Art Talks MTL

Dana Michel is a choreographer and performer based in Montreal.  Before obtaining a BFA in Contemporary Dance at Concordia University in her late twenties, she was a marketing executive, competitive runner and football player. She is a 2011 danceWEB scholar (Vienna, Austria) and is currently an artist-in-residence at DanceMakers (Toronto) and at Usine C (Montreal). Michel’s newest solo, Yellow Towel, was featured on the “Top Five” and the “Top Ten” 2013 dance moments in the Voir newspaper (Montreal) and Dance Current Magazine (Canada) respectively.  In 2014, she was awarded the newly created Impulstanz Award in recognition for outstanding artistic accomplishments and was highlighted amongst notable female choreographers of the year by the New York Times. The year concluded with Yellow Towel appearing on the Time Out Magazine (New York City) “Top Ten Performances” list. In this episode, Dana talks about dance as a space of exploration; hair; motherhood; her love of objects; defensive reactions to her work; and the influence of the local dance community. This episode was hosted and produced by Yaniya LeePodcast logo by Naomi Cook"The Sun Roars Into View" by Sarah Neufeld and Colin Stetson from their 2015 album Never Were the Way She Was, released on Constellation Records."5FT7" by Tonstartssbandht  from their 2009 album An When. Write to arttalksmtl@gmail.comand subscribe the podcast on ITUNES or TUMBLR.

Hajra Waheed seeks to address personal, national and cultural identity formation in relation to political history, popular imagination and the broad impact of colonial power globally.  Her mixed-media practice consists of ongoing bodies of work that constitute a growing personal archive – one developed in response to all those seemingly lost amongst rapid regional development and/or political strife.  Although works on paper remain the foundation of her practice, they often act as starting points for larger mixed media installations. Over the last decade, Waheed has participated in exhibitions worldwide, most recently including Collages: Gesture & Fragments, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, QC (2014), Sea Change, Experimenter, Kolkata (2013), (In) the First Circle, Antoni Tapies Foundation, Barcelona and Lines of Control, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, NY (2012).  She lives and works in Montréal.In this episode Hajra talks about growing up on a transnational oil corporation in Saudi Arabia; fallen satellites; her preoccupation with undisclosed documents; telling stories as a means of ordering chaos; intimacy and distance in her representations of surveillance; and collage's potential for transformation.Hajra Waheed's solo exhibition Asylum in the sea will be presented at Darling Foundry in Montreal from June 18th to August 27th 2015.fonderiedarling.org/en/Asylum-in-the-sea.htmlThis episode was hosted and produced by Yaniya Lee. Tumblr design and podcast logo by Naomi Cook.  Hajra's website: hajrawaheed.com"The Homeless Wanderer" by Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou collected on Éthiopiques 21: Ethiopia SongJoe Grass performed this lap steel cover of the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" live for La Blogothèque Write to arttalksmtl@gmail.com and subscribe the podcast on iTunes or Tumblr

Sheena Hoszko earned a BFA and an MFA in sculpture from Concordia University, and studied Visual Art at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Her work has been shown in solo exhibitions at Centre Clark, DAREDARE and La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse, and in group exhibitions  at CIRCA, Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, and VAV Gallery. By day Sheena makes music, does organizing work and is a bookkeeper at various non-profit organizations.First shown at Centre Clark and currently at A Space Gallery Toronto alongside the work of Tings Chak, Sheena's most recent sculptural installations are constructed from temporary fences of equal length to her walking measurement of nearby detention centres. In this episode Sheena talks about art practices within capitalism, the inaccessibility of information about detention centres, making sculptural work with a political motive, negotiating artistic practice as a privileged occupation, the ways in which art can move beyond the gallery, Smack Mellon's RESPOND show, Jackie Sumell's The House That Herman Built, the influenced of people in other disciplines, Nasrin Himada, Jaggi Singh, and her current food justice research at the Santa Fe Art Institute. This episode was hosted and produced by Yaniya Lee.Tumblr design and podcast logo by Naomi Cook."The Crossing" from Grace Jones' 1985 album Slave to the Rhythm"Mississipi Goddamn" performed live by Nina SimoneFind out more about Sheena on her websitehttp://sheenahoszko.com/Write to arttalksmtl@gmail.com  and subscribe the podcast on iTunes or Tumblr.

Matt Shane and Jim Holyoak met over 15 years ago in Victoria, BC. Jim draws grayscale worlds inhabited by all sorts of creatures and monsters. Matt paints colourful urban landscapes and ghost towns. Together they make large, immersive installations of drawing on paper. They've completed residencies and shown work across Canada, Europe and the United States. Though Matt and Jim both teach and have successful solo careers, they've also consistently found time to work on projects together. This long term collaboration, as best friends and artists, is a unique feature of their practice. In this episode, Matt and Jim discuss the what it feels like to be inside their own drawings over long periods of time; the emotional lulls they experience after big exhibitions; the refreshing back and forth pattern that has developed between their solo and collaborative practices; the difficult aspects of working together; Jim's nocturnal versus Matt's diurnal work habits; and the professional artist's paradox of success and lack of security.This episode was hosted and produced by Yaniya Lee.Tumblr design and podcast logo by Naomi Cook."Gassenhauer" by Carl Orff & Gunhild Keetman."Your Wings, Spread Em" performed live by Angels in America in 2011. Find out more about Jim and Matt on their websites monstersforreal.com and  mattshaneart.comWrite to arttalksmtl@gmail.com and subscribe the podcast on iTunes or Tumblr.

The Long Haul has been a non-profit, artist-run organization of affordable artist studios in Parc Extension since 2001. A board of directors oversees its greater vision, while the day to day operations are maintained by founders Vanessa Yanow and John Tinholt. Both are visual artists who started the Long Haul based on a desire to have a non-residential live/work space. Art Talks sought to learn more about the work that goes into running and maintaining such a vital resource to creative practice in Montreal.  In this episode, Vanessa talks about how the space started; balancing personal work and administrative work; the 10 000-Hour Rule; the Long Haul's mandate; the neighbourhood changes over the space's 14 year tenure on Beaumont Avenue;  the community of artists that have come together at the Long Haul; surviving near expulsion; and the benefits of becoming a non-profit organization. This episode was hosted and produced by Yaniya Lee. Podcast logo by Naomi Cook. "Savoy Blues" recording by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five. "My Heart is a real thing" from the Brahja Waldman's Quintet 2013 album Cosmic Brahjas.  Find out more about the Long Haul here: http://thelonghaulmontreal.blogspot.ca/ and here  https://www.facebook.com/thelonghaulmontrealor look up Vanessa Yanow and John TinholtWrite to arttalksmtl@gmail.com  and subscribe the podcast on iTunes or Tumblr.

Celia Perrin Sidarous photographs objects and spaces. Her work has been presented in solo exhibitions at Walter Phillips Gallery (Les Choses, 2013), WWTWO (Paha-Koli is Evil Mountain, 2012), VU (Le livre des choses, 2011) and Les Territoires (Trouées, 2009). Celia has attended residences at The Banff Centre, Vermont Studio Center, Artscape Lodge Artist Retreat at Gibraltar Point, The Art and Culture Center Kolin Ryynänen (Finland) and Centre Sagamie. She earned a BFA in 2008 and is currently completing a Master of Fine Arts at Concordia University. In this episode Celia discusses practices of looking; the secret life of inanimate objects; self-referentiality and the experience of time; travelling with art; the frame of the camera as a space of exploration; the politics of being an artist; and the importance of defamiliarization.This episode was hosted and produced by Yaniya Lee.Podcast logo by Naomi Cook.“With a Snake With a Worm in its Mouth” by Subversive Intentions (2014)Improvised performance by Tanya TagaqFind more of Celia Perrin Sidarous' work at  http://celia-perrin-sidarous.com Write to arttalksmtl@gmail.com and subscribe the podcast on iTunes or Tumblr.

Nadia Moss is a visual artist and musician. She has presented solo exhibitions and attended residencies in galleries and art spaces across Canada and the United States. With ink, watercolor and whatever other material suits her fancy, she makes fantastical, otherworldly bodies as works on paper, sculptures or installations. She published two books of drawings and paintings-“Bébé”(2009) and “Mr Non Pigeon” (2005) -with Montreal press L’Oie De Cravan. In 2013 she earned an MFA from York University and had her grad show,“Dirty Backwards Promises,” in the kitchen of her alma mater, the Inglenook Community High School.In this episode Nadia talks about art school, bodies, the “Fucker In Training” exhibition at Weird Things, being interviewed by her teenage self, embedding pearls, insulation Styrofoam, her relationship to drawing, Lynda Barry, hanging out with teenagers, post MFA blues, and the indispensability of having a studio .This episode was hosted and produced by Yaniya Lee.Tumblr design and podcast logo by Naomi Cook.“Behind the bushes” from The Knife’s Silent Shout (2003)“Girl” from Maica Mia’s Sparcity Blues (2012)Nadia’s drawings will be shown with Caroline Boileau's work at galerie Espace Robert Poulin from August 23 to September 20th 2014.Find the Art Talks Mtl podcast on iTunes, Tumblr and RSS.

Eloi Desjardins is an arts journalist, a critic and an independent curator. From 2004-2014 he hosted Un Show de Mot’arts, a radio show dedicated to new media and visual arts. He is a gentleman about town on the arts scene, ubiquitous and well informed. During this episode, Eloi shares what he’s learned throughout the years.On the steps of the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal in the Quartier des spectacles, Eloi and Yaniya talk about the Montreal artist’s trajectory to global visibility; the importance of radio as a platform for talking about visual arts; Raymonde Moulin’s deductions about art world capitals; entrepreneur cum patron of the arts Alexandre Taillefer; increasing attention to the commerce of art; Université de Montreal (UdeM) vs Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM); and the influence of the private sector on Montreal’s major art institutions.This episode was hosted and produced by Yaniya Lee.Podcast logo by Naomi Cook. “Rode null” from Hauschka’s Ferndorf.“Example #22” from Laurie Anderson’s Big Science. Learn more about Eloi Desjardins’ work at http://www.unshowdemotarts.net and on twitterFind the Art Talks Mtl podcast on ITUNES and TUMBLR.

Since 2010 Gabriel Baribeau, Jackson Darby, Max Evans, John Gunner, Craig Spence and Simon Zaborski have been making sculptures, installations and videos together as the MAW collective. They've had solo exhibitions at Galerie Lock, VAV Gallery, Galerie AB and CTRL Lab. This past May, MAW created Deflective Skepticism & Critical Plinking for Parisian Laundry’s bunker space. Over beers, Yaniya Lee speaks with Max Evans and Craig Spence about MAW's past exhibitions; how their practice has improved through skill-trading and knowledge sharing; the difficulty making personal work within a collective; the dissonance between their art writing and their actual work; and their struggle to address their privilege making art together as 6, straight white men.   This episode was hosted and produced by Yaniya Lee. Tumblr design and podcast logo by Naomi Cook. Opening song from a 2010 recording of a live performance by Tyr Jami of Syngja. “Feathers” track from Man Man’s album Six Demon Bag (2006). Learn more about MAW Collective on their website mawcollective.com  Find the Art Talks Mtl podcast on iTunes and Tumblr.

Anne-Marie St-Jean Aubre is a writer and independent curator. She has curated exhibitions at le Centre de diffusion Clark, le Musée régional de Rimouski, la Galerie de l’UQAM and la Cinémathèque québécoise. Her writing about art has been published in Ciel Variable, Inter, ETC and esse arts + opinions. She currently works as assistant director and assistant curator at the SBC gallery of contemporary art. Some of the topics discussed during this episode: the concepts of tableau vivant, mis-en-abime, the spectator as recipient of the artwork’s gaze, and the relationship between performance and painting as they are explored in Anne-Marie’s curatorial projects Faire comme si (2012) and Re: Faire comme si (2014); curating group shows vs curating solo shows; sovereignty; colonialism, First Nations art and multiple histories; the politics of territorial acknowledgements; and the implications of the absence of a French equivalent to the English term ‘settler.’ Anne-Marie worked with visual artists Jacynthe Carrier, Julie Favreau and Vicky Sabourin to create the exhibition RE: Faire comme si, at the Maison des arts de Laval until July 13, 2014. This episode was produced, hosted and edited by Yaniya Lee.  Tumblr design and podcast logo by Naomi Cook.  Cylinder Two from Chris Zabriskie’s album 'Cylinders' (2014).  Cripple Creek originally performed by Buffy Saint Marie and Fred the Wonder Horse on Sesame Street (1977).  Learn more about Anne-Marie’s work on her website: http://www.annemariestjeanaubre.com/Find the Art Talks Mtl podcast on Tumblr and iTunes.

Chloe Lum and Yannick Desranleau are the prolific paper artists behind Seripop. Their creative collaboration  started in Montreal over a decade ago. They toured North America and Europe as part of the avant-grade noise-rock formation AIDS Wolf for a while, and at the same time become pretty renown poster designers and printers. Gradually, Seripop has settled itself into the visual arts world with various kinds of outlandish paper installations, showing work across Canada and overseas, even making the cut for the 2011 Québec Triennial. Some of the stuff Chloe and Yannick talk about during this episode: their efforts to explore the plasticity of paper and make work that hits you in the gut (or your  "lizard brain" as Chloe calls it); how they set up Rube Goldberg-like devices during their installs to give their paper sculptures maximum agency; their relationship to their gallerist; why they left freelance printmaking to go back to art school; and the Looming exhibition they showed last summer at Toronto's YYZ. Art Talks Mtl is produced, hosted and edited by Yaniya Lee. Find the Art Talks Mtl podcast on Tumblr and iTunes. Falling suite from Delia Derbyshire's 'The Dreams' (1964).  Ch-Ch-Chatter track from AIDS Wolf's album 'Cities of Glass' (2008).  tumblr design and podcast logo by Naomi Cook Learn more about Seripop's work on their website, seripop.com.

At the curious intersection between art, research, electronics, archiving, sociology and sustainability, the Artifact Institute investigates different issues and perspectives relating to electronics and group formations. It does so by fostering spaces in which people can reflect on their relationship to their artifacts, and gain a better understanding our societies’ rapidly changing processes of valuation....to read more go to our web site: arttalksmtl.tumblr.com

Long time collector Robert Poulin regularly exhibits work he owns at Espace Robert Poulin, in suite # 411 of the Belgo building. In 1995 he founded La Peau de l’Ours a group of art collectors dedicated mainly to buying large scale paintings by lesser known artists. Based on a similar venture in Paris at the turn of the century, which focused on modernist works and was eventually resold, this collection is destined to become a private foundation. His passionate search for undiscovered, authentic work has led Robert towards art brut and the low bow. In this episode, he shares his views on the nature of collecting, and the hardships of any genuine artistic vocation.Find out more:ESPACE ROBERT POULINLA PEAU DE L’OURS Find the Art Talks Mtl podcast on ITUNES and TUMBLR.