MONTREAL.- The 11th presentation of Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal will be held from September 10 to October 11, 2009. Organized around the theme The Spaces of the Image, developed by French Guest Curator Gaëlle Morel, the event will feature 24 solo exhibitions and public space interventions in a variety of different sites throughout the city. Artists from 13 countries, including Canada, will explore the question of mechanisms and staging in contemporary photography. Several works will be presented for the first time in Canada, including new works especially created for Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal.

The program of exhibitions will be spread across 3 boroughs in Montreal: Ville Marie, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, and Le Sud-Ouest. The public event launch will be held on September 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Les Ateliers Jean Brillant, an exhibition site located in a former industrial building in the Saint- Henri district of Le Sud-Ouest.

To compliment the exhibitions an array of activities will be offered: a public event launch, a series of openings, artists’ talks, a program of cultural mediation offered to the general public and to students, and an international colloquium to be held on Friday, October 2 at the Canadian Centre for Architecture.

Also titled The Spaces of the Image, the publication accompanying Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal 2009 is edited by Gaëlle Morel and brings together new and original contributions by art historians and critics interested in scenographic issues. Lavishly illustrated with the works of the participating artists, this bilingual reference book will be available in bookstores and in several exhibition sites during the event.

For the 2009 event, Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal will renew its presentation of awards to artists. The CONTACT IMAGE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD will reward the public’s favourite artist with a grant of $1,500. The public can vote online on our Web site before September 25. The DAZIBAO AWARD will enable an artist to produce a book for Les portables series (the book by the 2007 winner will be available during the event). In addition, a photography contest will be organized for young Québécois by Le Consulat Général de France à Québec and L’Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse. The recipients of the awards will be announced on October 2 at 5:30 p.m., immediately following the colloquium at the Canadian Centre for Architecture.