Visitors can take advantage of the extended display of the new Canadian art exhibition Builders: Canadian Biennial 2012, view the stunning film A Journey That Wasn't by artist Pierre Huyghe, embark on a special winter tour of the national collection, and join in a variety of other activities for the whole family.
From February 1 to 18, 2013
OTTAWA, Dec. 11, 2012 /CNW/ - Today the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) announced its Winterlude 2013 programming. To mark the occasion, the NGC has extended Builders: Canadian Biennial 2012 until February 18. Builders is a major exhibition of new Canadian art that showcases more than 100 engaging works acquired by the National Gallery of Canada over the past two years. Also featured is the captivating film A Journey That Wasn't by artist Pierre Huyghe. In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to explore artwork from the NGC collection through the self-guided Not Just Another Winter Tour, created exclusively for Winterlude. Finally, the highly popular Artissimo kiosk will feature a rich variety of winter-themed family activities. For complete information on programming, visit www.gallery.ca/winterlude.
"The Gallery's Winterlude activities were a resounding success last year," said NGC director Marc Mayer, "so we are pleased to team up once again with the National Capital Commission and invite everyone to warm up inside the Gallery and admire the wonders in their national collection. There will also be plenty of surprises."
New Canadian art at its finest
The exhibition Builders: Canadian Biennial 2012 has been extended to February 18. Builders highlights more than 100 exceptional artworks by different generations of artists — emergent, mid-career and established "senior" artists alike. What makes this exhibition even more special is that visitors can share their thoughts on the works on Twitter. The Gallery has even equipped its Special Exhibitions Galleries with Wi-Fi access for the first time ever, hoping to encourage sharing and discussion. Visitors can also learn more about some of the artists by watching artist interviews on iPads set up inside the exhibition. Builders is a must-see for anyone who wants to experience the best of new Canadian art.
Blending fact and fiction through film
A Journey That Wasn't is a fascinating 25-minute colour film by internationally renowned French artist Pierre Huyghe. The artist's work navigates between fact and fiction, proposing that reality is so unbelievable that "to tell it the right way, you must tell it as a fiction." In A Journey That Wasn't, Huyghe merges two events of his creation: an Antarctic expedition in search of an albino creature rumoured to exist on an uncharted island exposed by receding ice, and a re-enactment of that voyage as an elaborate concert and lightshow in Central Park in October 2005. Part nature documentary, part science-fiction movie, and part musical, the resulting cinematic experience shifts between the exploration of sublime terrain and orchestrated spectacle, leaving us to decide whether, as the title suggests, the journey even happened.
Winter tour of the collection
The new self-guided Not Just Another Winter Tour invites visitors to explore the Gallery's collection, focusing on winter landscapes, animals of the ice and snow, and other innovative works that will surprise and delight. Come discover or rediscover several works by well-known artists such as Krieghoff, Colville and Akpaliapik.
Artissimo for families
Saturdays and Sundays, and Monday, February 18, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Families will enjoy exploring the artworks in the Gallery's collection in fun ways, then using their experience as inspiration for art-making. Children can take on an adventure with one of the Art Buddies, detailed replicas of figures in the paintings. They can also put on a Who Am I? costume before they go find the artwork with the person wearing the same thing and imagine how they lived. They may also challenge their sense of touch with the Feely Box experience. Love building? An impressive assortment of wooden blocks is made available to parents and kids so they can make their own Super Structure inspired by the building's architecture. Artissimo is for children ages 3 and up, accompanied by an adult.
Admission
Collection: Adults: $9. Seniors and full-time students: $7. Youth (12-19): $4. Families (two adults and three children): $18. Admission is free of charge for children under 12 and for Friends of the Gallery.
Builders: Canadian Biennial 2012: Adults: $15. Seniors and full-time students: $12. Youth (12-19): $7. Families (two adults and three children): $30. Admission is free of charge for children under 12 and for Friends of the Gallery. This includes admission to the NGC Collection.
To mark Ontario Family Day, on Monday, February 18, the Gallery is offering a 2-for-1 discount on audioguide rentals. For more information, call 613-998-8888 or go to gallery.ca.
Opening hours
The Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed on Monday.
Open at noon on Remembrance Day (November 11). Open from December 26 to 31. Closed on December 25 and January 1.
About the National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada is home to the most important collections of historical and contemporary Canadian art. The Gallery also maintains Canada's premier collection of European Art from the 14th to the 21st centuries, as well as important works of American, Asian, and Indigenous Art, and renowned international collections of prints, drawings, and photographs. Created in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada has played a key role in Canadian culture for well over a century. Among its principal missions is to increase access to excellent works of art for all Canadians. To do so, it maintains an extensive touring art exhibition program. For more information: www.gallery.ca.
SOURCE: National Gallery of Canada
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For more information, please contact:
Josée-Britanie Mallet
Senior Media and Public Relations Officer
National Gallery of Canada
613.990.6835
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