10 Must-See Warped Public Art Sculptures in Montreal

[ScarletCoral]

via Blouin Art Info :

 

10 Must-See Warped Public Art Sculptures in Montreal

 

BY Low Lai Chow | March 28, 2016

 

If cities were people, Montreal would be the rebellious, off-kilter kid who steals all the thunder at a party. Basking in diversity as the lively cultural capital of Canada (Ottawa is Canada's actual capital city, FYI), Montreal has a social calendar that is perpetually packed with events and festivals. Rule of thumb: if there is a party in town, know that there are a hundred more you haven't heard about.

 

With over 315 public artworks in the municipal collection, Montreal also has some incredible public sculptures around town, from parks to libraries.

Culture+Travel picks out ten of the most warped public art to seek out in the City of Festivals.

 

 

See pictures of the artworks here.

 

 

- Révolutions (2003), Michel de Broin | Rifting on the impossible, Montreal-based sculptor de Broin takes visual inspiration from the ubiquitous outdoor staircases seen throughout the city for this loopy 8.5-meter high Moebius strip out of aluminum and galvanized steel. The artist has said of the enigmatic work, “The staircase makes us think of what returns without repeating, transformed in its cycle. We can all project ourselves into this curved space and enter the game of revolutions.” In short, this work is infinity in poetry. Where: Parc Maisonneuve-Cartier, behind Metro Papineau metro station in Ville-Marie

 

 

 

- Le Malheureux Magnifique (1972), Pierre Yves Angers | Cement-covered and huddled over in a humanistic form, Yves Angers' 1972 sculpture is a landmark that marks the entrance of Montreal’s bustling Latin Quarter. First installed in Place Pasteur in 1973, it was moved to the front of Alcide-Chaussée Building in 1991. Angers is said to have been inspired by the works of Rodin; his accompanying art says, "À ceux qui regardent à l'intérieur d'eux-mêmes et franchissent ainsi les frontières du visible” (French for 'To those who look inside themselves and thus cross over the borders of the visible'). Where: 385, Rue Sherbrooke Est, at the intersection of Sherbrooke and Saint-Denis streets in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal

 

 

- Theatre for Sky Blocks (1992), Linda Covit | Installed on the shore of Lake Saint-Louis, Covit's minimalist work dwells on the environment. It was first exhibited in 1992 at the first Salon international de la sculpture extérieure. With the water and the sky in the background, three monolithic steel columns have a photograph of clouds silk screened on them. It all begs the questions: What is real? What is fictitious? Where: Parc Fort-Rolland in Lachine

 

 

- Anamorphose D'Une Fenetre, Claude Lamarche | From afar, Claude Lamarche's artwork resembles colorful scribbles that seem to have leapt off the tip of a pen to interact with the exteriors of the Maison de la culture Mercier building in real life. A red arrow-shaped sculpture points at the upper left-hand corner of the wall while a blue arrow twirls one corner of it. A yellow window frame hangs on one wall, while steel rods and tubes prop up the sides. Where: 8105, Rue Hochelaga, at Maison de la culture Mercier in Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve

 

 

- Monica (1985), Jules Lasalle | Evoking the gigantic head sculptures of Easter Island and excavated archaeological remains, sculptor and modeller Jules Lasalle's larger-than-life 3D portrait of a woman with a smile on her face is deliberately fragmented, denoting the passing of time. Lasalle created the artwork in 1985 at the first Lachine, Carrefour de l’Art et de l’Industrie sculpture symposium. Where: Promenade Père-Marquette in Lachine

 

 

- From A (1986), Takera Narita | Comprising three parts of a granite and mortar fluted column to reference ancient Greek civilization, this unusual ruins-like sculpture by the late Japanese artist Takera Narita appears to pop up from the ground and sink back into it. It alludes to the cycle of history, with the title hinting at a path between two points as a mathematical formula. Narita created the work for the second Lachine sculpture symposium L’an II – Lachine, carrefour de l’art et de l’industrie in 1986. Where: Parc René-Lévesque in Lachine

 

 

- La vélocité des lieux (2015), BGL | Completed in 2015 in conjunction with the redevelopment of the Henri-Bourassa–Pie-IX intersection in Montréal-Nord borough is this work by Jasmin Bilodeau, Sébastien Giguère, and Nicolas Laverdière of Québec collective BGL. It comprises five bus-like forms on eight steel columns. Denoting the ebbs and flow of human activity and community, the cheerful 19-meter high sculpture looks like a Ferris wheel right out of an amusement park in frenzied motion. In reality, this static artwork doesn't actually move. BGL also recently represented Canada at the 56th Venice Art Biennale. Where: Carrefour Henri-Bourassa–Pie-IX in Montréal-Nord

 

 

- Le Mélomane (2011), Cooke-Sasseville | Based in Québec City, the creative duo of Jean-François Cooke and Pierre Sasseville has a taste for the absurd. Evidence? This cheeeky bronze sculpture shows an ostrich sticking its head into a gramophone horn, illustrating the stronghold of music and new realities. Where: Parc François-Perrault in Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension

 

 

- Site/Interlude (1994), David Moore | Shaped like gigantic legs, five steel wire structures filled with large stones stand starkly, deliberately spread out to coerce viewers to walk from one to the next so as to see the full work. Dublin-born and Montréal-based artist David Moore took inspiration from seeing how the legs and feet were often the only vestiges left standing from the ancient statues of Greece's archaeological sites. First displayed in Montréal's Old Port, Moore's work is a reflection on the passage of time and on progress. Where: Parc René-Lévesque in Lachine.

 

 

- Regard Sur Le Fleuve (1992), Lisette Lemieux | Situated on the shore of Lake St. Louis, Arthabaska-born artist Lisette Lemieux's large billboard-like work includes incisive cutouts of the word 'FLEUVE' (French for 'river') and the word’s reflection in water, so that actual river water appear to fill up the cutout parts. Both a wall that obstructs the river view, as well as announces its existence, the work urges viewers to rediscover the river. Where: Parc Stoney-Point in Lachine

 

Edited March 29, 2016 by ScarletCoral

[Nameless_1]

Merci Scarlet, je suis vraiment très fier de ma ville et je me promet de tous les visiter (du moins ceux que je n'ai pas déjà vu!).

[denpanosekai]

On the flipside, here is the ugliest public art in Montreal (IMHO!!!)

 

If there's a good story behind it, I may reconsider my opinion.

 

[Mokita]

J'aime bien cette nouvelle sculpture «Entre terre et ciel», une œuvre de Jean-Pierre Morin devant le centre d’art 1700 La Poste, dans Griffintown.

 

 

Quant à moi la plus laide "oeuvre d'art" de Montréal se trouve paradoxalement devant l'École des beaux-arts de Montréal ...

 

[nephersir7]

On the flipside, here is the ugliest public art in Montreal (IMHO!!!)

 

If there's a good story behind it, I may reconsider my opinion.

 

[ATTACH]26061[/ATTACH]

 

Gilles MIHALCEAN

MONUMENT À LA POINTE

2001

 

Cette composition géométrique est un hommage à l’histoire de Pointe-Saint-Charles. L’artiste, sensible à une esthétique de la juxtaposition, propose ici une véritable métaphore du quartier. La partie la plus basse du prisme triangulaire, réalisée en béton coloré vert, rappelle l’importance historique de l’immigration d’origine irlandaise à cet endroit. La section centrale, en brique rouge, fait écho aux habitations ouvrières qui s’y trouvent. La troisième partie, surmontée de trois cheminées, souligne pour sa part le passé industriel du secteur. Les pilotis qui supportent la structure, quant à eux, témoignent de la présence révolue de marécages sur ses berges et accordent un effet de fragilité à l’œuvre.

 

Dans cette œuvre commémorative de 14 mètres de haut, l’évolution de Pointe-Saint-Charles prend la forme d’une sédimentation de temps révolus. Installé sur un rond-point, le Monument à la Pointe s’observe à distance et produit une frontière entre l’espace dédié au transport routier et l’espace résidentiel.

 

La commande par concours de cette œuvre est la première pour le quartier de Pointe-Saint-Charles depuis l’adoption, en 1989, d’un plan d’action en art public par la Ville de Montréal. Elle s’inscrit dans un projet de réfection du secteur qui a, entre autres, donné lieu à l’aménagement d’un parc et à la transformation de l’ancienne usine Sherwin-Williams en logements sociaux.

 

http://artpublic.ville.montreal.qc.ca/oeuvre/monument-a-la-pointe/

[denpanosekai]

Thanks nephersir. I still don't think it looks nice, but at least the intentions were good.

[ScarletCoral]

 

La commande par concours de cette œuvre est la première pour le quartier de Pointe-Saint-Charles depuis l’adoption, en 1989, d’un plan d’action en art public par la Ville de Montréal. Elle s’inscrit dans un projet de réfection du secteur qui a, entre autres, donné lieu à l’aménagement d’un parc et à la transformation de l’ancienne usine Sherwin-Williams en logements sociaux.

 

http://artpublic.ville.montreal.qc.ca/oeuvre/monument-a-la-pointe/

 

un concours! Je me demande de quoi avaient l'air les autres soumissions [emoji848]