From its inaugural launch in the glass foyer of Mies’ Westmount Square, to the Black Watch Armoury, and on through the more traditional “art fair” years in tents around the city, Papier has always made for a fun little excursion. Due to the medium specificity of ‘”work on paper” (some gallerists bend it to be “made of paper” or “featuring paper”), there is always an aura of lightness as you walk amongst the displays. This lightness is often matched by early spring weather that, along with the relative affordability of the art, helps entice throngs of Montrealers to check out the event.
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Karen Kraven, Knicks and Rangers
Located in a hangar in Old Montreal, Papier 16’s layout seemed a bit dark and crowded. There was no open area and even the space set up for the panel discussions was tiny and invisibly tucked away behind a wall. On top of that, some strong galleries were missing either because they closed (Jessica Bradley, Donald Browne) or they chose not to make the trip (Susan Hobbs, Clint Roenisch, Diaz Contemporary). I also felt there was very little risk in terms presentation (I’m thinking back to projects such as Lum & Desranleau’s paper installations at Gallery Hughes Charbonneau for Papier 14).
Having said this, there was a lot of great work. The booths for Parisian Laundry and Battat Contemporary stood out the most. I appreciated work by Karen Kraven (Parisian Laundry), Beth Stuart (Battat Contemporary), and Luanne Martineau (Trépanier Baer), not to mention some fabulous little collages by Guy Maddin at Lisa Kehler Art + Projects. As I navigated the crowds and stepped carefully around the strollers, I spotted everyone from random neighbours to members of the local art community and an excited looking Melanie Jolie (Federal Minister of Culture) darting in and out of the aisles. Montreal is in desperate need of more budding collectors, and Papier goes a long way to make it happen.
Papier 16: http://papiermontreal.com/en/
Susannah Wesley is an artist and curator living in Montreal. She has been a member of the collaborative duo Leisure since 2004 and from 1997-2000 was part of the notorious British art collective the Leeds13. Formerly Director at Battat Contemporary in Montreal, she holds an MFA from the Glasgow School of Art and an MA in Art History from Concordia University. She is Akimblog's Montreal correspondent and can be followed @susannahwesley1 on Twitter.
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Papier 16
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