Ecologies: A Song for Our Planet at the MMFA

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts presents

Ecologies: A Song for Our Planet

until April 3, 2022

Exploring the relationship between humans and nature, and disruptions to the planet’s ecosystems caused by human intervention.

Environmental issues have reached critical importance in our era defined by major climatic shifts, and these changes have permeated the reflections and practices of contemporary artists. The exhibition Ecologies: A Song for our Planet features installations, videos, sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographs that speak to mankind’s relationship with nature.

Osuitok Ipeelee (1923-2005), Untitled (Walruses), about 1977, steatite, caribou antler. 29.2 x 37.2 x 21.9 cm. MMFA, gift of Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. © Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts

The word “ecology” evokes visions of thriving ecosystems teeming with an abundant variety of species coexisting in diverse habitats. However, the term is also tainted by negative associations with an unprecedented environmental crisis that is impacting living systems. While the detrimental consequences of human activity are widespread, it is populations living symbiotically with the natural world that are the most adversely affected. In Canada, as in other countries with a history of colonization, the issue of environmental injustice is inextricably linked to the sufferings of Indigenous peoples.

Ecologies showcases a captivating selection of some 90 works stemming mainly from the Museum’s collection, including several new acquisitions and other rarely or never before seen works. Installations, videos, sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographs by Canadian and international artists, such as Edward Burtynsky, Kim Dorland, Lorraine Gilbert, Isabelle Hayeur, Alec Lawson Tuckatuck, Marie-Jeanne Musiol, Giuseppe Penone, Charles Stankievech, Adrian Stimson and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun each present a unique interpretation of ecology.

For more information, including opening hours and how to purchase your tickets, visit: www.mbam.qc.ca

View of the exhibition Ecologie: A Song for Our Planet.
Photo MMFA, Denis Farley