Biennale d’art contemporain 19th edition
September 11, 2025–March 8, 2026
The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) is co-presenting with MOMENTA the central exhibition of the 19th edition of the Biennale d’art contemporain, In Praise of the Missing Image, in its temporary space at Place Ville Marie from September 11, 2025, to March 8, 2026. Curated by guest curator Marie-Ann Yemsi, this exhibition brings together works by artists Iván Argote, Maureen Gruben, Joyce Joumaa, Niap, Lee Shulman + Omar Victor Diop — The Anonymous Project, and Sanaz Sohrabi.
By focusing on what escapes visibility, silences and gaps in individual and collective memory, the works assembled here address both the contemporary stakes of the image and the present day consequences of the complex dynamics behind narrative construction. In Praise of the Missing Image, in this context, invites reflection on how the stories we are told are shaped and by whom.
Through a variety of media such as photography, sculpture, installation, and video, the MAC and MOMENTA Biennale d'art contemporain propose an exhibition centered on colonialism and its various symbolic ramifications, notably historical monuments, sport, extractivism, and the climate crisis. The works, which shed light on the mechanisms of ongoing exclusion and marginalization, question the gaze and open up the poetic potential of images to diversify dominant historical narratives.
A mural in motion
Works from the series River Water by multidisciplinary Inuk artist Niap will be reproduced in the corridor adjacent to the MAC at Place Ville Marie. These abstract landscape watercolours were originally created using water from various Nunavik rivers; each work thus contains traces of its place of origin, deeply rooted in Niap’s personal history.
Acknowledgments
The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) is a Crown corporation subsidized by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec. It also receives financial support from the Government of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts. The Museum would also like to thank its Foundation and the many donors who contribute to its success.
About the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC)
For more than 60 years, the MAC has brought together Quebec and international artists, their works, and diverse audiences, celebrating art as an essential component of life in Montreal and Quebec. With the Museum’s headquarters in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles undergoing a major architectural transformation, the MAC has temporarily relocated its activities to Place Ville Marie, another iconic landmark in the city. There, the museum connects with the public through temporary exhibitions highlighting exceptional artists and presenting a variety of practices. The MAC at Place Ville Marie also offers a wide range of educational services, creative workshops, and community outreach activities.
