Lonely Planet - there we are!

We have recently been visited by people from Australia, The Netherlands and England, who said they found their way to us because of the Lonely Planet. We were mystified - having had no idea that we had been spotted and entered into this well-loved list of places to see on our planet.

After some research we found ourselves, in the 2012 edition Montreal & Quebec. Although they strangely left out one half of our partnership in their otherwise excellent write-up  - we were incredibly happy see that there we are! in the Lonely Planet! We even made it into the Top 5 places to see in the neighbourhood:

 

Jason Urban - Letterforms

10 mai - 2 juin 2013
Vernissage vendredi 10 mai 18h - 21h


Letterform, une série d’estampes faites à la main, examine la typographie comme image, bruit et objet utilitaire. En simplifiant la typographie des lettres de l’alphabet Romain en de simples motifs qui unissent les figures et le fond, je minimise le pouvoir de communication de ces caractères de l’alphabet. Ces lettres/images sont faites de motifs linéaires imprimés et gravés avec soin. J’ai un appétit sans borne pour la répétition et ma recherche en création se concentre souvent sur le développement de systèmes exigeant un travail méticuleux et monotone. Cette inclinaison et intérêt pour le travail de main d’oeuvre m’a mené à embrasser l’imprimerie dans mon œuvre de création : l’essence même du travail répétitif et obsessif compulsif. Je commets ces actes physiques banals - ad infinitum- et à travers ces répétitions, ces gestes banals remplacent et contiennent le « sublime ».

À travers une fabrication en série de motifs linéaires vibrants et colorés, les estampes sont transformées en objets utiles : livres, sacs, et décorations sur les murs d’exposition à l’avant du magasin Monastiraki. Les bruit enlevants et vibrants qu’on y trouve évoquent du même coup le repos de la nature et la clameur d’un flux RSS sans fin.

http://www.jasonurban.com/studio22.html

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Jason Urban - Letterform

May 10 - June 2, 2013
Opening Friday May 10th 6pm - 9pm


Letterform, a series of hand-carved relief prints, investigates typography as image, noise and the utilitarian object. By reducing letterforms from the Roman alphabet into simple patterns that merge figure and ground, I minimize their communicative power. These letter/images are made of carefully carved and printed linear patterns. I have an endless appetite for repetition and my creative research often focuses on developing systems that require meticulous and monotonous labor.. This inclination and interest in physical labor has led my work to embrace printmaking: the very essence of repetitive, obsessive-compulsive work. I commit these mundane physical acts- ad infinitum- and through repetition the banal gestures become a stand-in for the "sublime."

Through mass-produced quantities of vibrating linear pattern and color, relief prints are transformed into objects of utility: books, bags and decorative wall art within Monastiraki’s storefront space. The vibrant red-hot noise simultaneously evokes the repose of nature and the clamor of an endless RSS feed.

http://www.jasonurban.com/studio22.html

The Psychedelic Collection

 

Tara Slaughter chose some items from Monastiraki's extensive psychedelic art collection

the-psychedelic-collection

April 2013 in the store

Here we are in the spring, we hope! Having come through yet another Montreal winter instills a deep longing for warm breeze and open windows, and green plants.

Some shots from our store as we head into this new season....

(and keep your eyes out for our new online print gallery coming soon, that will showcase some of the great prints we carry)

'happy sleepy' dolls by marc and magda

Letterpress coasters by Rose Pink

Lightbulb print by Jacob Rolfe

our amazing print drawers, filled with wonders upon wonders

graph zines!

our formidable small press corner

Mark Laliberte “Cut Program”

Mark Laliberte “Cut Program”
Collage Experiments, 2000-2013


Collage is a gesture that applies pressure to today's culture. By taking the formal images of the mainstream world and cutting into them, new versions of possibility take shape. Collage makes tomorrow possible now.

This exhibition offers a 'collage view' of several different collage projects I have created over the years, providing a sutured sampling of paper-based works spanning back to 2000. Whether chaotic, structured, messy or formal, the visual vocabularies on display here offer a surface look at the varied approaches taken in the struggle to organize meaning in a cut/paste world view.

bio/ MARK LALIBERTE is a visual artist, writer, curator, designer and soundmaker with an MFA from the University of Guelph. He has exhibited and performed extensively in galleries and festivals across Canada and the USA; he is the managing editor and designer of CAROUSEL. In April he will be: exhibiting at Monastiraki in Montreal; contributing works to 2 art auctions in Toronto; completing a new artist book, Angry Black Bang; participating in 'Nomadic Noise Residency', the start of a 4-month collaborative project in the wilds of Toronto. More info at: marklaliberte.com




Apr 11 – May 05, 2013
Opening Thu Apr 11, 18hr-21hr

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L’exposition Collage est un geste qui applique les pressions de la culture d’aujourd’hui. En prenant des images officielles du monde courant et populaire, de nouvelles options possibles prennent formes. Collage amène une demain possible dans l’aujourd’hui, dans le présent. Cette exposition offre une « perspective collage » de plusieurs différents projets de collage que j’ai créés au fil des ans. Il fournit un échantillon remarquable d’oeuvres sur papier datant de l’année 2000. Qu’ils soient chaos, structure, brouillon ou officiel, ces vocabulaires visuels exposés ici offrent un aperçu des approches diverses utilisées dans la lutte pour catégoriser le sens dans un monde de « couper/coller ».

Mark Laliberte est un artiste en arts visuels, un écrivain, un curateur, un designer et un professionnel du son qui a obtenu un MFA de l’Université de Guelph. Il a exposé et performé à plusieurs occasions dans des galeries et festivals à travers le Canada et les États-Unis. Il est éditeur et designer de Carousel. En avril il : exposera à Monastiraki, contribuera ses œuvres à deux enchères de Toronto, complètera son nouveau livre d’artiste, Angry Black Bang,participera à Nomadic Noise Residency, un projet de collaboration ayant lieu dans la nature de Toronto. Plus d’infos à : marklaliberte.com

 11 avril - 5 mai, 2013
vernissage jeudi, 11 avril, 18hr-21hr

Pics from our current show - Joanne Balcaen

COMPLEMENTS OF THE SHOP

Dr. Yves Benoist is, indeed, the centerpiece for this week’s curatorial project. The psychology publication, one that encourages the reader, “Master your life,” supplied the complementary colour palate.

Beyond its kick-ass design and presumptive title, the publication encourages contemplation of both personal relationships and the future. “’L’ALCOOL ET VOUS” and “COMBIEN D’ANNEES VOUS RESTE-T-IL A VIVRE?” are some recommended sections. Benoist  closes by urging his patrons, “Choisir des AMIS SAINS, physiquement et moralement.” Just full of wisdom, this one. A treat, really. “POUR VIVRE LONGTEMPS, VIVRE LENTEMENT.”

Another gem in the complementary collection is “The Ladybird Book of British Wildflowers,” by Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald, with paintings by Rowland and Edith Hilder (brother and sister, husband and wife, coincidence?). While the book does a downright swell job of pointing out which wildflower is which, it can also serve as a spring of inspiration for parents who just can’t seem to find the right name for their child. My personal favorites include, but are not limited to, Purple Loosestrife, Germander Speedwell, Scarlet Pimpernel, and Heartsease Tansy.

“Citrate Magnesie”, or magnesium citrate, is a saline laxative, but you’d never guess at first glance.

Anyway, next time you drop in, ask yourself, “I NOSTRI TEMPI TURBOLENTI CHE COSA SIGNIFICANO?” Your answer will most likely be one of problem-solving capabilities: buy something to distract yourself from the real answer.

-Tara Slaughter

 

"J'adore ton travail." by Jo-Anne Balcaen

Jo-Anne Balcaen “J’adore ton travail”

Oeuvres sur papier / Works on paper 2007-2013

Vernissage vendredi 8 mars, 18hr

Exposition 8 - 31 mars, 2013

Les œuvres sur papier exposées ici, y compris encre et gouache sur papier, impression typographique, dactylographiée, et impression au laser, ont été produites en 2007 lors de résidences d’artistes à Toronto et au Banff Centre, et plus récemment à Montréal. La plupart de ces œuvres sont présentées ici pour la première fois.

Bien que le texte ait souvent joué un rôle central dans mon travail, je considère ces œuvres sur papier comme étant en marge à ma pratique principale, qui comprend surtout la vidéo, l'installation et l'impression numérique.

Je suis influencée par la langue vernaculaire de la culture populaire, par l'affichage commercial et le design graphique, du fait que la présentation formelle de ces mots est mise en contraste avec l’émotion ou la psychologie plus profond du message: le besoin normal, mais inavoué de validation, d'acceptation, d'approbation - et la crainte de son contraire: l'indifférence, la critique, le rejet.


Jo-Anne Balcaen (1971, La Broquerie, Manitoba) est une artiste montréalaise œuvrant dans plusieurs médiums, notamment la vidéo, l’audio, l’installation et l’impression. Elle détient un baccalauréat en beaux-arts de l’Université du Manitoba (1994) et une maîtrise en arts visuels de l’Université Concordia, Montréal (2000). Depuis le milieu des années ’90, elle présente régulièrement son travail dans plusieurs festivals, centres d’artistes et galeries au Canada, au Royaume-Uni, en Europe et aux États-Unis. Ces expositions individuelles récentes incluent Sound Ideas au Centre Clark, Montréal, et The Longer I Wait, the Better it Feels, à la Eastern Edge Gallery, à St-Jean, Terre-Neuve. Balcaen à reçue plusieurs bourses de recherche et création du Conseil des Arts et des lettres du Québec, du Conseil des Arts du Canada, et du Conseil des Arts du Manitoba.

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The works on paper exhibited here, including ink and gouache on paper, letterpress, typewritten text and laser prints, were produced in 2007 during artist residencies in Toronto, and the Banff Centre, and most recently in Montreal. Most of these are being shown publicly for the first time.

Although text has often played a central role in my work, I consider these works on paper as being peripheral to my main practice, which is primarily based in video, installation and digital print. Influenced by the vernacular of popular culture, by commercial signage and graphic design, their stark, formal presentation stands in contrast to their deeper emotional or psychological message: the normal yet unspoken need for validation, acceptance, approval – and fear of its opposite: indifference, criticism, rejection.


BIO

Jo-Anne Balcaen (b. 1971, La Broquerie, Manitoba) is a Montreal-based artist working in a variety of media, including video, audio, installation, and print media. She holds a BFA from the University of Manitoba, (1994) and an MFA from Concordia University, Montreal (2000). Since the mid-1990s, her work has been regularly shown in festivals, artist-run centers and galleries across Canada, as well as in the UK, Europe, and in the US. Recent solo exhibitions include Sound Ideas at Centre Clark, Montréal, and The Longer I Wait, the Better it Feels, at Eastern Edge Gallery, in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Balcaen is also the recipient of numerous grants from the Conseil des arts et des letters du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Manitoba Arts Council.