Art Souterrain Festival 2023 | Party Down in Underground City
An anniversary edition for Montreal’s must-see contemporary art event
From March 18 to April 9, 2023, the Art Souterrain Festival will celebrate its 15th edition by bringing together nearly 30 local and international artists around the theme of la fête — the party.
Like every year, this unique contemporary art festival will take place in the heart of Montreal’s underground pedestrian network for 3 weeks of exhibitions. An event that transcends disciplines, the Art Souterrain Festival will offer a rich program this year. Photographs, videos, art and sound installations and performances will punctuate the downtown corridors, for free, while numerous events and mediation activities will be offered to all. The Festival is growing every year and promises a memorable edition for its 15th anniversary!
The Curators
For this anniversary edition, the Art Souterrain Festival has called on three guest curators: Eddy Firmin (Quebec), Ayrson Heráclito (Brazil) and Jean-François Prost (Quebec). Beyond the glitz and glamour, the artistic projects selected by the curators mark a broad reflection, all in nuances and reversals around the theme of the party. If the party is associated with celebration, gathering and traditions, it is also synonymous with excess, prohibitions, testing of the body and refusal of social codes.
The Artists
The Art Souterrain Festival will host an artistic program worthy of the event and its international character. It will present about thirty artistic projects, selected by the curators and the Art Souterrain committee, whose diversity of approaches and proposals will reveal all the subtlety of the theme addressed this year. The artists invited to exhibit come from a variety of practices, ranging from photography to installation, video, performance and digital art, and will reveal their vision and interpretation of this multifaceted theme.
Some great names of the international art scene are already confirmed, and will be completed by many others, whose excellent proposals will make this edition a real success:
Antonio Pichillá Quiacaín (Guatemala)
Cao Guimarães & Rivane Neuenschwander (Brazil)
Chun Hua Catherine Dong (Canada)
François Prost (France)
Mehryl Levisse (Marocco | France)
Mulambö (Brazil)
The Exhibition Places
The Art Souterrain Festival will take place this year in the underground network of five partner buildings: Place Ville-Marie – the nerve center of this edition – the Centre de commerce mondial de Montréal, the Palais des Congrès de Montréal, the Jacques Parizeau Building and the Place de la Cité Internationale. Each building will offer its own exhibition. The Festival is free of charge and invites all audiences to live a true artistic experience in extraordinary places that are part of Montreal’s heritage.
Events & Activities
The Art Souterrain Festival will offer this year a wide program of free events accessible to all, divided into 2 distinct sections: Once again this year, Art Souterrain is collaborating with key players on the Montreal cultural scene, including the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC), the FIFA, the Mexican Cultural Institute and LSTW. Sharing, creativity and innovation are at the heart of our collaborative actions.
Exaltation — the official launch event of the festival — will take place on Saturday, March 18, 2023, at Place Ville-Marie, and will be marked by a festive and artistic evening in keeping with this year’s theme — the party!
Here is what you need to know about the Art Souterrain Festival 2023
Date: Saturday, March 18 — Sunday, April 9
Locations: Place Ville-Marie, Centre de commerce mondial de Montréal, Palais des Congrès de Montréal, Jacques Parizeau Building and Place de la Cité Internationale
Program: The complete and detailed program of exhibited artists, events and activities will be unveiled on the 8th of March
Fee: Free of charge!
Website: artsouterrain.com/en
Facebook: @artsouterrain
Instagram: @artsouterrain
YouTube: ArtSouterrainMTL
LinkedIn: art-souterrain
Featured image credit: Mike Patten
NEXT: Projet CASA | Great Art Space in Mount Royal Mansion Turns 3
