A question I ask myself when I moved to Montreal and every time I enter a new city is “where are the galleries hidden? What’s happening here and where do I get my visual art fix?” Galleries are for me the best way to prepare a trip if you travel on a budget; it’s usually free entrance such as the Belgo building, you explore new spaces and works or eventually you discover new artists. Sounds like a good deal to me!
Montreal, like many other locations, is full of street art; there are galleries and shops that are bridges and doors that allow one to communicate between these worlds. I think of galerie COA, the shop and gallery El Sino or the Station 16 Gallery. But if you are like me you will want more; the galaxy of art places is broad and like the milky way there exists a cluster with a higher concentration of galleries.
A few months ago I first pushed the doors of the Belgo building and since then I’ve been coming back very regularly. It’s an iconic old building in downtown Montreal near Place des Arts on Sainte-Catherine — five floors with zillions of art spaces showing the work of many artists. Places like Galerie Laroche Joncas, La Castiglione, art245 (where the picture illustrating this spot is coming from their exhibition on artist Landon Mackenzie) or the amazing space Catalogue are just a tiny selection of what is available for your eyes to see. Enjoy.
