An exhibition by Artexte
February 9 – April 2, 2016
Opening and 35th anniversary celebration: Tuesday, February 9, from 5:30 PM onwards
Artexte was founded in 1981 by artists Angela Grauerholz and Anne Ramsden and art historian Francine Périnet. Seeking to fill a void in the local and national artistic landscape, they began concertedly promoting and circulating texts on contemporary art, making Quebec and Canadian publications accessible abroad and bringing international art documentation here. The organization’s many employees and contributors have since then engaged in a wide range of activities and projects, including book sales and distribution, publishing, document collection, database construction, research services, conferences, lectures, residencies and exhibitions. In the process, Artexte has over the past thirty-five years become a key site of art-focused social exchange and knowledge production.
Just as the work of its staff and collaborators has shaped Artexte’s history, so have the spaces it has inhabited helped configure its different lives. To celebrate the organization’s 35th anniversary, and with the aim of inviting reflection on the impact that distinct spaces can have on the personal experience and collective memory of institutions, its current team has createdmises en scènes – or “period rooms” – evoking two of the organization’s previous venues. Presenting an array of documents selected from Artexte’s collection and institutional archives, this exhibition offers snapshots of the places, people, events and ideas that have defined the history of Artexte, and by extension, of the broader artistic community of which it is a part.
The Artexte team wishes to thank everyone who has contributed to the collection, activities and operations of the institution since its foundation. Artexte exists thanks to the work and generosity of the community of partners, researchers, volunteers, donors, administrators, students, artists and employees who together ensure its resilience.
Within the context of our 35th anniversary celebration, we would like to thank artist Jo-Anne Balcaen, essemagazine as well as Formats bookstore for their generous contributions to the gifts to our public!
Historique d’Artexte 1981-2016 (en français)