Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal
Montréal, QC
IN RESPONSE TO INCREDIBLE DEMAND WE ARE EXTENDING!
Le paysage abstrait is a new major exhibition from world-renowned Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky brought to Montréal in collaboration with Arsenal Contemporary Art. Curated by Marc Mayer, former Director of the National Gallery of Canada and Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, the exhibition will feature 30 of Burtynsky’s large-format photographs as well as three high-resolution murals, unique augmented reality (AR) experiences, and a brand new video piece, all of which will echo Burtynsky’s life-long inspirations from the Abstract Expressionism movement.
Le paysage abstrait will be anchored by a special presentation of Burtynsky’s latest multimedia project, In the Wake of Progress, which saw its public world premiere during the Luminato Festival Toronto in Yonge-Dundas Square in June 2022. This 22-minute experience, co-produced by Canadian music legend Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed), will envelop audiences upon entering the exhibition. In the Wake of Progress combines the most powerful photographs and film footage of Burtynsky’s career, offering visitors a deeper survey of his 40-year oeuvre. The piece is choreographed to a breathtaking award-winning original score composed by Phil Strong with vocals by Cree Métis artist iskwē. In the Wake of Progress was Commissioned and Co-Produced by Luminato Festival Toronto.
This new exhibition follows on the trajectory of Burtynsky’s career ethos — the artist having borne witness to the impact of human industry on the natural landscape on a global scale for over four decades — but serves to slow visitors down with the contemplative beauty of some of his most painterly works and the exceptional multi-sensory experience that is In the Wake of Progress. Each of the exhibition’s elements combine to tell the story of human impact on the Earth, urging us to rethink our legacy and seek a more sustainable future.
Le paysage abstrait experience will end on a note of hope, with visitors exiting through a unique space designed to highlight both local and national organizations who are making positive contributions to the areas of sustainability, biodiversity loss, conservation and climate change with various activations and calls-to-action. Visitors will also be able to leave behind a contribution to the exhibition by leaving a message of their own hope for a sustainable future.
This presentation is bullfrog-powered with 100% green electricity. This means that Bullfrog Power’s generators put 100% green electricity onto the grid to match the amount of conventional electricity used to run the exhibition at Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal, displacing energy from polluting sources. Across Canada, Bullfrog’s green electricity comes from a blend of wind, solar and low-impact hydro power sourced from new Canadian renewable energy facilities. For more information on Bullfrog’s green energy, visit www.bullfrogpower.com