Seripop 'No Henge' exhibition Thursday, July 2nd at the Emporium

Seripop's No Henge exhibition, their first solo exhibition in Montreal (and first Canadian exhibition in almost 2 years), opens this Thursday, July 2nd at the Emporium Gallery (3035 St. Antoine Ouest #74) from 7PM-11PM.

No Henge elaborates on the Montreal-based Seripop's penchant for psychedelic exuberance through an immersive, silkscreen-based kaleidoscopic take over of the Emporium Gallery. No surface will be left bare so be prepared for the onslaught. You can see Seripop's artwork here.

For more information go to Emporium website here or click on the flier above. Us and Bierbrier are excited to be presenting this! Thanks, Ben Pobjoy

Professor Norman Cornett: "Since when do we divorce the right answer from an honest answer?" documentary premieres this week in Montreal

Dr. Norman Cornett, one of Montreal's most interesting and intriguing characters, is the subject of Professor Norman Cornett: "Since when do we divorce the right answer from an honest answer?", a new NFB documentary by award-winning filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin that documents Cornett's unorthodox approach to teaching as well as his controversial dismissal from McGill. Passionate and remarkable, Cornett is a Montreal gem.

Professor Norman Cornett: "Since when do we divorce the right answer from an honest answer?" is premiering in Montreal this week (the film is in English but with French subtitles);

Tuesday June 16, 7 pm
Grande bibliothèque 475, boul. De Maisonneuve Est
(Free admission for this screening only)

Wednesday June 17, 8:30 pm
Cinema ONF 1564 St-Denis
Tickets and information: 514 677-1377

Following the film there will be a Q&A with filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin and guests. This should not be missed! I'll be at the Tuesday premiere, Ben Pobjoy

Emporium State of Mind / June 18th at the Emporium Gallery

The Emporium Gallery and Montreal State of Mind (Montreal's most important blog focused on local bilingual arts and culture) will be combining forces to present 'Emporium State of Mind', a media spanning group exhibition that will exemplify Montreal State of Mind's mission- to promote the inherent creativity of those who live in Montreal done through the Emporium Gallery's curation. 'Emporium State of Mind' will feature the work of almost 15 Montreal-based visual artists (listed below, who will each be exhibiting one artwork priced at a maximum of $200CAD). The intent of the 'Emporium State of Mind' is to celebrate both Montreal's inherent creativity and the city's emerging artists all while giving attendees the opportunity to buy artwork at an incredibly affordable price.

Emporium State of Mind will open at the Emporium Gallery (3035 St. Antoine Ouest, #74) on Thursday, June 18th 2009 from 7PM - 11PM. The exhibition will also be open Saturday, June 20th and Sunday, June 21st 2009 from 12PM-5PM. Private viewings available by appointment from Monday, June 22nd to Wednesday, June 24th 2009.


Click on the flier above to learn which artists are participating or click here for more information. Come show your support for Montreal's emerging artists and celebrate Montreal's creativity, Ben Pobjoy

Niall McClelland's 'Losers' exhibition opens at the Emporium Gallery on Thursday, May 21st!

Niall McClelland's 'Losers' exhibition will open at the Emporium Gallery (3035 St. Antoine Ouest #74) on Thursday, May 21st from 7PM-11PM. The exhibition will also be open on Saturday, May 23rd and Sunday, May 24th from 12PM-5PM. Private viewings will be available thereafter by appointment from Monday, May 25th to Wednesday, May 27th.

About Losers
Niall McClelland is a Toronto-based multi-disciplinary artist whose work has been featured in such publications as Adbusters, Arkitip, Nylon, The Walrus and Tokion. Losers, his first Montreal exhibition, is a collection of new artworks that are in fact a series of imagined and forgotten flags- each of which exemplify McClelland's interest in absurdity, misspent youth, graphic systems of identity and the language of mark making.

Artist Statement
"There is a strong material focus in my work, frequently limited to a grey scale palette and readily available materials such as graphite, photocopies, ink and paper. These materials reflect the nature of the subjects whose identity is being explored and re-imagined. There is both a sense of recklessness and restraint in my work, markings that imagine violent and brutal past lifes, while also retaining an inherent solemnity and respect.

The work created for the Emporium Gallery is a series of imagined and forgotten flags, residing in this make shift space in dedication to their forgotten owners. These are symbols of identity that have been lost in history, symbols of the forgotten and insignificant, overshadowed and tossed aside. This is an attempt to re-create a place of importance for some of those losers."

About Niall McClelland
Niall McClelland, 28, grew up in Toronto, Ontario, spent many of his summers in Northern Ireland, went to school at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver BC, and eight years later moved back to Toronto where he currently resides.

He has previously exhibited in Toronto, New York City, Toronto, Vancouver, Seattle, Denver and Sydney and, has been commissioned by Adidas, Nike, Element Skateboards and many others.

For more information click on the invite above. To see more of Niall McClelland's work click here. Thanks, Ben Pobjoy

The Emporium Gallery chosen as 4th best Art Gallery in Montreal by readers of the Montreal Mirror!

We would like to thank all the Montreal Mirror readers that voted for the Emporium Gallery in the publication's 2009 'Best of Montreal' readers poll. We were voted the 4th best art gallery in Montreal- which we consider a real achievement given that the Emporium Gallery is less than 2 years old. So, we're elated and consider this recognition to be the best recognition we've earned to date- since it's the outcome of a popular vote rather than praise heaped on us by a singular writer or editor. You can see the Montreal Mirror's BOM poll here. A million thanks to everyone who voted for us- we do not take your support for granted! Thanks, Ben Pobjoy

Switzerland designs a poster for folk legend Pete Seeger

Switzerland recently collaborated with photographer Jamie-James Medina (of Polite Company) and illustrator Dave Arnold to design a poster for Pete Seeger's 90th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden. A lot of you have inquired about the poster so we decided to post it. Needless to say it was an absolute honor to design a poster for Pete Seeger, a folk legend- made a million times more amazing given that Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Tom Morello, Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson and a ton of others played the show. The poster was printed in a limited capacity with each copy signed by Seeger himself. If I'm not mistaken all the performers received a copy of the signed poster with the remaining posters being auctioned for Seeger's Clearwater charity. We got word that we're going to receive some signed posters so we're thrilled. Hope you like it, Ben Pobjoy

Dr. Norman Cornett, our pal, the subject of a NFB Documentary!

If you have ever been to the Emporium Gallery you have probably found me deep in conversation with Dr. Norman Cornett (pictured above), one of our most beloved patrons. I first met Dr. Cornett last year when he attended my Land of America installation and playfully challenged me to defend it. I was awestruck by Dr. Cornett's passion for the arts- he cannot be matched in Montreal. I see him at every exhibition deep in conversation with the artist that is exhibiting- it's marvelous. Anyway, Dr. Cornett has evolved to be a dear friend of mine and I consider him to be a gem of a man. It's why I'm ecstatic to announce that the National Film Board will be releasing a documentary about him. You can see the trailer here. Support this and spread the word! Ben Pobjoy