So it’s been a little over a year since we last sat down with my second favorite Canadian artist to see what’s up, so I thought I would take a few minutes sit down and chat with the man himself and see what’s been going on to get it straight from the horses mouth. Here is what he had to say.

1) What has been going on since we last spoke? Last I remember it was just before your first solo show whats happened since then?

A) Well first and foremost I guess the biggest thing is I have retired . I guess the truth is I have semi retired cause as far as I am aware a true artist never retires. My mind is always busy creating SOMETHING regardless of what I say. I guess mostly the method has just changed . It use to be my biggest concern was gaining recognition for my endeavors . Over the past little bit it seems my artistic legacy has been set in stone. Already at a “young age I created a body of work I could have never imagined which now allows me to pursue other goals.

2) You say your legacy is “set in stone” . What gives you the AUDACITY to make such a statement as you are not represented by ANY gallery nor have you ever had recognition from ANY ESTABLISHED ART INSTITUTION?

A) WELL,through my efforts over the past number of years my work has been brought to the attention of a great number of people. Many of whom are are public figures. Once you get to a certain level of recognition in something like art , especially when your body of work is unique, there is a certain momentum that just continues to build. Even if I was to never create another physical work ALL the previous creations rests in time. That especially holds true when people own your work in collections, and my work is owned in a large handful of private collections. After people have invested a certain amount in you it becomes in their best interest you get recognized. That is the position I seem to find my self in now.
It’s funny cause in the beginning I was so DESPERATE to be recognized from the establishment and no matter what I did I found I couldn’t get it. My hair was too long , I was a little WILD, I didn’t have credentials or maybe it was the fact I had a tooth punched out. It gave people in “authority” positions the ability to WRITE ME OFF because I didn’t fit the present norm. Because of all this I had to look for other venues. That was when I discovered the POWER of the BEAST known as the INTERNET. IT SET ME FREE .
Yah see even though someone might make great work , the art industry is just that an INDUSTRY and there fore has an agenda all to it’s own which filters all the way down to the lowest level. The industry can’t just promote anyone art , regardless of how good it is. If it did that it would eliminate a HUGE PORTION of how the industry creates PROFIT.
Here is the part where my statements will rub a lot of people the wrong way. Don’t get me wrong I see the importance of the structure and the roles peoples play in it. In art these days what is created is often irrelevant. Regardless of how great a persons work might be the weeding out process wipes out a lot of great creators.
You have to go through the HOOPS. You can’t be allowed to skip them because if you do certain hoops are no longer needed. Therefore things like Art School(which I do believe in) and masters programs become the STANDARD. If a step as such is skipped , then it is no longer deemed as necessary. If things as such are no longer necessary. Then ANYONE is applicable which then upsets the structure.
The History of art has proven ORIGINALITY is probably the worst attribute an artist can have and long gone are the days of the BOHEMIAN ARTIST, they where buried after 9/11. Even Cezanne the “GODFATHER” of Modernism was was left to starve for 40 years. The internet CHANGES that. With proper usage an artist can now use this space to address their audience directly.

3) Last I remember you where really big on goal setting and personal development, can you tell us how that has changed things? I mean I still don’t see you driving your Mercedes Benz, and your economic level doesn’t seem to have changed that much.

A)Goal setting and personal development is probably the greatest things I ever discovered. I have always been a “right brain” thinker so even though I have been satisfied with my creative mind for years I felt my life lacked in MANY other areas. When I first got in to the study of all this it really was a DOLLARS and CENTS thing. NOW that I have studied it I have come to understand that TRUE WEALTH is a LIFESTYLE THING. In TRUTH I live on FAR LESS than I did 5 years ago as a waiter. The appreciation for what I have is FAR GREATER though, I also use resources far more wisely.

4) YEAH RIGHT!!!!…. SO “SUCCESS” is about “OTHER” things other than FINACIAL gain….

A) YES, If I had made the millions I planed on making before(and I have ALWAYS planned on making millions), I could have had it all and still been unhappy. NOW I live with exactly what I am GIVEN and in general my days are surrounded by BLISS. Even when needs are not met I handle ANY GIVEN SITUATION MUCH BETTER than I had previously.

5) So then what are some other goals you are currently working on?

A)I don’t even know where to begin. I started taking art SERIOUSLY at a VERY EARLY AGE. That meant the sacrifice of a lot of things. Now I am working backwards. As things are stabilizing I would like to take some trips and see somethings I’ve never seen. I would like to buy some property for my mother to help ensure her comfort , I would also like to buy property for my daughter and her mother as well. That is a lot of money right there.
I would love to make first appearance in a ring within the next year or so. I love the idea of doing an Ultimate Fighter Type fight. Pro wrestling has been a boyhood dream since I can remember though and once I heard that George Saint Pierre was in my weight division I became a little hesitant , really that guy is a MUTANT. Those who know me well though will tell you I can take a chair shot to the head pretty well though. So I have been spending lots of time at the gym. I have also under gone some profound spiritual changes.

6)Hmmmm. UFC and SPIRITUAL CHANGES ????? What makes you think your good enough to get in the ring.

A) This year marked my 10th anniversary having studied SENSHIDO. Senshido is a style of self defense that involves REALITY BASED TRAINING that incorporates MANY DIFFERENT STYLES of fighting. The word translates into “the style of 1000 masters”. The basic premise is ANY PERSON of ANY SIZE can defend themselves against another or OTHERS. This involves learning to do the MOST DAMAGE to your attacker with the least amount of energy. I believe that this style could be easily altered for the cage. Sure lots of the tactics would be considered illegal if toned down though I believe it’s principles would ensure victory.
Senshido also involves a lot of OVERKILL TRAINING which in turn also creates an immense amount of mental toughness. Really, when you are trained to DEFEND against multiple opponents with weapons stepping in to a cage or ring to fight doesn’t seem that implausible. I realize that there are all sorts of other factors involved, I am pretty sure I have the “basics”covered and I would love to fight a guy like Nick Diaz. If nothing else it is getting me back into some TREMENDOUS SHAPE.

Automatic Word Painting

7) What about this NEW FOUND SPIRITUALITY?

A)First off it’s not NEW FOUND I have ALWAYS been a spiritual being, art was part of that which is why I have always been so dedicated. I always believed it was my LIFE’S MISSION. Art is also MEDITATIVE IN NATURE. Lets say I have come to a greater understanding of what spirituality is. Before when I thought of things I use to think in terms of destroying what I saw in order to start a new. Now I can see that everything around me is all part of the plan. So it is our duty to utilize it, help it evolve and help others understand what needs to be done. It sortta came to head this past Christmas as I was watching it all go down. Just like everyone else this season I had a little extra this season so I got to enjoy some extra things. What I noticed was that even though I had less than many others I seemed to be enjoying more of what I had. I would see people with bags and bags of things they just bought and a look of quiet desperation in their eyes. Nothing they bought had fulfilled them. I realized that I felt fulfilled almost everyday. Regardless of the money I had in my pocket or the value of the things I owned.

8)Any other goals?

A) Well I have been thinking about publishing some books. Maybe releasing some of my early journals , that would take an immense amount of editing though. Most recently the thought of releasing a coffee table book of images is at the forefront of my mind. After receiving a copy of Attila Richard Lukcas’ latest catalog “Attila Richard Lukacs from the Collection of Salah J. Bachir”. The book and Mr. Bachir’s collection is a COMPLETE retrospective of the artist’s work spanning throughout his career to. With image quality so high you can see brush strokes and the fact the works are from throughout the artist’s development is also compelling. As it eludes to the artist’s thought process and life. I though it might give some great insight to those who enjoy my work.

9) So where does this all lead you Artistically?

A) I guess the big difference is I use to be an ARTIST WHO DABBLED in BUSINESS , now I see myself as a BUSINESS MAN who DABBLES IN ART. Many of my current works are private. Recently I have also developed a keen interest and understanding of Instillation art. The ideas steam from the more performance side of me. The ideas are extensions of my other interests. Maybe that has something to do with my desire to get in the ring. In order to have that happen though I would have to be involved in a showing at a major institution.
AS fer showing art publicly I have very little interest in gallery exhibitions or shows, not with out a check first at least….It cost an arm and a leg to set up a show, my work gets damaged and there are no guarantees. Setting up a show also puts me short on other resources which I am then criticized for lacking, which then creates resentment on my part, then leading to a lack of art production.
I like my art where it is. In private collections. I also do what I can to share it online for the public. Another way I am working on sharing it is by further expanding it’s availability through editions. This allows access to old works or works that are already held in private collections.

10) What is your opinion of the current market trend of editions?

A) At first I was VERY HESITANT of such an idea. After being approached and having sold out of my first editions, I can clearly see clearly see how it can benefit everyone involved. Buyers can get unique images printed in limited numbers they may not have had access to before. For the artists it creates an extra stream of income which helps solves one of the oldest problems in the market. PRODUCTION vs VALUE. As the creative process is NURTURED, it takes time to create quality ART. In many cases if that process is rushed , the art then becomes a diluted version of what it was. We see it in Music all the time. Music has also proven you can’t always write a number one hit. So what is the ARTIST to do in between time. Editions give the artist a little more breathing space and elbow room.
BUYER BEWARE THOUGH. If you are INVESTING in EDITIONS , they should be SIGNED and NUMBERED (or at least come with a number and signed certificate).ANYTHING ELSE is just A POSTER. The idea behind editions is that the lower the number the higher the value. The works should also come from a REPUTABLE COMPANY or the ARTIST THEMSELVES, if you are purchasing them off the artist ask for a signed receipt it helps further prove providence.

11) Do you believe that having Editions created DEVALUES the original work?

A) NO. There are MILLIONS of reproductions created from the images of artists such as Hokusai and Picasso. Does that mean you can buy one of the “36 view of Mount Fuji” for 28 bucks? No, it’s a reproduction we all know that. It’s VALUE stems from the fact the image speaks to us intrinsically as humans, as such it’s VALUED is based upon the image rather than the VALUE. Therefore we are are willing to buy a reproduction regardless of it’s monetary value.

12) What are some words of advice you might pass on to a younger artist or someone struggling to accomplish their dreams?

A) HMMMM……..The person you are is not the person you be in five years. If they are the same then you have stagnated. That being said, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, do something that takes you out of the comfort zone of the person you believe yourself to be. For me that was studying personal development, that was taken a step further when I did some construction(or was that deconstruction) for my landlord.
All those things that are holding you back now won’t be there in five years. That includes your own limiting belief as well as the opinions of your friends and the ones you love. Use that to your advantage. CHANGE NOW!!!!

Every year around this time people seem to extra stressed about the upcoming year , what they would like to accomplish and the direction they would like to see their lives take. Here are 12 simple suggestions from achievement experts to help make the process a little less excruciating.

1) SET GOALS MORE THAN ONCE A YEAR – I posted this ARTicle late so if you felt guilty about being late this lets you off the hook. It also breaks the idea goal setting is a once a year thing. You can write your goals anytime of the year. I am continually goal setting and every 4 months or so I review them to see what’s been accomplished. I also have different goal lists for different things. Some experts like Brian Tracy will even tell you to rewrite your goals daily. Even at 68 that guy is a machine though. The idea being the more you right them down the more clearly what you want becomes.

2) WRITE THEM DOWN – I have often heard that writing down goals helps solidify them and allows your subconscious mind to help find solutions in working towards a goals. When I first heard this I like many others was skeptical to say the least. That was until a recent review of my “Little Book of Knowledge” (a small journal I keep for recording ideas and the such) going through the book I check marked all things I had accomplished that had been written down. Much to my surprise 90 %( a guesstimation) of the projects I had written down where complete or had lead to another project. This includes articles I had written, people I had hoped to meet, and games plans I meant to follow.

3) WRITE THEM IN THE POSITIVE – IE if you don’t want to work at the job you currently hold WRITE find employment at such and such a place rather than I don’t want to work the night shift at Denny’s.

4) MIND MAPS – As a visual artist I am a HUGE FAN of mind maps. I find them a great way to FIRE out ideas rapidly and take information down. It also makes it easier for the next step….

a little mind mapping with a friend

5) REVIEW THEM – review you goals on a regular basis. It helps keeps them at the fore front of your mind.

6) WRITE DOWN YOUR PERFECT DAY!!! – a simply MIND BLOWING EXERCISE that I believe was best demonstrated in this Frank Kern Video. By writing down your perfect day you become clearer on your values and what you want. Some say it even leads to miraculous things. Check this out.

7) WRITE DOWN 30 THING YOU WANT TO BE, 30 THINGS YOU WANT TO OWN AND 30 PLACES YOU WANT TO GO – I think the first time I ever heard this was by Anthony Robbins, I didn’t get the idea until I recently read Jack Canfield Success Principles. Do this exercise and you will be surprised by the time you get to the end of you lists. What you want and what you are working on achieving is far different than what you may have believed

8) VISUALIZE – as a day dreamer I think this is my favorite technique. All it takes is a few moments to close you eyes and dream. Can’t visualize you say well here is a hint from Anthony Robbins “If you can WORRY, you can VISUALIZE” before I heard this I never realized that worrying was just negative visualization.

9) WRITE 101 GOALS – the thing I likes about this it shows you how absolutely LIMITLESS we are as beings. My primary objective in life has been the creation of fine art. After doing this I realized I was limiting myself. I also love property development and pro wrestling. Who says in this lifetime I can’t make a million dollars off property, perform at WRESTLEMANIA, and still be recognized as one of this century’s greatest visual artist? 70 years is a lot of time on this earth and we have ALL already started on our worldly paths to some where.

10) THINK OF WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO ALREADY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED YOUR GOAL THEN WORK BACKWARDS – this is along the lines of visualization. When I did this I thought of what a day in the studio might be like for Attila Richard Lukacs. I imagined having an enormous space, with everything I needed all the supplies , a painting section and office section. I then imagined how I might feel and what I might do if all these needs where met. I then worked backwards to where I was in my studio in the bedroom of my apartment. I then thought of the first thing I need to do and sent him a letter.

(Attila in his studio)

11) VISUALIZE MORE – like I said I’m a day dreamer. Another great thing about visualization is you can do it ANYWHERE. On the bus, the beach, the plane it doesn’t matter as long as you are not operating a motorized vehicle, or walking a tight rope no ones gonna get hurt.

12) TAKE ACTION – I think Dana White said it best in this video. You see during the first year of the Ultimate Fighter show some of the guys heard that on Sylvester Stallone’s the Contender they where getting paid to compete and said they weren’t going to fight. At the time it was impossibility for UFC so Dana White gave this speech and said the door is that way if you don’t wanna fight. So now I ask you, what do you wanna do and why aren’t you doing? This leads to the question of “Are you a f**king fighter or what”. In a side note and my history could be a little off if you look at the faces of the guys he is speaking to you will see will notice TOP FIGHTERS from the UFC during the period where it became the international phenomenal it is now. So now I ask YOU ARE A(fill in blank) OR WHAT? DO SOMETHING NOW!!!!!

This list is a compilation of information I have come across the past number of years from studying the works of NAPOLEAN HILL, BRIAN TRACY, ANTHONY ROBBINS, FRANK KERN and most recently JACK CANFIELD. I started studying these ideas because I knew I was a MIND BLOWING ARTIST but was making very little head way in my career. It made no sense and so I wanted understanding.

My “MIND BLOWING WORK”

There are critics who know me may say “Why should we listen to you, you can barely afford to take the bus most of the time?” to which I reply that yes I have yet to achieve my monetary goals, even on a monthly basis, I have found backers that help support my practice and also looking at all I have accomplished since studying these works I can clearly see how these actions have created the ground work to me accomplishing the fiscal goals. I think it was best stated when Brian Tracy said “The best thing about becoming a millionaire is the person you become along the way.”
THESE PRINCIPLES WORK CLICK a LINK ABOVE and find out more

For those of you who may have just joined us, THIS is my ANNUAL HEAVY METAL CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. It’s a tradition that started many moons ago when I was living with my brother. While preparing for our day we kindda naturally just threw on what suited us best, the first year I remember doing this was the year my Grandmother passed and I clearly remember flipping on some Black Sabbath to try and lighten a somber mood. Heavy Metal and Christmas has been a tradition in my family since I was about eight though because even though my parents where pretty straight my once my brother and sister got the LED out the rest was history. So in honor of my families history here is my Christmas post. MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE and ALL!!!!

Here is some Sabbath to kick it off

And a little OZZY introducing….

ANTHRAX!!!!!

Some Soundgarden for some White Snow instead of

And if you trying to catch SANTA you may have too…

Sure it’s Christmas but here R SOME DIRTY DEEDS for YA!!!!

A LITTLE LARS ON DRUMS fer the year I got my first Drums set

KISS CHRISTMAS A CAPPELLA STYLE, then the REAL DEAL

and for all of those away for the holidays

and Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas these days at my house without a little Motivation for you From Mr. Anthony Robbins

And just like a high school dance we’ll end it all with a little ZEPPELIN. Find the one you love and hold em close. AS well as a reminder that when people REALLY NEED EACH OTHER We ARE USUALLY THERE for EACH OTHER!!!!

Last years Special
And the First

MERRY CHRISTMAS From ROSSETTOINK THANK YOU for YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!!!

Have you ever wondered who decides what works or exhibitions go into the Museum. Or what credentials works are chosen by. AS ART is such an ambiguous concept, lord knows I have. So I went to one of the leading experts in our field to find out. He is the man who has helped curate such BOLD exhibitions as the awe inspiring Marcel Dzama:Of Many Turns, Yannick Pouliot’s MONUMENTAL solo showing in 2008, and this years Innovative Québec Triennial. I had the opportunity to sit down with Mark Lanctôt a curator from the Musée D’art contemporain de Montréal and ask the ambiguous questions that lead to the answer of what is art. Here is a structured version of the organic conversation we had. His extreme knowledge, intelligence and passion for art flowed like poetry in a lover’s ear. This is how he addressed these direct questions on an indirect subject.

Dzama’s “Banks of the Red River” 2008 Collection of the Musee

1) How long have you been a curator and how did you become one?
ML) I started curating in about 2002. First, as an independent curator, which was near impossible being young and just out of school, with limited resources and limited tools VERY FEW PEOPLE can pull it off. Mainly I was working with friends, co-ordinating and collaborating with them in group shows. Most of my exhibitions where on paper rather than galleries at that point, it was mostly notebooks and taking ideas that sort of thing, I also worked professionally at a private gallery while still in school. I worked at the Bellefeuille gallery, then at the AGAC (the Montreal’s Contemporary Art Gallery association). I did more writing than I did curating. I had the opportunity to write for Montrealplus.ca which was a small gig that paid VERY WELL I wrote short reviews of exhibitions while working other jobs. I saw a lot of shows and met a lot of people
I got my Master of Arts in Art History at the University of Montreal. I stated here at the Musée as an exhibitions curator in 2006 on contract. When the person I had been hired to replace decided to retired I reapplied for my job and got it. My job here is to propose shows and curate shows – some are from me and others have been assigned to me by the chief curator Mdame. Fraser. We work as a team.

2) What influenced you to become a curator?
ML) You mean rather than going into literature or something like that? ART has a GREAT WAY of being OPEN. IT’S AN OPENNESS THAT I FIND INTERESTING. There is room for your mind to meander. Which non creative fields don’t really allow. I think that the idea that there is a place where ideas aren’t set in stone, that aren’t recycled, that aren’t appropriated in a pragmatic way is interesting. I think the MAIN DRAW is UNINSTERMENTALIZED THOUGHT. There is a GREAT FREEDOM AS ANYTHING CAN BE ART, BUT NOT EVERYTHING is ART. Which is an interesting and real nuance. I find that very empowering and stimulating intellectually and even maybe emotionally. It is also one of the places where it’s okay to be confused or not understand which can be a good place to be sometimes. To have one’s CERTAINTIES swept out from under them IS GOOD and ART probably DOES THAT MOST EFFECTIVELY because of the LACK OF DIRECT LANGUAGE. So that’s really appealing to me. I think I was also drawn to also working with artists, the IDEA of BEING IN TOUCH with the CREATIVE PROCESS and CONTRIBUTING TO IT.
I also wanted to work outside of academic circles. It was more interesting to me to work with the here and now, concretely with objects and showing. Participating in the artistic process as opposed to being more removed and more on the receiving end, in the analytical end that scholars tend to be. It’s sorta like being behind the scenes and pushing the work forward, as opposed to receiving it then taking stock and looking at it from a distance. IT’s a DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

3) Do you or did you ever make art?
ML) No I never really made “ART”. I wouldn’t call what I’ve done making art. I participated in a collective show where I KINDDA made art.
I was also asked to show some found photographs of mine, I didn’t make those works I just showed them. It was a very hands-off thing. At one point I did do a lot of photography but I wouldn’t call it “ART” as it was photography for my own pleasure.

4) Do you own your own art collection?
ML) I wouldn’t call it a collection but I do own art. My wife and I both own works that we have amassed collectively. Once we got together we realized we owned quite a bit of art. It’s not thought of AS A COLLECTION, it is just work that struck us and we acquired. My wife, Susannah Wesley, is an artist so she traded for a lot of it. We also got presents from artists friends for our wedding and such. It is not an ACTIVE thing we go out and do. A lot of the art work is shown. We have about 20 works hanging in a small space and we do rotate the works on our walls. It’s almost like an exhibition when we DECORATE.

PIERRE DORION’s “Tie”, 2007 Oil on Linen

5) Who are some of your favorite Canadian Artists?
ML) I tend to not have favorites because it’s kindda unfair in a way. My favorite artists tend to change. IT’S LIKE WHAT EVER IS PLAYING ON YOUR I-POD. Right now I am working on a show with PIERRE DORION, so his work is very interesting to me. He’s the one I am reading most about right now. And of course there are always artists that I am discovering that become interesting to me. It changes depending on your mood. Artists who caught my interest in the past year? HMMM… Even that’s a tough one. One artist that surprised me this year was Sophie Bélair-Clément, who is in the triennial. I thought her work this year was really good. I also found Daniel Giroux and Christian Young who won the SOBEY AWARD this year interesting. I worked with them in February . AND whooo elsee did I think was stands out?… I also think Justin Stephens is another artist whose work stands out, he is a pretty straight forward painter , an abstract painter. John Knowles is very interesting to me also. I have been following him since the last triennial. Pretty much EVERYONE we SHOWED in THE TRIENNIAL this year I feel pretty comfortable with. Then there is Valérie Blass who has a show coming up in February who VERY STRONG and whose work is different from the other art we’ve discussed as it’s very organic and material based, intuitive, smart sculpture.


Valérie Blass’ “Femme panier”, 2010, permanent collection of Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art

6) What type of artistic qualities do YOU look for when looking to propose an artist to show at this level?
ML) A variety of things are considered AESTHETIC MERIT, TIMELESSNESS, how it CONNECTS with the LOCAL COMMUNITY. Not just the arts community, but the public at large. It really is a balance of those qualities. Really, it’s a balancing act. How it transcends its own thingness, by what the object is or isn’t. EVERYTHING THAT DRAWS ME to WORKING WITH ART DRAWS ME to THE ART WORKS. So it’s those things : the openness, the freedom, the experimental nature, the aesthetic qualities, the intelligence of an art work and how it how it goes beyond being what it is. All of that falls into play. All of that is important. So that can be applied to a wide range of styles of art: it could be VERY CONCEPTUAL or VERY EXPRESSIONISTIC, it doesn’t really matter. It’s about how the work responds to what it sets out to do and how it goes beyond that. When you look at an object it’s not just a passive thing; it is also emitting ideas, preconceptions, questions that in themselves and in what I am thinking about when looking at the work represent a journey. It’s not just about following an artist from point a to point b or the evolution of different art works during that journey. It goes beyond that. How telling is the work? How does it speak and what does it say? Does it have legs and HOW FAR CAN IT GO? These questions even make me question those questions. Does this work question our preconceived notion of what TIMELESS ART WORKS are?


Justin Stephens “Cabin Fever” 2008

7) What other type qualities are considered when looking at an ARTIST?
ML)Well an artist needs too…. It’s funny because you try to work with an artist who is serious about what they are doing. THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT. It’s important they don’t take what they are doing lightly. That THEY ARE COMMITTED and PUSHING THEMSELVES, it’s not like : “OH WELL, they’re a REALLY NICE PERSON who WORKS HARD SO LETS GIVE THEM A SHOW if the work doesn’t go anywhere, then…”
It’s more about how that person engages the wilder world through his or her art. It can be at any level of a career. It can be someone just graduating from their M.F.A.; it could be someone who has gone back to school in their 40’s and 50’s; it could be a person who just started making art in their 50’s; it could be a person who has made art for thirty years and suddenly there is a new energy or maturity. It could be someone within or without the commercial system; it could be someone in the city, outside of Montréal, national, international; it could be anyone from anywhere. THERE ARE NO SOCIOLOGICAL PRECEPTS or PREJUDICES that are taken into consideration.
There are artists who show in commercial galleries where a lot of the roster has had some success but that artist in particular hasn’t. It happens. THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES!!!! Like being with a “BIG” GALLERY is not a GUARANTEE TO FULL OUT INSTITUTIONAL VISIBILITY, SUCCESS and COLLECTIONS and all that. There isn’t even a GUARANTEE YOU WILL LIVE BETTER IF YOU SELL WORK. THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES.

8)What is the difference between an art dealer or someone who sets up shows in commercial gallery setting as apposed to what you do?
ML) WELL AN ART GALLERY FEEDS THE MARKET. Their idea is to sell work, that is their goal. Whereas a curator is not interested in sales, they are not necessarily interested in drawing collectors to their shows. They are more interested in showing the PUBLIC things that are INTERESTING. That brings a different perspective. It’s a different audience. They overlap of course, as in we go to galleries to see shows and we are part of the market, in a way because we buy work. WHAT WE PUT OUT THERE, isn’t to feed the market. IT IS TO PARTICIPATE in the CULTURE. That would be the main difference.

9) What do you believe a curator’s role is when presenting an artist to the public?
ML) It’s to make sure the artist’s work is presented in the best light possible, the highest quality of presentation within the allowed context. Here, we have one context, other curators have other ones. It is also IMPORTANT TO RESPECT the ARTIST’S VISION. The idea is that you are mediating or acting as a throughway. You shouldn’t be blocking or have TOO MUCH INFLUENCE on what happens. Instrumentalising the work beyond recognition to one’s own ends is a BIG NO-NO. This is something, to me, that is to be avoided. It is almost an ethical question. And there is AN ETHICAL WAY TO WORK and an UNETHICAL WAY TO WORK. I feel comfortable saying that. There is always A NEGOTIATION as it is not set in stone. There are things that can be perceived as an instrumentalisation of the artist’s work but that could very CURATORIAL SAVVY or CURITORIALLY DARING, thereby making instrumentalisation of the work okay because it is bringing a new reading of the work that may not have been very evident from the get go. So it brings a new reading or direction that is actually fruitful, not just a whim. WE have to be careful of things done on a whim or superficially or decoratively.

10) How do curators influence modern art?
ML) A lot has been said about THE POWER OF THE CURATOR and HOW POWER HAS SHIFTED from the critic to the curator. So we have shifted from text to space and how our telling of what tomorrow’s art history will be. So that shift is there. The idea of the exhibition and how the methodology and ethics around the exhibition have REALLY been REFLECTED UPON a GREAT DEAL. It has been CRITICIZED, ANALYZED and DECONSTRUCTED. I am not sure that whether it’s because the curator is influential that all this idea of curation and the theories of curating have been analyzed to this degree OR if it’s vice versa. We have dedicated so much attention to understanding what CURATING IS, that it has created a lot of importance that probably was not there initially. So again, it’s a give and take, but I think curators’ impact WILL ALWAYS BE LESSENED OR TEMPERED BY ARTISTS because ARTISTS are the FUEL TO THE ENGINE. SO NO ART, NO NOTHING. Artists are always the ones that move things forward. There are also institutions that don’t work with curator, they are artists-run or committee based or artists themselves are the ones behind the decisions. The idea of selecting and pointing out and reorganizing and exhibiting is something that will always be around. Because you can write all you want, there can be websites with images, but really PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WANT TO SEE THE OBJECTS. And in the long term, WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MODERN ART, THE HISTORICAL IMPACT OF what MODERN ART WAS and WHAT CONTEMPORARY ART IS, THE ART OF TOMORROW is GOING TO BE DETERMINED BY what the ACTUAL OBJECTS or the LACK of OBJECTS are, or what the experience is . SO in that regard, curators will continue to play a PRETTY SIGNIFICANT ROLE.

11) Why is art important to society?
ML) See the above article (jokingly)

Christian Giroux and Daniel Young some of their sculptural work made with ikea furniture

12) What is the BEST ADVICE you can give to an artist that dreams of seeing their work in a space like the Musee?
ML) Just to KEEP WORKING, BE INTERESTED, and not just be SHUT OFF working in their studio. Be interested, a least a little in the fact there is a WHOLE WORLD OUT THERE. Be interested in OTHER PEOPLES WORK, LEGITIMATELY; FIND A WAY to FIND SOMETHING INTERESTING OUT THERE. PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMUNITY. To participate in the community IS NOT the GOAL of a PRACTICE, but THE IDEA OF SHOWING SOME INTEREST AND BEING RECEPTIVE TO OTHERS is important. You can’t just wall yourself in and expect some one to ring your door-bell. You have to engage in others people’s ideas and it that will feed your art making as well. I have a friend in Vancouver who when asked this question often answers BE NICE! If someone has a choice to work with a nice person or an asshole they will always chose the nice person (laughs). So, that would be my advice

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