition America at the MNBAQ.

In Ottawa, don’t miss the General Idea retrospective at the National Gallery of Canada, with some 200 works by the collective from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

In Gaspésie, the Reford Gardens present Over time, by Louise Tanguay. Now part of the contemporary art trail in the gardens, the 12.2 m long mural is made up of 500 photographs taken at Métis.

Finally, if you go to Europe, know that Isabelle Leduc is part of a collective exhibition, The crossing of great waters, at the Atelier du Hezo, in Brittany. And François Xavier Saint-Pierre exhibits in Venice, where he has lived since the pandemic. The Spiders and The Bees is at the Fondazione Giorgio e Armanda Marchesani until July 31.