Maison Kasini is pleased to announce the publication of I Am My Own Betrayal by Guillaume Morissette. A book launch will be held on Thursday, May 24th 7-9PM at Galerie Maison Kasini.

I Am My Own Betrayal is a bizarrely comic, profoundly modern, honest, sad, surprising collection of stories and poems. It explores subjects such as anxiety, email relationships, owl people, awkwardness, social networks, humiliations, shortcomings, groundhogs, terrible personal decisions, videogames, coping, girly arms and cat seizures.

A highly imaginative and refreshing literary debut.

READ AN EXCERPT

‘One of our favorite writers,’
-Kirsten McCrea, Papirmasse

‘A unique voice, with striking details,’
-Josip Novakovich, author of Three Deaths

‘Depressingly hopeful, like looking at yourself naked in the mirror,’
-Lizy Mostowski, Soliloquies

About Guillaume Morissette

I Am My Own Betrayal is Guillaume Morissette’s debut collection of stories and poems. His writing has appeared both online and in print, in publications like Maisonneuve Magazine, carte-blanche, Metazen, Papirmasse, The Void Magazine, Lemonhoud and Poetry’s Own. He is a contributor to HTMLGiant, the internet literature magazine blog of the future. He lives in Montreal where he studies creative writing at Concordia University and serves as the editor of Ribbon Pig.

DETAILS: I Am My Own Betrayal | 5.5″ x 8.5″ | Paperback, Perfect | 102 pages | Maison Kasini Books | 2012

ISBN: 978-0-9878094-9-0
Release Date: May 18, 2012
Price: $14.95

I Am My Own Betrayal by Guillaume Morissette
published by Maison Kasini Books

PURCHASE BOOK

At Galerie Maison Kasini ARTSHOP: Kirsten McCrea’s Cards for Every Occasion & Cards Sticky Situations. Stop into the gallery to check them out or see them online at ARTSHOP ONLINE.

Alex Costantino: Parliament

Exhibition
April 28th to June 2nd, 2012

Vernissage
Saturday, May 5, 2012, 3PM to 5PM

Owls are a recurring image in Alex Costantino’s work. An icon of wisdom and strength and a brutal, nocturnal hunter, the owl is at times a mysterious link to mystical terrain, and at others a connection to the natural world. The subject provides the artist with a structure to explore many different aspects of himself and the world around him. Depending on the context, the owl can provide reflection on the id, the ego, or the superego. The nocturnal nature of the owl can reflect dreams, the imaginary, and the unconscious, its intelligence representing the rational and self-reflection. A group of owls is called a parliament.

Costantino fashions his ceramic owl sculptures with great care, drawing intricate patterns on the bodies of the birds. This technique gives the objects a totemic quality that glorifies them in a subtle manner. In his drawing, he leaves the narrative open-ended, allowing the viewers to fill in the blanks of the artwork with their own interpretations. In The Great Separation, the elaborate wing of the owl is ripped off, which could be a metaphor for the possibility of the animal’s extinction, or a theme of lost power, culture, or connection.

Costantino uses a great deal of pattern in his work. He applies it as an exploration of his own psyche. The question he attempts to answer with his artwork is “what would the world look like with this in it?” The answer: more intricate, complex, and generally pleasing.

About Alex Costantino

The artist works in a variety of media: ceramics, paint, pencil, print, video, and installation. Costantino’s work is marked by an expert use of colour, graffito, and wit. He works as an artist and art teacher in Burlington, Vermont. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the Kansas City Art Institute and a Masters in Fine Art from the University of South Florida.

Visit Galerie Maison Kasini at PAPIER12, the Contemporary Art Fair of Works on Paper, April 12-15, 2012. This year, we are featuring Montreal artist Carl David Ruttan. We will also be presenting work by artists Carol MacDonald, Alice Jarry, Alex Costantino, Dave Todaro, Ashley Roark, Kirsten McCrea, Jp King, Dietrich Rosteck, Yvon Goulet, Chloe Beaulac, and Sophie Joubarne as well as selections from Papirmasse and ArtShop. Galerie Maison Kasini is in Booth 104.

Presented by the Contemporary Art Galleries Association (AGAC), PAPIER12 is the sole contemporary art fair in Montreal composed exclusively of works of art on paper; the event is celebrating its 5th anniversary.

Like its previous edition, unifying and inclusive, PAPIER12 will be presented only two steps from the Place des Festivals, in the heart of Quartier des Spectacles, Montreal’s cultural district, at the corner of Bleury and Maisonneuve, in a temporary outdoor structure.

PAPIER12 is a meeting place for professionals, art lovers, members of the artistic community and novices. The contemporary art fair hosted over 9000 visitors last year, and intends to maintain this record crowd. Artists and representatives of 38 galleries from Montreal, Quebec and Canada, will be highlighted during the weekend. PAPIER12 will once again exclusively showcase its educational program made freely available to all visitors of the fair. Through the form of a catalog, it will also be presented through daily-guided tours. A public roundtable hosted by collectors will also present reflections on contemporary art collections and paper as a medium all while punctuating the three days devoted to art and contemporary creativity.

The only contemporary art fair in Montreal with national visibility, PAPIER12 is proud to promote the richness, diversity and cultural force of Montreal across Canada.

For more information about PAPIER12, please visit: www.papiermontreal.com

EXHIBITION
February 22-March 31, 2012

NUIT BLANCHE
During Nuit blanche à Montréal, Saturday, February 25, 8PM-3AM

FACEBOOK EVENT

In Montreal artist Px©’s last exhibition, “Art, Commerce & Catastrophes”, a pile of ready-to-think goo cans was thrown in the middle of the gallery. This installation became the starting point of his latest collage series, “Monuments de Circulaires”. Using the numerous weekly flyers he receives in his mailbox as base material, Px© piles up images, building monuments that pay tribute to consumerism. With this body of work, he plays with advertising conventions and makes a statement about the importance material possessions in our everyday life.

Px©’s images pause at the nexus of art and commerce, where the two battle for the heart and mind of the viewer. As pop art, Px© references advertising that shapes our lives and view of the world, but when confronted with his art, his pop morphs into catastrophic violence: when things break open, beauty spills like blood from a wound. Px© is the corporate alter-ego of Montreal artist Ben Depelteau. It first appeared in the 1999 painting You never know when you’ll need Px©, as a car parts brand name. Px© has been known, over the years, to mimic advertising strategies to sell dysfunctional products and ideas to people. Its catalogue includes car parts, eyes, fingers, tongues, sunglasses, do-it-yourself art, concepts for gallery art, mouse traps, packages and some collages and prints. By presenting himself as the corporate entity, Px©, Depelteau makes a cultural statement about the dominance of commercial culture in everyday life. His work is a hybrid of American and British Pop Art.

Saturday, February 25, 8PM to 3AM

FACEBOOK EVENT

Hydro-Québec presents Nuit blanche à Montréal and Galerie Maison Kasini is taking part!

As part of this night and as part of Montreal artist Px(c)’s solo exhibition at the gallery, come and build your own monument to hyperconsumerism! A vast selection of “products” will be available to create your masterpiece. The artist will be present to guide you and discuss his artwork. You can also take pictures of your work and we will post them to our website.

Artist Kirsten McCrea was on the Thursday, January 5th, 2012 edition of CBC’s As It Happens talking about the art subscription, Papirmasse.

LISTEN HERE

About As It Happens

For more than 35 years, using the simplest of tools – the telephone – As It Happens has explored the heart of a story, whether it’s happening in the streets of Belgrade, the dockyards of Vancouver, the boardrooms of Bay Street, or the kitchens of Paris. This current affairs program gets its stories from “the horse’s mouth” – securing interviews with world leaders, rabble-rousers, bingo callers and deposed dictators. On the complex and troubling stories of the day, As It Happens searches for greater understanding in the story behind the story. The show has a soft-spot for “characters” and never turns its nose up at something wild, weird or wacky.

As It Happens is broadcast on CBC Radio One (Weekdays at 6:30PM Eastern and The Midnight Edition: Weekdays at Midnight); and on Sirius Satellite 137 (Weekdays 5:30PM Eastern). Also, As It Happens is broadcast in select US cities by Public Radio International. American listeners should check their local listings

www.cbc.ca/asithappens/

About Papirmasse

Papirmasse is a subscription that delivers a print with art on the front and writing on the back to your mailbox every month for the incredible price of only $5 a month. Papirmasse was founded in 2008 by Kirsten McCrea, a Montreal-based artist and illustrator. Papirmasse originally ran from January – December 2009, and then took a year off to reflect, recoup, and reorganize. Papirmasse relaunched in December 2010 under the continued leadership and direction of Kirsten McCrea and is produced in partnership with Maison Kasini. Papirmasse was nominted for a small press award at Montreal’s Expozine in 2010. It’s been featured in numerous blogs and magazines. In 2011, Papirmasse had over 500 subscribers in over 20 countries.

papirmasse.com/art/

About Kirsten McCrea

Kirsten McCrea’s paintings have been exhibited nationally, including a recent exhibition, “Hot Topic: Portraits of 20th Century Feminists” at Galerie Maison Kasini. Her work has been reviewed in The Walrus, Book By Its Cover, and The Montreal Gazette, amongst others. Illustration clients inlcude the Polaris Music Prize, the Under Pressure Graffiti Festival, & Poetry Magazine.

Location:          Maison Kasini, 372 Ste-Catherine West, Suite 408, Montreal

Time:                Full-time, base salary plus commission

Application Deadline:    Open until filled

Art is food. Feed the people.

Maison Kasini is a dynamic creative enterprise that seeks to make contemporary art and culture work. In addition to operating a sustainable and profitable business, we are interested in cultivating new markets for contemporary art and making contemporary art relevant to a broader audience. We work very closely with our U.S.-based sister company Kasini House.

Projects include: a contemporary art gallery; an on-demand printshop; an artshop that focuses on small objects, books, and other art products; a publishing imprint; a line of greeting cards focused on contemporary art, and an art subscription with an international base of subscribers. Kasini House, in the United States, also publishes a monthly art magazine, produces art events and provides consulting services on art collection management and non-profit development.

Galerie Maison Kasini is a commercial art gallery that shows Canadian and American, emerging and mid-career, contemporary artists. We focus on art that has a strong conceptual foundation embodied in an accessible object. Through exhibitions and publications, we work to foster a broad and diverse interest in contemporary art and collecting with an eye towards those people who are just starting to build a collection.

Responsibilities

The Associate Director’s primary responsibility is being awesome. We are a dynamic company and are looking for someone who is equally dynamic. Specific responsibilities will vary and match the skills of the Associate Director. Activities will include: sales, content management, project management, subscription management, research, writing, and working with artists.

Desired Qualities

• History of professionalism.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in French and English
• Experience with fine art and understanding of contemporary art
• Experience with sales: specifically, business-to-business, high end sales, and/or sophisticated retail.
• Flexibility and ability to work on multiple projects with overlapping deadlines, with creativity, motivation, and grace.
• Computer savvy with a strong understanding of the internet as a marketing medium.
• Open minded and tolerant, compassionate and have a sense of humour.

Compensation:             Based on experience and ability, or submit your salary requirements. This position has a base salary and sales commission.

To Apply, send a cover letter, current CV, and writing samples in both English and French to:

Maison Kasini Canada
Attn: Director Search
372 Ste-Catherine Street West, Suite 408
Montreal, QC H3B 1A2

Or send via email.

EXHIBITION

PREVIEW ARTWORK

OPENING
January 14th from 3PM to 5PM

FACEBOOK EVENT

Jason Galligan-Baldwin presents a series of collage-paintings that explore childhood memory.

When the artist’s mother gave him a box filled with his childhood drawings of astronauts, report cards, and poorly-received term papers, he saw it as a new artistic undertaking. “The series of paintings began because I wanted to use the contents of this box as the background, a starting point from which to go in a new direction,” said Galligan-Baldwin. “I was drawn to their texture and color; the pages were old, brittle, and worn. I was interested in how these items, however mundane, have influenced my life. In doing so I have used images accumulated in the past ten years. Random photos of parking signs, the hotel key card I incidentally took from the Chicago Art Club Trip, airplane safety cards, and other ordinary images I kept and began to juxtapose them with my past to form a bond. Arrows giving directions, text, random antennae, and voice bubbles carry signals and clues for the viewer to migrate from panel to panel, from image to image, giving hints to past experiences while producing new ones to be regarded.”

About Jason Galligan-Baldwin

Jason is currently an Assistant Professor of Art and Studio Arts Coordinator at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. Jason has exhibited his artwork in solo, juried (international, national, and regional), and group shows throughout the United States. He was one of three jurors for the Ohio +5 Biennial held at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio. His work is included in the permanent collections of The University of Southern Indiana, The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, the Laurel Arts League, the Meridian Museum of Art, and several other private collections.

Maison Kasini announces the launch of Ribbon Pig, a literary project that will present and promote literature that focuses on contemporary issues, settings, and ideas. The centrepiece of the project is the quarterly release of the Ribbon Pig Volume, a limited-edition collection of writing, mini-books, and objects designed to offer a unique experience of interacting with the written word. The project maintains a website that features excerpts, interviews with writers, and other forms of literary expression. Guillaume Morissette serves as the editor of the project. The poetry editor is Ashley Opheim. Aeron MacHattie serves as the fiction editor for the project.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK

Ribbon Pig is a extension of Maison Kasini’s existing imprint, which publishes 7-10 titles per year, often focused on contemporary art. In September 2011, Maison Kasini published Hot Topic: Portraits of 20th Century Feminists by Kirsten McCrea. In October 2011, they published Printoptik by Carl David Ruttan, a lavishly illustrated book that explores the artist’s collage practice. The launch of Ribbon Pig is a significant step towards publishing more literature-oriented titles. In early 2012, Maison Kasini will publish The North Yorker by Alain Mercieca and I Am My Own Betrayal by Ribbon Pig editor Guillaume Morissette. Additional titles are in development.

“Maison Kasini is about making art and culture work,” said Maison Kasini Director Ric Kasini Kadour. “There is a natural connection between fine art and literature and they are similarly challenged by an increasingly dominant media culture that privileges hype over substance. I am excited to be working with Guillaume and the entire Ribbon Pig crew as they work to put forward an interesting and dynamic literary voice.”

Guillaume has been making a name for himself among literary circles in Montreal. His work has appeared in Maisonneuve Magazine, The Void Magazine, carte-blanche, Papirmasse, The Link, Lemonhoud, Lickety Split, internetpoetry, Poetry’s Own, Headlight Anthology, Soliloquies Anthology, among others.

Synapse described Guillaume’s writing this way: “His work portrays his ability to juxtapose sentences and words seamlessly, as he finds a way to fuse a classic format with modern vocabulary and ideas.”

“I think of my inner monologue, talking in silence to myself or reflecting on my actions, thoughts or behaviors, as the most important thing I ‘own,’” said Guillaume. “To me, the role of literature, or any kind of art-like entity, is to disturb the inner monologue, by displacing notions, adding or erasing concerns or to pinpoint what we knew but weren’t able to phrase.”

The first Ribbon Pig Volume is available at WORDSHOP. Contributors include Rosa Aiello, Mark Ambrose Harris, Lizy Mostowski, Cody Hicks, Rowan Cornell-Brown, Roland Pemberton, Alex Manley, Jacob Wren, Ashley Opheim, Trevor Barton, and Claire Milbrath.