Montreal, October 21, 2021 — Fonderie Darling celebrates the opening of its fall exhibitions, featuring the work of Montreal-based artists Sylvia Sadfie and Philippe Battikha. Performances and Open Studios event with the artists in residency are planned for the occasion.
EVENING SCHEDULE
> Exhibitions will remain open until 10pm
This opening marks the long-awaited return of the Open Studios events, during which the artists in Montreal Studios and the artists in residencies welcome you to their creative spaces.
[*Please note that the vaccine passport (QR code) will not be required for the event as art centres are exempt from this regulation, as are museums and libraries. Mask wearing, hand washing, social distancing and a maximum capacity per studio will be required at all times.]
EXHIBITIONS
From October 28 to December 19, the galleries will feature the work of Sylvia Safdie and Philippe Battikha, two artists intimately linked to Fonderie Darling and its history.
SYLVIA SAFDIE / AS I WALK
In the Main Hall, Sylvia Safdie transposes the contents of her studio, including her precious collection of minerals and plants, for the exhibition As I Walk. Located just steps away from the Fonderie Darling buildings, Safdie's studio is one of the last small industrial bastions to be transformed into artist studios, now under threat. Through this symbolic gesture, Fonderie Darling wanted to emphasize the great loss of industrial buildings in the neighbourhood, a loss not only of architectural heritage, but also for artists who have found ideal working spaces for making art in these buildings.
Born in Aley, Lebanon in 1942, SYLVIA SAFDIE spent her youth in Haifa, Israel, before moving with her family to Canada in 1953, where she lives and works. In 1975, she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University. Throughout her career, Sylvia Safdie has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including the Thomas More Institute (1991) and the Saidye Bronfman Arts Centre Gallery at the First Biennale des Artistes Québécois (1977). Her work has been the subject of the film Earth Marks, directed by Doina Harap (2000) and numerous books, most recently Eric Lewis' The Video Art of Sylvia Safdie (2013). She is represented by the Joyce Yahouda Gallery in Montreal and Paul Kuhn Gallery in Calgary.
PHILIPPE BATTIKHA / SOMEONE'S ALWAYS LISTENING
In the Small Gallery, Philippe Battikha reimagines the potential of breath, the power of hydraulic pumps, and the subtlety of sound in a sculptural and kinetic installation composed of blasting mats. Through the lens of animism, Someone's Always Listening seeks to put forward the dual aspect of our urban experience, particularly that of artists working in cities: a sense of simultaneously feeling exalted and suffocated.
PHILIPPE BATTIKHA Battikha holds a BFA in Integrative Music Studies and an MFA in Studio Arts (Intermedia concentration) from Concordia University. He received many grants and awards, such as the Montréal Arts Interculturels Mentorship Program. He co-founded the music label Samizdat Records (SZR), based in Montreal and in Brooklyn. From 2008 to 2012, he was a founding member of the artist-run space L'Envers in Montreal.
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