In Tracking the Traces 2, curator Nicole Gingras continues her investigation of the notion of trace, begun in the spring of 2005. This second exhibition features Edith Dekyndt (French Community of Belgium), Leif Elggren (Sweden), Raymond Gervais (Québec), Mika Taanila (Finland), and Mika Vainio (Finland/Germany), with works in installation, sound, and video projection.

The central focus of this exhibition is the transmission and circulation of images and sounds. The presence of these elements is at times very physical and material, other times more ephemeral and imaginary. The project as a whole reflects on the trace or traces that are left with us through certain encounters with a sound or an image.

The exhibition will be preceded by a concert featuring four artists – including two from the exhibition – who are internationally renowned for their exceptional contribution to electronic music as well as their groundbreaking performance work. Please consult the events section for details.

A bilingual publication is also available. Edited by Nicole Gingras, this book is an essential companion to the exhibition project. Along with an essay by the curator are contributions by three authors: Rober Racine (Montreal artist and writer), Jonathan Sterne (theorist and professor in the Department of Art History and Communications at McGill University), and Péter Sülyi (filmmaker, Hungary). Based on their interests and expertise, each collaborator will contribute to our understanding of the concept of trace.

The project received the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Iris Westerberg Stern Fund. Edith Dekyndt’s visit to Montreal was made possible by the Commissariat général aux Relations internationales de la Communauté française de Belgique and the Délégation Wallonie-Bruxelles au Québec while the visit of Leif Elggren and Carl Michael von Hausswolff received the support of the Embassy of Sweden. The concert is co-produced by the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery and Minute.