Sensing Nature
17th edition
Sept 8 – Oct 24, 2021

Curated by Stefanie Hessler in collaboration with Camille Georgeson-Usher, Maude Johnson, and Himali Singh Soin, the 17th edition of the biennale took place from September 8 to October 24, 2021.

This edition of MOMENTA can be read in multiple ways. On the one hand, it assumes a human who is sensing nature, perhaps holding a blueberry picked in a forest, exposed to various modes of perception: sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. On the other hand, it assumes nature sensing back.

51 artists, 15 exhibitions, an Indigenous-led outdoor garden, an augmented reality route, a performance program and many activities such as guided tours, discussions and workshops were presented in this edition of MOMENTA!

Until 2022, visit 4 of the 15 exhibitions of MOMENTA 2021!
Laura Ortman and Caroline Monnet: Exquisite Score
Jamilah Sabur: The Mountain Sings Underwater
Anne Duk Hee Jordan: Intimacy of Strangers
Abbas Akhavan: spill

Sept, 23rd

ONLINE PERFORMANCE PROGRAM | Lara Kramer & James Oscar

Four artists and an art critic present performances responding to the theme of this edition, Sensing Nature, and explore speculative futures, ancestral memories, nondual realities, and healing practices.

Listen to Past / amongst / bones and seeds, a series of audio walking dialogues with the Oji-Cree / Mennonite artist and choreographer Lara Kramer, curated by the Black art critic James Oscar. Conversations will explore Kramer’s image-making and performative explorations spanning from her early photographic exploration of Portage la Prairie and Brandon Indian Residential School to her present billboard project In Blankets, Herds and Ghosts.

In Blankets, Herds and Ghosts by Lara Kramer is presented by Dazibao, in collaboration with MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels), as part of Dazibao satellite.

Sept, 13th

Contest “An Exhibition Just for You !”

MOMENTA x DESJARDINS

In collaboration with Desjardins, MOMENTA will offer the winners of the contest a guided tour of the exhibition “Of the Land”, at Galerie de l’UQAM. Specially created for you, the tour will be facilitated by MOMENTA’s Executive Director, a member of the curatorial team, and artist Kama La Mackerel. With 5 persons of your choice, this is the occasion to learn more about the program of MOMENTA 2021, the artists’ works and their artistic process. Exclusive access with your friends, a drink and a MOMENTA 2021 catalogue per person will be offered. This tour will take place on Tuesday, October 5, and will last 1 hour and a half. Two tours are to be won, one at 5pm and the other at 6:45pm.

This contest is open at all times from September 13 to 24, 2021. The draw will be held on September 30.

For details to participate, click here.

Contest Rules

Jun, 17th

Mérignac Photo: Video portrait of Maryse Goudreau

The photography festival Mérignac Photo, located in Mérignac, France, presents in collaboration with MOMENTA the video portrait of Quebec artist Maryse Goudreau, in addition to the presentation of her movie « Tankonautes », at the Médiathèque Michel Sainte-Marie. The artist talks about her projects completed around the discovery of a World War II tank on her property, in Escuminac, Gaspésie.

Maryse Goudreau © Mathieu Bouchard-Malo

The discovery of this military vehicle resulted in artistic and participative creations, such as the “Festival du Tank d’Escuminac – première et dernière édition”, and a honey harvest. “Tankonautes” was born from this harvest, and takes places around the immersion into two microcosms: the world of bees and the artist’s small town. We witness the transformation of a military vehicle into an engaging and dreamlike community project.

In this video portrait, the artist recalls the highlights of this ambitious and rallying project.

This video portrait was produced thanks to the support of the Délégation générale du Québec à Paris.

Maryse Goudreau is a multidisciplinary artist born in Campbellton, New-Brunswick, in 1980. She was always in Mi’kma’ki, traditional Lnu’k (Mi’kmaq) territory. She lives and works in Escuminac, Gaspésie.

Discover the full video on our YouTube channel.