A Brief History of Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal
Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal is an international biennale of contemporary photography. In 1989, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the invention of photography, VOX, centre de diffusion de la photographie, presented the first Mois de la Photo à Montréal, which included more than 60 exhibitions as well as a large number of related activities. This original event was a catalyst, creating a gathering place, unprecedented in the Montreal and Canadian artistic community, and served as an inspiration for transforming Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal into a biennale – one that, under the auspices of VOX produced seven events between 1989 and 2001.
In September 2002, Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal became an autonomous not-for-profit corporation (charitable status was obtained in 2006). The change in administration was accompanied by a shift in the artistic direction: for each presentation of the event, the appointment of a new Guest Curator with a new theme lends to each biennale a singular artistic and theoretical orientation. This artistic formula was proven successful with the 2003, 2005 and 2007 events.
Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal looks forward to launching its 11th event in September 2009.