McCord 2023: Karen Tam-Swallowing Mountains

 

Swallowing Mountains

A tribute to Montreal’s Chinatown Women

from 19th-20th centuries

Exhibition by Karen Tam, artist in residence

February 17 - August 13, 2023

The McCord Stewart Museum presents – as part of its Artist-in-Residence program – the exhibition Swallowing Mountains by multidisciplinary artist Karen Tam. This immersive installation is made up of objects from the McCord Stewart Museum’s collection, works created by the artist, objects belonging to members of the Chinatown community, and photographs. The exhibition explores the relative silence in public records and historical accounts of women in Montreal’s Chinatown in the 19th and 20th centuries. It also explores the discrepancy between the historical attraction to the Chinese and Japanese artifacts and the reality of Chinese women living in Canada since the late 19th century.

2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the Chinese Immigration Act, which banned virtually all forms of Chinese immigration to Canada. This policy, combined with a head tax, led to a strong imbalance in the proportion of women within Chinese Canadian communities, who were prohibited from joining their husbands there. Despite their under-representation in the early 19th and 20th centuries, Chinese women’s contribution to Chinatown’s vitality and economy was considerable. Swallowing Mountains pays homage to many contributions of women who lived and worked in the neighborhood over the past century and a half.

Swallowing Mountains

The title of the exhibition refers to the name that the first waves of immigrants from China gave to Canada, Gold Mountain, in reference to the gold rush and the opportunity to make a fortune in Canada. Over time, the gold mountains of Canada’s El Dorado also became synonymous with the separation of families. Swallowing Mountains becomes a metaphor symbolizing the need to swallow, one kilometer at a time, the immense distance that separated family members in order to reunite them.

The exhibition displays sculptures, Chinese shadow puppets, drawings and textile works, and small installations reminiscent of the displays and decorations in Chinatown shop windows. The integration of Cantonese opera recordings, collected treasures, and photographs loaned by families, elders and people close to the Chinatown community aims to spark dialogue about the collections and to lay the groundwork for a future collection of Chinese archives in Montreal.

Karen Tam is a Montreal-based artist and curator whose research focuses on the constructions and imaginations of cultures and communities through her installations in which she recreates Chinese restaurants, karaoke lounges, opium dens, curio shops and other sites of cultural encounters. Since 2000, she has exhibited her work and participated in residencies in North America, Europe and China, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum, He Xiangning Art Museum, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. 

Clique on Images to enlarge them

All photos @ Nadia Slejskova

For more information about current exhibitions and activities, visit the McCord Museum website.

DANS LE FLEUVE

 

DANS LE FLEUVE

February 19 - August 14, 2023

DANS LE FLEUVE is a contemplative art experience inspired by the St. Lawrence River. It will come to life along the underground corridor of the building located at 1250 René-Lévesque, accessible from the Bonaventure Metro station or by the staircase in the building's lobby, and will plunge visitors into a dreamlike, interactive, informative and narrative walk.

​​Walking, listening, seeing, feeling and knowing are the five stages of discovery along this underground corridor. The rich ecosystem of the river comes to life with poetic visual content, danced and animated. The voices of the SMAM Choir (Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal) represent the imaginary voice of the millennial river.

Information on the history, biodiversity and issues related to the river will be shared on infographic panels. The first peoples call it Magtogoek, the walking path, or Kaniatarowanenneh, big water stream. Its biodiversity must be protected, for the present and for future generations.

While visiting the installation, it will be possible to connect to the Suzuki Foundation's web page and sign the petition to ask for the protection of the marine areas of the St. Lawrence River.

Marinella Montanari, Jobel Art for the Earth:

"Jobel made its Montreal debut in 2019 at the Eureka Festival, organized by the Science Center at the Old Port. I felt a curiosity and affection towards the St. Lawrence River, and in 2020 I started to design an art project to share this feeling."

Julia Nau - RodeoFX:

"DANS LE FLEUVE allows us to bring this story, voice and movement into a space of bricks and concrete and share it with the people of Montreal."

Pierre Fitzgibbon - Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region:

“With works such as DANS LE FLEUVE, Quebec artists bring life to downtown Montréal for the benefit of those who live, work or visit there. It is a source of pride to see the emblematic St. Lawrence River embellish Montréal’s underground corridors.”

Michel Leblanc, President and CEO - Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal:

“The Chamber is pleased to support the first environmentally themed art installation of its ré·CRÉATION^MTL program as part of the ‘I love working downtown’ initiative, with the support of the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie. This video projection experience acknowledges the core role that the St. Lawrence River plays in our city and in Quebec, while also showcasing Montréal’s vast underground network. This new project is part of our plan to revitalize the downtown area and make it more appealing by creating unique experiences for workers.”

"I love working downtown" initiative:

The DANS LE FLEUVE project is part of the" I love working downtown" initiative. This initiative, set up by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM) with the financial support of the Ministère de l'Économie et de l'Innovation, aims to contribute to the economic revival of downtown Montreal by implementing actions to facilitate the return of workers to the downtown area and to enhance the attractiveness of the area.

JOBEL ART FOR THE EARTH

Founded in 2000, Jobel is a multidisciplinary arts organization whose services aim to raise awareness, inform and engage the community to contribute to environmental and social transformation. Jobel has created thousands of travelling projects between Europe and Asia and, in 2019, a new headquarters in Montreal. With a dynamic and daring team, our projects are deployed locally and internationally.

RODEO FX

Since 2006, Rodeo FX has demonstrated great expertise in the design of permanent and temporary installations, advertising production and content creation.

The Experience, VFX, Audio and Production teams, all passionate about their art, collaborate on all stages of each project. Creative to the bone, storytelling in our blood and collaboration in our DNA. Rodeo FX. Born to create.

STUDIO DE MUSIQUE ANCIENNE DE MONTRÉAL (SMAM)

For almost 50 years, SMAM has been guided by a commitment to excellence and carved out a place for itself in Canada's early vocal music world. Under the musical direction of Andrew McAnerney since 2015, the Ensemble comprises 12 to 18 professional singers chosen for the purity and clarity of their voices.

PROJECT PRESENTED BY JOBEL ART FOR EARTH and RODEO FX

In collaboration With Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal (SMAM)

In partnership with BentallGreenOak and David Suzuki Foundation

CREDITS

Creative direction Marinella Montanari

Production Julia Nau, Rachel Gauthier

Click here for the complete list of artists and collaborators.