My first post as a contributing editor to Art Threat is up, a short piece on artist-run centres in Québec supporting the student strike movement.

I’ve been deeply inspired by the students here in Montréal and played a (small) role in initiating the mobilisation of local artist-run centres to support them. The initiative emerged out of a discussion held at Skol in the context of Artivistic‘s Promiscuous Infrastructures exhibition/occupation. The show has proved to be an extremely interesting tool in drawing links between cultural and activist spheres (we also helped out with this amazing street intervention), and here’s hoping this is just a sign of things to come!

Additionally, for my concerned clients, LOKi design will be joining the strike. Sorry, no work ’til Friday!

I’ve long resisted the label of “artist”, preferring that of “graphic designer”. Art carried too much weight and responsibility. As of Friday, it might sound silly, but I’m going start using the term artist, not out of any sense of pride, but as a form of active resistance…

The Artivistic collective‘s Promiscuous Infrastructures project enters it’s second phase, opening at le Centre des arts actuels Skol on Friday night (March 9th), and running until April 14th. I’ll be documenting/writing much more about it on here in the coming weeks, but for now I just wanted to let people know about the vernissage and show.

We’ve been working a long time on this, and it should be fun, hope to see you there!

Facebook event here.

Some teaser images on Facebook here.

I’ll be moderating an important panel discussion tomorrow evening on art and activism featuring artist/activists Coco Riot, Freda Guttman, Malcolm Guy, and Vincent Tinguely. After the panel presentations, we’ll open up the event to a general discussion amongst all participants, to hopefully start generating some ideas for action.

As the conservative agenda increases pressures upon artists and activists economically, politically, and ideologically, I feel it is becoming imperative that we organise together in resistance to it. I’d like to think of this event as a small first step in this direction (and as a continuation of the opening up of critical cultural space that we, as Howl! Arts, are trying to facilitate). The positive response we’ve received since announcing the event is very encouraging, and we’re sure this is just the beginning, the first event of many to come.

More info and RSVP on the Facebook event page.

Poster designed by Nazik of Howl! Arts

UPDATE: Vince’s presentation from the panel can now be read online here, and Thien’s photos of the event can be seen here.

Eric Drooker for Artist Against Apartheid (Montreal) from Trust&Co on Vimeo.

I’m very excited to showcase this short film of Eric Drooker‘s performance at Artists Against Apartheid 17 last October in Montreal. As part of the Howl! Arts collective, I helped to organise the event, which I’d like to think was one of the highlights of the year for those interested in art and activism in this city.

The video is produced by Trust & Co., a new venture I am starting up with film maker/interactive producer (and all round amazing person) Isabella Salas. It marks our first project together!

I also conducted a short interview with Eric, where he speaks about the importance of artists using the streets as a canvas to express ideas. It can be seen on the Howl! Arts website here.

Hey Montréal, HUGE week coming up in the indy culture scene here, and I’m really happy to be a part of several events. First up, Howl IV is on Thursday night featuring the beautiful sounds of cellist Julia Kent. The Howl Arts Collective has been working hard over the last year to bring cutting-edge, politically-rooted music to your ears, and this night will close off our concert series for 2011 with an all-woman cast of performers, and a short presentation from the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy.

Expozine madness 2009! Photo by Camille McCouat

The main event this weekend is Expozine, of course. Celebrating 10 years running, this year’s event will lead us into the next exciting decade of indy publishing here in Montreal. It kicks off with a launch event at Drawn & Quarterly on Friday, featuring a discussion with the co-founders of Expozine, moderated by yours truly. In parallel, we’ll be launching the 12th issue of Four Minutes to Midnight, a special issue focusing on 10 years of Expozine and independent culture in Montreal.

Expozine itself is shaping up to be really great this year, with almost 300 exhibitors signed up, a reading series by the Greasy Goose Salon, a presentation on women silkscreeners organised by Galerie La Centrale, and an anniversary party at Casa del Popolo on Saturday night. Finally, an official event so we can all get drunk together with fellow zinesters!

And an important reminder to past Expozine participants, the latest issue of FMTM might very well feature some of your work! We’ve tried to contact you all, but you know how it goes sometimes… We’ll have more info about the issue on this website soon, but please swing by our table this weekend and browse through a copy of the issue, if you see your work, the copy is yours to keep! Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Painting by Lindsay Foran

The next concert in the Howl series features Vancouver-born, NYC-based cellist Julia Kent, and local artists les momies de palmeres and Jen Reimer.

Having worked with such artists as Antony and the Johnsons, Angels of Light, Devendra Banhart, and William Parker, amongst many others, Julia Kent has recently released her second full-length solo album Green and Grey, “a new solo record of looped cello, field recordings, and electronics inspired by the intersections between the natural world and the human-created world.” Her music has been described as “cinematographic, melancholy and luminous”, “emotive, up-close and personal”, and we are very honoured to bring her to Montreal, a city which could share these same descriptives.

The concert takes place two Thursdays from now, Nov. 24th at the Sala Rossa, and is co-presented by the amazing 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy.

More information and RSVP on facebook here.

In light of the occupations/demonstrations happening around the world, we’re honoured to present a very special series of events this weekend featuring celebrated political artist Eric Drooker. Since I first started becoming interested in political art and design, Drooker has been a consistent reference, up there with the likes of Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, and Gran Fury. His work draws on a long tradition of political illustration while expressing an aesthetic vision that is uniquely his own. From his many cover illustrations for the New Yorker to the iconic street graphics he has designed for countless social movements, Drooker’s body of work is infused with a sense of urgent humanism balanced by a healthy dose of celebratory menace.

The first event, Artists Against Apartheid XVII takes place this Friday at Sala Rossa, where Drooker will present a musical storytelling performance accompagnied by projections of his work. This event brings together so many great organisations; including Howl Arts!, the Mile End Poets Festival and Tadamon, in support of the Palestinian people’s continuing struggle for self-determination, and in solidarity with the popular uprisings happening across the globe.

>> Facebook event

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As encouraging as the international momentum building around the Occupy Wall Street movement is, it also raises within me a fair amount of skepticism about its efficacy and sincerity. Ironically, the widespread popularity makes me intrinsically question it, as I guess I’m always more comfortable (or at least used to) working from the margins.

I have not attended any of the general assemblies here in Montreal, so my criticism is more instinctive than anything else. The term “Occupy” also rings false in this context, pointing to a history of colonialism that is embedded in our geography. On the flip side, this same instinct pushes me to at least do something in support of the initiative. I’m all for the creation of a critical dialogue around the systemic inequalities in our society, and in conversation with a friend who was at Occupy Wall Street in NY, I was very encouraged by his account of the maturity of the movement there. The cause is just, and the process-oriented consensus model laid down by the NY occupation is certainly inspiring if it can be carried through to other sites.

So, yes, I’m participating and I encourage others to come down on Oct. 15th to Square Victoria and demonstrate. We can’t build this if we don’t take part.

Though I’m in no way affiliated with the organising of the event, I created the above poster to lend my support and solidarity.

Download the 11×17 version here or the 8.5×11 version here.

—Update—

I also created a Decolonize Montreal version of this poster to address the issues I had with terminology and context. You can download it here.