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Quebec City, Wednesday, November 21, 2018<\/strong> \u2013 Today, less than four months before the launch of its winter biennial, Manif d\u2019art 9 \u2013 The Quebec City Biennial<\/strong><\/em>, presented in collaboration with the Mus\u00e9e national des beaux-arts du Qu\u00e9bec (MNBAQ)<\/strong>, unveiled a portion of its program at a press conference held at the Quebec Government Office in London!<\/p>\n Speaking to guests including Quebec\u2019s General Agent in London John Anthony Coleman<\/strong>, the curator of Manif d\u2019art 9 and director of Ikon Gallery<\/em><\/a><\/span> in Birmingham, Jonathan Watkins<\/strong>, announced a dozen artists who will be taking part in the biennial; among them are select English artists and a group of Canadian artists whose works will be shown in three galleries in Birmingham in 2019.<\/p>\n Claude B\u00e9langer<\/strong>, General and Artistic Director of Manif d\u2019art<\/strong>, was alongside Jonathan Watkins<\/strong> to introduce these twelve artists to the English art world. Chosen from among the hundred-odd artists who will take part in the 9th edition of the Quebec City Biennial<\/em>, they include English artists Oliver Beer<\/strong>, Cornelia Parker<\/strong>, Haroon Mirza<\/strong> and George Shaw<\/strong>, as well as Tom\u00e1s Saraceno<\/strong> (Argentina), who is currently exhibiting at the Palais de Tokyo, Vija Celmins<\/strong> (Latvia), who has pieces in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Shayne Dark<\/strong> (Saskatchewan), Shuvinai Ashoona<\/strong> (Nunavut), Christiane Baumgartner<\/strong> (Germany), Jim Holyoak<\/strong> (British-Columbia) and Caroline Gagn\u00e9<\/strong> (Quebec). Ontario artist Meryl McMaster<\/strong> is also on the program in Quebec City and will subsequently show her work at Ikon Gallery<\/em>.<\/p>\n Four Canadian artists, including three from Quebec, will display work in two other galleries in Birmingham, Stryx<\/em><\/a> and the Midlands Arts Centre<\/em><\/a> <\/span>(MAC). Jonathan Watkins<\/strong> discovered these unique artists while he was preparing the biennial, and the wish to introduce them to English audiences was born.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are very proud to see the work of artists from here earning international recognition, thanks to the network that Manif d\u2019art creates with its guest curators. The heart of our mission is to promote artists from Quebec and Canada so that their work can be disseminated abroad. I\u2019m very happy with this partnership, which provides a wonderful showcase for our artists\u201d,<\/em><\/strong> said Claude B\u00e9langer, General and Artistic Director of Manif d\u2019art<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Manif d\u2019art 9 \u2013 The Quebec City Biennial<\/strong><\/em> is the must-see contemporary art event in Quebec. From February 16 to April 21, 2019, this unique winter biennial will showcase the talents of artists from here and abroad in several different venues in Quebec City, organized around the theme Small Against the Stars, Large Against the Sky*<\/em><\/strong>. On the program: the main exhibit at the MNBAQ featuring about twenty artists, solo exhibits of approximately ten artists in various galleries, and the public art segment that includes approximately ten artwork pieces.<\/p>\n The official unveiling of the program for the 9th edition will take place on December 4, 2018, at the Mus\u00e9e national des beaux-arts du Qu\u00e9bec.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Jonathan Watkins<\/span><\/strong><\/em> He has curated a number of large international exhibitions including the Biennale of Sydney (1998), Facts of Life: Contemporary Japanese Art<\/em> (Hayward Gallery, London 2001), Quotidiana<\/em> (Castello di Rivoli, Turin 1999), Tate Triennial<\/em> (2003), Shanghai Biennale (2006), Sharjah Biennial (2007), Negotiations<\/em> (Today Art Museum, Beijing 2010) and the Guangzhou Triennial (2012). He was on the curatorial team for Europarte (Venice Biennale, 1997), Milano Europa 2000, (Palazzo di Triennale, Milan 2000), and Riwaq (Palestinian Biennial 2007). He curated the Iraqi Pavilion for the Venice Biennale in 2013 and Floating World, Bahrain in 2017. In 2019 Watkins curates Small Between the Stars, Large Against the Sky<\/em>, at the Quebec Biennial.<\/p>\n Jonathan Watkins<\/strong> has written extensively on contemporary art. Essays have focused on the work of Giuseppe Penone, Martin Creed, Semyon Faibisovich, Yang Zhenzhong, Noguchi Rika, Caro Niederer, Beat Streuli and Cornelia Parker. He was the author of the Phaidon monograph on Japanese artist On Kawara.<\/p>\n About Manif d\u2019art<\/span><\/strong><\/em> About the MNBAQ<\/span><\/strong><\/em> Manif d’art would like to thank le Bureau des grands \u00e9v\u00e9nements, la Ville de Qu\u00e9bec, le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Qu\u00e9bec, le Minist\u00e8re de la culture et des communications, the Council of the arts of Canada, Quebec City Tourism, le Patrimoine canadien, lg2, Radio-Canada, la Maison Simons, la D\u00e9l\u00e9gation g\u00e9n\u00e9rale du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e0 Londres, le Mus\u00e9e national des beaux-arts du Qu\u00e9bec and M\u00e9duse.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nJonathan Watkins<\/strong> has been Director of Ikon Gallery<\/em> since 1999. He has previously worked for a number of years in London, as Curator of the Serpentine Gallery<\/em> (1995-1997) and Director of Chisenhale Gallery<\/em> (1990-1995).<\/p>\n
\nOne of Canada\u2019s foremost contemporary art biennials, the Manif d\u2019art \u2013 The Quebec City Biennial<\/strong><\/em> presents the work of some 100 artists from all disciplines. In addition to exhibitions, the event offers an array of activities based on a central theme, distinct for each edition. Since its inception in the fall of 2000, over 30 cultural organizations have helped to make this international festival an absolute must on the arts scene. Its far-reaching program appeals to specialists and novices alike. Manif d\u2019art 9 \u2013 The Quebec City Biennial<\/strong> <\/em>will be held in the winter of 2019 is done in collaboration with the MNBAQ.<\/p>\n
\nThe Mus\u00e9e national des beaux-arts du Qu\u00e9bec<\/strong> is a unique museum complex in Quebec City bringing together art, architecture and nature. The museum owns a vast and definitive collection of Quebec art, including more than 38,000 works covering 400 years of history. It includes one of the largest collections of religious art in Quebec, a major collection of Inuit art, and an esteemed collection of contemporary art comprising more than 9,000 works, including sculptures, prints, ceramics, photographs, drawings, videos, installations, digital art, and media art. In 2016, a fourth pavilion, the Pierre Lassonde, was inaugurated to showcase the Museum\u2019s contemporary art collection from the 1960s to today. The striking glass and steel building marrying history and contemporary design is where contemporary art from Quebec \u2013 including Inuit art, decorative art and design \u2013 is now displayed.<\/p>\n