This year, Fonderie Darling is reaching a new cycle of maturity as it celebrates 20 years of operation with ambitious programming. In 2022, group exhibitions, year-round public programs, and a multitude of related projects highlight the archives and industrial past of this unparalleled and historically-charged site.
This anniversary year opens with a collaborative international group exhibition presented by guest curator Baruch Gottlieb (DE). Feedback #6: Marshall McLuhan and the Arts highlights the avant-garde thinking of this eminent media theorist and his still vibrant influence on art today. Bringing together a dozen Canadian, American and European artists, the exhibition is supported by a rich public program including workshops and performances, conversations and colloquium with McLuhanian specialists. This event will also feature the launch of a long-awaited publication on the subject edited by Sarah Sharma, entitled Re-Understanding Media: Feminist Extensions of Marshall McLuhan.
In the fall, Fonderie Darling will engage in introspective programming using the archive of its past programming which consists of hundreds of events that have taken place over the past 20 years. Exhibitions, artist residencies, performances, site-specific works and off-site projects, as well as any other form of artistic event or anecdote that has marked Fonderie Darling's identity, will be revisited by the artists and will further serve as anchor points for new artistic proposals. Exhibitions, artist residencies, performances, in situ works, projects outside the walls, as well as any other form of artistic event or anecdote that has marked the identity of the place are revisited by the artists and serve as anchor points for new artistic proposals. The evocative title of this group exhibition Tu m'enveloppes et je te contiens1 refers to the sometimes symbiotic relationship that exists between the work of the artist and that of the curator and highlights the artistic and creative vision behind the Darling Foundry's project. In parallel to this exhibition, an anthological and chronological book will be published, highlighting some of the Darling Foundry's key events, from its genesis to the present day, in a text by Vincent Bonin. Finally, Fonderie Darling's industrial past will be revisited in an evolving exhibition presented throughout the year in the reception area. Fonderie Darling: 20 Years + 1 Century presents a selection of numerous artifacts related to the Darling brothers' company, contextualizing historical material which has been collected by the organization since its arrival on the site.
While the International Residency programs are back in full swing with artists from the Caribbean, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and India, the new Interregional Residency programs established last year are continuing. The cross-residencies with Gaspésie and Bas-Saint-Laurent allow us to continue the collaboration with the artist-run centers Vaste et Vague and Caravansérail and to devote ourselves to the development of a new artistic and community hub in the region: the Gare de Matapédia. In addition, a brand new Research Residency offers a curator the opportunity to spend a year at Fonderie Darling to further his or her research and to develop public programs for the community. This first project, entitled The New Region of the World, is led by curator and anthropologist James Oscar who rethinks the age-old certainties that have characterized the West's framing of questions of beauty, aesthetics, and cultural production.
The 20th anniversary celebrations coincide with other exceptional and landmark events that confirm the Darling Foundry's value in Montreal's arts ecosystem, and its anchorage in the neighborhood of Old Montreal. Thanks to the the City of Montreal, the Place Publique is finally becoming permanent, a project that is geared towards the well-being and quality of life of the community and that Fonderie Darling has cherished for many years. In summer as well as in winter, it will soon be possible to enjoy unique aesthetic experiences in a friendly and festive open-air setting. Another very promising achievement for the organization is the acquisition of the second building in the industrial complex that will serve as an exhibition venue, a process that is almost complete. Thus, on its 20th anniversary, the entirety of Fonderie Darling has become the property of Quartier Éphémère, which saved it from demolition and invested it with its artistic mission in the early 1990s.
Engage with Fonderie Darling throughout the year by supporting this ambitious anniversary programming through your visits, memberships and generosity in our annual fundraising campaign.