MBAM – Scenography of Marvels and mirages of orientalism exhibition, Montreal, QC

Scenography of the exhibition Merveilles et mirages de l’orientalisme Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal ACDF teamed up with the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal to design the scenography of the temporary exhibition Merveilles et mirages de l’orientalisme. The exhibition unveils the work of the painter Benjamin-Constant, a master of the genre, and evokes the fascinating and exotic travels that inspired his canvases.

Details

The exhibition is a guided journey through six iconic aspects of Orientalism, where each room of the gallery is dedicated to the exploration of one characteristic. From the intimacy of the painter’s studio to the mundane atmosphere of the Salons, the exhibition explores the Alhambra – a magnificent palace complex considered as the antechamber to the Near East – and the charms of Tangier, the “White City”. The journey ends with Benjamin-Constant’s travels in Morocco, a country visited by few tourists at that time, and enters the mysterious harems.

 

The effects of light and shadow enhance the warm and vibrant shades of the artist’s work. Delicate openwork screens carefully placed in the gallery recall the secrecy of the harems. The dark-coloured walls of some of the rooms reinforce the intimate atmosphere, while the bright spaces evoke Tangier’s whitewashed terraces and the city’s openness to the world.

These dramatic contrasts, as well as the rich textures of the materials, are an ideal setting for Benjamin-Constant’s large-scale paintings and for the innovative work of three accompanying Moroccan contemporary artists: Yasmina Bouziane, Lalla Essaydi and Majida Khattari.

Client : Musée des Beaux Aarts de Montréal
Location : Montréal, QC
Completion : 2015
Area : N/A
Budget : N/A
Architect : ACDF Architecture
Structural ingineer :Pasquin Saint-Jean
Mechanical and Electrical Engineers :Pageau Morel
Photographer : James Brittain

2015 – Finaliste aux Prix d’Excellence de l’ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ), Catégorie Oeuvre Hors Catégorie : Scénographie pour l’exposition Merveilles et Mirages de l’Orientalisme du Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal