In Montreal, C2 stands for commerce and creativity, as in C2-MTL, an annual gathering of leading innovators from a broad spectrum of industry who have but one thing on their minds: finding creative answers to commercial questions. And, especially this year, C2 also stands for culture and cool…

Now in its second year, C2-MTL – taking place at Arsenal (a converted shipyard built in 1846), May 21-23 – fairly explodes the notion of the traditional business conference. No soul-destroying PowerPoint presentations here. Instead, 20 internationally renowned keynote speakers from a multiplicity of disciplines – including, for example, Virgin’s Richard Branson, former supermodel and now business exec Elle Macpherson, and French architect and designer Philippe Starck – sharing their experience vis-à-vis immersive multimedia presentations.

An imaginative array of panel discussions, collaborative workshops, interactive exhibits, conceptual spaces and festive events all serve to augment the emphasis on creating next-level networking opportunities and real-world business solutions. Which is to say stimulation, not simulation.

C2-MTL is about the whole brain, left and right sides combined. Well-satiated senses are conducive to creating and C2’s arts and cultural partnering in particular reflects that. This year the Montreal Opera will play a key role at the conference opening with uniquely conceived solo performances blending digital media. Cirque du Soleil will contribute with a 47-performer strong original creation upped with “an extra dose of dazzle” from fashion legend and keynote speaker Diane von Furstenberg. The Montreal International Jazz Festival will kick in with Musique Risquée, featuring prominent Montreal DJs Vincent Lemieux and Akufen (they’ll also be curating music on C2’s outdoor plaza).

Modern dance will come in the form of the Festival TransAmérique choreographer Ginette Laurin and her new Arab Spring-inspired work Khaos. And to cap it all off, three of Montreal’s cutting-edge music festivals – M for Montreal, Osheaga and Igloofest – will all sponsor live entertainment on C2-MTL’s closing night at the Intel Forum onsite. Look for performances by indie-folk-rock tastemakers Half Moon Run, longstanding top-shelf turntablist Kid Koala and internationally acclaimed electro/techno dance DJ Tiga.

THE DETAILS

C2-MTL, May 21-23, 2013

Arsenal, 2020 Rue William, (514) 931-9978

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Spring is here, and as the cobwebs of winter get dusted away, doors are flinging open to let in the sunshine. Both Design Montréal Open House, running in various locations across town on May 4 and 5, and the Virée des ateliers, which runs from downtown to Hochelaga-Maisonneuve along Parthenais street from May 9 to 12, invite art and design fans into the interior sanctums of Montreal’s creative geniuses. Both provide an amazing opportunity not only to get a sense of how people work, but to pick up the most unique souvenirs imaginable.Over 100 addresses all over the city are yours to discover on the Design Montréal Open House trajectory, designed to familiarize you with the astounding star power that lives in Montreal, a Unesco City of Design. Among them you can visit the studio and store of Montreal fashion maven Mariouche Gagné, the mind behind the label Harricana, in St-Henri; the workspace and store of Aquaovo (pictured at top of page), on Saint-Laurent, who designed of the world’s most handsome water purifier (no wonder it won awards); the workspace of stuffed toys Raplapla, where designers Anne Chalifoux, Dominique Dansereau and Erica Perrot will give family-friendly workshops on how their funky characters are made; and Espace Verre, a glass-blowing studio and gallery in Old Montreal where not only will you able to snag unique pieces, you’ll see professional glass artisans create on the spot.The Virée des ateliers, in the city’s east end, is an event spread over three massive art buildings, each of which houses dozens of creative minds – think of the whole area as an enormous think-tank. Among the 100-plus studios you can visit – including so many by visual artists that you’ll get your fill of eye candy – are those of Atelier Cocotte, makers of beautiful woven wooden lamps; Velvet Moustache, which design hilarious cushions in the shape of animals; fashion accessory and textile designers Infuse, who make the most evanescent batik scarves; and women’s wear designers Grob, where you can pick up that perfect lacey blouse for all those upcoming summer picnics.

THE DETAILS

Design Montréal Open House, May 4-5, 2013

Virée des ateliers, May 9-12, 2013

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The MACM is always an accessible museum, but these days it’s even more interactive than usual thanks to two works by British-born, Berlin-based artist Tinho Segal. Creating a cross between theatre and visual art that somehow sidesteps art performance, Seghal builds entire sets in museums and hires “actors” to animate them in carefully choreographed situations.

Right now there are two of his pieces at the MACM: his iconic Kiss, from 2002, which involves a couple reinterpreting famous kisses drawn from the history of art in a tightly choreographed 8-minute loop; and This Situation, from 2007, a conversation piece that has the “agents” discuss philosophical issues between themselves and with the visitor, if you so choose. Passersby can influence the whole direction the performance takes awhile they are in the room. Now that’s power!

Right next door in the video room don’t miss 4 000 Disparos by Brazilian artist Jonathas de Andrade, for which he filmed male faces in Super 8 film as he travelled throughout Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, in a journey of territorial recognition of a Latin America he belongs to without feeling part of. French artist Laurent Grasso and Montreal artist Lynne Cohen round out the current exhibitions: With his trickster’s take on temporality and the making of history, Grasso’s show, titled, Uraniborg, presents neon signs, objects, videos and more that lead to the creation of what the artist calls a “false historical memory.”

Cohen, on the other hand, presents 40 of her interior landscapes – since the 1970s the artist has been capturing, unpopulated, often odd spaces constructed by humans, used by humans, but devoid of humans. The images are filled with the tension created by that emptiness and the occasional inexplicable aspects of the photographs. Photo: courtesy of Olga Korper Gallery, Toronto.

On April 5, make sure you catch the Friday Nocturne, the museum’s popular series from 5 to 9 pm every first Friday of the month, which this time features saxophonist Colin Stetson. Famous as a member of Bell Orchestre and a collaborator of Arcade Fire, Lou Reed and Feist, Stetson explores the limit of his instrument in his solo work, creating beautiful soundscapes that will transport you to wholly ethereal planes.

In May this bunch of exhibitions will make way for two new guys: the first solo exhibition in Canada of Brooklyn-based artist Eve Sussman and her collaborative team Rufus Corporation, for one. Generated by algorithm but influenced by the films of Andrei Tarkovsky, Jean-Luc Godard and Wim Wenders, Sussman’s filmic pieces offer a futuristic look at space and time, utopia and dystopia, fractured narration and torn landscapes from Russia and Central Asia. In the next room there’ll be Montreal artist Michel de Broin, whose playful multidisciplinary practice extends from photography to video to sculpture, and explores the notions of resistance, misappropriation and recycling with a cynical sense of humour.

THE DETAILS

Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, 185 Sainte-Catherine West, (514) 847-6226

Photo Credits- Tinho Segal Photo: ©Tate, Jonathas de Andrade Photo: courtesy of Olga Korper Gallery, Toronto

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Arsenal was already among the city’s biggest non-museum art spaces, but as of last week they’ve broken their own records. With a brand new show dramatically titled Like Thunder Out of China, uniting nearly 50 works by contemporary Chinese artists, they revealed a massive (think 22,000 square feet) section of the building that was as of yet unused. Part cavernous exhibition hall, part loading dock, the possibilities for parties (Grand Prix and Fashion Week are already regular clients) are endlessly exciting.

The art on view also does the space justice: The showstopper is the famous Miss Mao 3 by the Gao brothers, an 8-foot-tall stainless steel bust of Mao sporting huge inflated breasts, a creepy doll smile and a Pinocchio nose. (Is it any surprise the work is banned from exhibition in China?) The father of Chinese pop art, Qui Jie, contributes a series of drawings replacing politicians’ heads with those of cats – another sort of derision, only cuter. In fact, all the art was chosen for its cheeky spunk, its dissidence, its ability to comment on the state of China today from within. All the artists included still call China home.

When you hear Chinese art you may automatically think Ai Weiwei – he’s not included in this show, which focuses on the younger generation, but Like Thunder Out of China does mark the Canadian launch of the book Weiwei-isms and MAO, the complete book of his Mao iconography. Check it out in person, in the beautiful Arsenal space.

THE DETAILS

Like Thunder Out of China, Until July 27, 2013

Arsenal, 2020 William, (514) 931-9978

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The hottest show in the city right now (so popular half the people couldn’t get in on opening night!) is Jason Botkin’s solo exhibition titled ALLKIN, at the brand new Lndmrk Gallery. Botkin is one of the founding members of En Masse, one of Montreal’s greatest artistic claims to fame: it’s an art collective that groups over 20 artists at a time to make amazing black-and-white wall art. They’ve done work inside office buildings and museums, but you might know them best for their work on city walls.

In full contrast to those monochromatic group works, Botkin’s solo work is a mind-blowing, crazed colourfest full of tribalesque masks and monstrous personages. It’s mostly faces – some small, some bigger and more complex, made out of various layers of thin wood painted bright colours. And of course there’s the biggest face of all, the black-haired beast Botkin built around a staircase at the back of the gallery, which gives the viewer the impression they’re about to be eaten. Amazing.

Lndmrk is the latest brainchild of gallery owner Yves Laroche, whose other space, on Saint-Laurent in Little Italy, is also showing work that’s associated with street art these days. Among this commercial gallery’s most famous top sellers are Ron English, who famously manipulated billboards in 1980s America. Laroche also represents graffiti artists like Other, Cope2 and Push, all of which have works up right now. Stop by to check them out.

And finally, downtown at Galerie B-312 in the Belgo Building, duo Séripop – composed of Chloe Lum and Yannick Desranleau – has created a massive installation that will be in the gallery’s main room until February 7. Séripop made its name on the Montreal scene in the early 2000s because of their postering – the duo silkscreened beautifully weird and idiosyncratic ads announcing upcoming music shows. They’ve segued from that into an exciting gallery career, full of outlandish paper-based works like this one, which makes the viewer feel like they’re awash in a sea of colour.

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THE DETAILS

ALLKIN, by Jason Botkin, at Lndmrk Gallery (550 Beaumont), until March 29, 2013

General collection at Galerie Yves Laroche (6355 St-Laurent, 514-393-1999)

The Options that Are Offered to Us: The Least Likely/The Most Tolerable, by Séripop, at Galerie B-312 (372 Ste-Catherine W., suite 403) until February 7, 2013

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(poutine party) It’s finally happened: Quebec’s signature dish of fries, cheese curds and gravy has been turned into a festival (of sorts). Montreal Poutine Week, February 1-7, sees the late-night meal of choice elevated to imaginative heights as 30 restaurants whip up a special poutines at special prices – with proceeds going towards the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation. Tour the town from Old Montreal to Mile End in search of your favourite, from variations on the classic to gourmet interpretations.

(outdoor fun & games) More comfort food is on the agenda at First Saturdays at the Olympic Park on February 2, 1-7 p.m. – bring the kids to skate, slide and play at the Olympic Park’s Winter Village  and warm up with hot dishes from fabulous Montreal food trucks Grumman 78, Pastaga, Lucky’s, Pas d’cochon dans mon salon and Gaufrabec. For those yearning for a game of pick-up hockey, head out to one of Montreal’s bustling outdoor rinks. Meanwhile, out at the Ecomuseum Zoo, the Zoolympics are underway February 2 and 3: to mark its 25th anniversary, the Ecomuseum challenges families to a contest (with prizes!) involving animal trivia, physical feats and fun.

(fashion forward) Get a leg up on what’s haute for next fall/winter at Montreal Fashion Week, February 4-7 at Arsenal. The runway is rife with established and new Montreal designers showcasing their gorgeous concepts, and fashion is on everyone’s mind at conferences, exhibits and more, such as a series of fashion film screenings that includes a tribute to Montreal-born designer Rad Hourani.

(theatre & dance) A huge original Dali painting is both backdrop and inspiration for La Verità, a colourful, theatrical circus show created by Daniele Finzi Pasca, at Place des Arts to February 3. Catch the final night of the Opéra de Montreal production of Johann Strauss II’s lively Die Fledermaus, featuring tenor Marc Hervieux, on February 2. Montreal’s Beautiful City Theatre lets out all the stops in Godspell, The Musical, with final nights February 1-2, at Centaur Theatre. The revolution of an African price turned slave unfolds in Oroonoko, written by Aphra Behn and directed by Paul Van Dyck, at the MAI, February 6-17, part of Montreal Black History Month. And in contemporary dance, choreographer Karine Denault’s Pleasure Dome sees dancers and musicians shaking it up together, February 6-9 at Agora de la Danse.

(art & the world) The diverse land, history and culture of Peru at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts immersive Peru : Kingdoms of the Sun and Moon exhibition, opening February 2 – see pre-Columbian masterpieces along with modern art from the country’s creative forces. Six artists create sculpture, photography, painting and multidisciplinary works of art inspired by Martin Luther King’s famous speech in the I Have a Dream: The Exhibit, part of the Montreal Black History Month activities, at Espace Georges Emile Lapalme. And new photography and multidisciplinary exhibitions by artists Laurent Grasso, Lynne Cohen and Jonathas de Andrade open at the Musee d’art Contemporain, beginning February 7.

(music makers) Outdoor electronic music festival Igloofest keeps dancers and good-time-lovers warm out there with its third weekend of fun, featuring UK producer Ewan Pearson, US DJ Magda, France’s Agoria, housey-experimental Audiofly and more. Music is on the Black History Month program on February 2 with Ladysmith Black Mambazo at L’astral and Kalmunity remixing Blaxploitation era funk at the Phi Centre. Julie Doiron rocks, croons and keeps it real at Casa del Popolo on Sunday, February 3. On Monday, indie-rock duo Buke and Gase delight at Casa del Popolo. Eclectic rock singer-songwriting Ty Segall plays Cabaret Mile End on February 5. And on February 7, pop star Shawn Desman plays Le National, while it’s all Gershwin, Bernstein, Daugherty and Copland tunes for the Orchestre Métropolitain‘s Made in the USA show, at the Maison symphonique de Montréal.

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This world premiere opening on February 2, fully organized, mounted and toured by the MMFA, is loftier than any anthropological-style expo you might imagine because it covers thousands of years of history, including Peruvian art produced in modern times. In addition to displaying an extensive collection of pre-Columbian treasures and masterpieces from the colonial era to Indigenism, including over 100 pieces that have never before been seen outside of Peru, you will be able to bask in modern Peruvian creativity.

As curator Victor Pimentel says, “Through the representation and reinterpretation of myths, rituals and other primordial symbols of identity captured by different artistic traditions, the exhibition will illustrate how the evocative power of images have influenced the history of pre-Hispanic, colonial and modern Peru.” Here are three treasures you simply can’t miss seeing.

1) A photograph by the wonderful Amerindian artist Martín Chambi, titled Tristeza andina, La Raya, from 1933. At the beginning of the 20th century, Indigenism flourished as an artistic and intellectual movement in Peru based on revalorizing and reaffirming the country’s indigenous heritage. Works depicting scenes of Native life and the idyllic landscapes of the Peruvian countryside and highlands such as this one were to transform the visual culture of Peru in the modern era.

2) The figurehead work of the exhibition, featured on its posters and promotional material: A Mochica frontal ornament in the shape of a half-feline, half-octopus dating from 100-800 A.D. and recently repatriated and exhibited for the first time outside of Peru. Made of pure gold and intricately carved, it symbolizes the constant dialogue between the world of the living and the world of the dead that was an essential component of Andean spirituality.

3) A beautiful anonymous 18th century painting titled Young Virgin Spinning, from the era after the Spanish conquest of Peru in the 16th century that led to the hybridization of the Peruvian culture. Paintings like this one, from the School of Cuzco – established by the Spanish as a means of converting the Incas to Catholicism – testify to the powerful role played by images in the campaign to evangelize the Native peoples of the Andes.

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THE DETAILS

Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and Moon,  February 2 to June 16, 2013

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1380 Sherbrooke West, (514) 285-2000

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RIDM’s Official Competition delves into topics far and wide, including the creative process of filmmaking itself via Mekong Hotel, a suitably dreamlike doc by Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives). Argentinian director José Luis Garcia goes on a quest to North Korea in The Girl From the South, American filmmakers collaborate on Far From Afghanistan, animation mixes with reality in And Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story, Montreal’s Magnus Isacsson shares the lives of four young people living in the neighbourhood of Montréal-Nord in Ma vie réelle, Jónsson Orri’s Grandma Lo-Fi captures the talents of an Icelandic grandmother and cult-music icon, and many more films take us everywhere from the depths of prison life to the heights of stardom.

Some of the best documentaries in history make a come-back at RIDM this year. In celebration of its 15th anniversary, the festival asked 15 filmmakers and other influential members of the documentary film community, including Philippe
Falardeau, Lou Reed, Gael García Bernal, Frederick Wiseman and others, to choose their favourite documentary film. A special $15 All-Time Favourites pass gives access to all 15 films – among them Megacities, Reel Injun and Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera – screening throughout the festival.
While the festival’s main draws can be found in the Official Competition with the latest international and Canadian features and shorts films, the fest’s Panorama selections are just as hot, exploring trends in documentary filmmaking, the latest in current affairs, the environment and human intervention, the intersection of popular and underground culture, collaborative and networked filmmaking and more. Along with all the film screenings, a series of presentations, discussions and other events with documentary film professionals prove that people, especially creators, are at the heart of RIDM, a festival where film lovers and filmmakers come together to keep the documentary genre vibrant and meaningful.

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THE DETAILS

The Montreal International Documentary Film Festival, November 7-18, 2012

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Are you a fashion enthusiast, a foodie, a culture aficionado, or just looking for some quality time with your family? We plan getaways and gifts for everyone! A whole weekend of fashion and well-being are waiting for you. You can look forward to world class restaurants, Bota Bota, the first floating spa in the Old Port, or shopping for shoes at Aldo, the best spot for a fashion-forward getaway. Want to treat yourself? Join now!

The week of October 15to 21is dedicated to gastronomy in Montreal. Friends and lovers, it’s your turn to enter to win a trip for two to feast on delicious dishes created by our local chefs. Included in this prize in also a gift certificate from MTL à Table!

From October 22to 28, we’ll celebrate family life. Take the time to meet up with friends and discover the cultural wonders of Montreal with your children at the Biodome, the Botanical Gardens, and Insectarium. Then indulge in a sandwich at the famous Schwartz’s and many other surprises!

Finally, from October 29to November 4find yourself in the heart of Montreal’s culture, shows, exhibitions and museums with the help of La Vitrine. After soaking up some culture, go to one of Montreal’s finest restaurants where you can discuss your views about art and music while enjoying a great meal. It will be a cultural trip that you’re sure to remember for a long time.

Convinced? You have until November 4, 2012 to enter! Share your favourite Montreal moment on Twitter and use the hashtag #RDVaMTL. We can’t wait to read the stories you have to tell!

To participate, just go on our Facebook page and invite a friend. This contest is valid until 4 november 2012 midnight.

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(arty open house) Three days of free arts and culture happenings are in store at the 16th edition of Journées de la Culture, September 28-30, at museums, galleries, performance venues and even out in the streets. Roam the Quartiers des Spectacles to see art in action at Saturday afternoon’s Marathon of Arts, and catch performances, go on guided tours, participate in workshops, learn to dance or sing throughout the weekend. Search the full schedule for family activities, visual art, dance, circus, theatre and more downtown and in neighhourhoods around the city.

(worldly art) Two new shows open at the MACM on October 4: a retrospective of famed Montreal painter Pierre Dorion, whose photorealist paintings beg for close viewing, and video work by great Brooklyn-based artist Janet Biggs, in collaboration with Centre Clark’s Montréal/Brooklyn art exchange project. Tesla coils and electric sparks are the exciting stuff of artist Alexandre Burton’s Impacts, at the PHI Centre, which also screening skateboarding film Waiting for Lightning on October 2. September 30 marks the last day to see the fabulous World Press Photo Exhibition, while over at the SAT, DJ Food’s immersive film-and-music experience The Search Engine starts up again, along with Maurice Benayoun’s interactive art installation Tunnel under the Atlantique.

(song and dance) Montreal’s BJM – Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal celebrates 40 years of dance with a show featuring gorgeous, emotional (and even funny at times) pieces by Cayetano Soto, Benjamin Millepied and Barak Marshall, September 28-29 – see Danse Danse for tickets. Tony-award winning musical Guys and Dolls starts up September 30 at  The Segal Centre, while Metachroma Theatre sticks to classic Shakespeare with Richard III, to September 30. And Montreal-based circus Cirque Éloize blends circus arts with hip hop and breakdance in all-ages show iD, featuring 14 high-energy performers,  at Montreal circus centre La Tohu, to October 6, while acrobatics and music astound in Pfffffff, from French circus troupe Akoreacro.

(film fest) The 8th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival closes on September 30 with Ken Burns’ documentary The Central Park Five, a investigation into the racial tensions surrounding the 1989 arrest and conviction of five Black and Latino teenagers accused of rape, who spent years in jail before the conviction was overturned. There’s also still time this weekend to see docs, feature films and shorts from around the world, including Alaskaland, about a Nigerian man who grew up in Alaska (September 28), documentary feature The Carrier, about a young woman living with HIV in Zambia (September 29), Harry Belafonte documentary Sing Your Song (September 29), and more.

(babes on stage) The Montreal Burlesque Festival returns September 28-29 with sexy, silly and scandalous shows at Club Soda. Friday’s show is Universal Dream Night, featuring lovely ladies from around the world dancing and theatrically cavorting in their own special ways, while Saturday’s fab Crystal Gala is a cabaret of big burlesque names and surprises, followed by the fest’s very first super sexy Midnight Show, with live classic rock band.

(party times) The 22nd Black and Blue Festival launches on October 3, beckoning queer and queer-friendly party lovers to town. On October 4, there’s the Guess Who? Hommage to the drag queens of Cabaret Mado, plus an all-night party at Circus on October 4. But rest up: the main event, an all-night, all-morning dance party at  Palais des Congrès, happens on October 7. Unrelated, on September 29, there’s a free outdoor Coca-Cola Block Party, with live music from none other than Sean Paul, Down with Webster, M.T.L., Mugz and more, at Jacques-Quartier Quay in the Old Port. And though it’s not officially a party, there will actually be as much dancing and music in the streets as there will be good ol’ walking at the massive Ça Marche fundraiser walk for HIV/AIDS, in the downtown core on Sunday, September 30.

(live music) Friday night is the first of two nights with KD Lang and the Siss Boom Bang at Theatre Corona, while British psych-rock band Django Django and Montreal’s own Mozart’s Sister play Petit Campus. On September 29, Beth Orton is at the lovely L’Astral. On September 30, Gossip get down and dirty at Olympia, while hip-hop artist A$AP Rocky takes the Metropolis stage – earlier in the day at Parc Jean-Drapeau, it’s the last Piknic Electronik of the year! A star-studded benefit concert on October 1 is sold out, but October 2 is a hot, hot night with metal maniacs Anthrax at Metropolis, Jack White’s unique blues-rock-country at L’Olympia, John Hiatt at Club Soda playing songs from his new album Mystic Pinball, British singer-songwriter Fink at Sala Rossa and Swedish-Canadian pop duo Thus: Owls at Lion d’Or. On October 3, groove with Lee Fields and the Expressions at Cabaret du Mile End and listen to the synth-pop sounds of The Raveonettes at Theatre Corona.

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