Plural Contemporary Art Fair will take place from April 10-12, 2026

Spring in Montreal has its own traditions. Plural, the AGAC contemporary art fair, is one of them. The event returns to the Grand Quay at the Port of Montréal from April 10 to 12, 2026—three days to immerse yourself in the best of contemporary art, just steps from the river. An unmissable spring event for the curious and cultured gentleman.

More than 40 years of AGAC (Contemporary Art Galleries Association)

In 2026, AGAC marks over four decades of commitment to the Canadian contemporary art landscape. Since its founding in 1985, the Association has established itself as a key player, dedicated to supporting its member galleries and ensuring the prosperity of the contemporary art market.

Over the years, the AGAC has distinguished itself through the diversity and boldness of its projects in Québec and across Canada. In the 1990s, pioneering events such as “Entrée libre à l’art contemporain (ÉLAAC)” and “Peinture Peinture” laid the foundations for innovative programming. These initial accomplishments served as a foundation for subsequent groundbreaking initiatives in the ensuing decades. They include the “Salon du printemps,” the “Rallye des galeries,” the “Gala des arts visuels,” the Pierre-Ayot and Louis-Comtois awards, the “Toronto Feature Fair,” and the “Forum sur le marché de l’art.”

However, it was in 2007 that the organization took a decisive step forward with the first edition of the Papier contemporary art fair, held at Square Westmount. Papier quickly established itself as Canada’s second-largest art fair, providing a key platform for the country’s artists and galleries. In 2023, after fifteen successful editions, the fair adopted a new identity under the name Plural. This transformation reflects a renewed ambition: to broaden the fair’s horizons by embracing a greater diversity of mediums and perspectives, and by capturing the spirit of the times with vibrancy and boldness.

Plural Contemporary Art Fair: A name to grow by

The event takes place at the Grand Quay in the Port of Montreal (formerly known as Jetée Alexandra), and is spread over two floors. The 2026 edition will welcome 45 exhibitors from 9 Canadian cities.

The entrance is now on the 2nd floor, so that people can get a good look at the pavilion. As soon as they arrive at Plural, visitors will be greeted by an exhibition honouring 7 contemporary Canadian artists. Comprising major works in a wide range of media and techniques, the exhibition on the 2nd floor will allow visitors to contemplate sculptures, paintings, textiles and multimedia installations while enjoying the enchanting setting of the Pavilion. The round tables will also be there. There will also be a restaurant with seating for the first time, not to mention an area reserved for monumental works and partners. The ground floor will be reserved for the galleries. The 2nd floor will be devoted to education and programming, while the ground floor will be devoted to the art market.

“By creating this event, which is the fair, but also tools such as the Collector’s Guide, meetings between collectors and visits to private collections to raise awareness, educate and show what a collection could be. There were a number of initiatives that helped to make collecting a popular activity, a passion for people who wanted to share it with their friends and acquaintances. It’s a big social event for a group of art lovers.”— Rhéal-Olivier Lanthier, co-director of the Art Mûr gallery and chairman of the AGAC board of directors from 2007 to 2013

Edition 2026 of Plural Art Contemporary Fair

The participating exhibitors, drawn from no fewer than seven Canadian cities, were selected for their remarkable work and significant contribution to the sector, representing the best of contemporary art in the country. The selection committee responsible for evaluating applications was composed of three visual arts professionals: Jessica Bradley (independent curator and consultant), Mona Filip (Chief Curator, Contemporary Calgary), and Alexandrine Théorêt (Associate Curator of International Modern and Contemporary Art, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts).

A loyal spokeswoman

You may know Ms. Karine Vanasse as one of the stars of the event in the past and a passionate art lover. The actress, well known for her role in Avant le Crash and several other series in Canada and abroad, is back as spokesperson for the 2026 edition. AGAC is delighted to be working with Karine Vanasse once again as Plural’s spokesperson. For more than 10 years, the Canadian actress and culture enthusiast has lent her voice to the fair, bringing the event, and contemporary art in general, to the attention of the general public. “For me, the works featured at Plural are wonderful, sincere and important encounters with the artists and their art. The Plural fair is a total immersion in what makes contemporary art tick in Canada. Every year, hundreds of works make me think, react and move me, thanks to a myriad of artists who want to take us into the world they want to share with us,” says Ms. Vanasse.

“With an ardor and a necessity even more palpable this year, I hope that Plural Art Fair reminds us all that art is not a luxury, but a bond. During these three days showcasing the best of Canadian contemporary art, gazes meet, sensibilities recognize one another, and bridges between our experiences reveal themselves. Plural Art Fair has been, for me since its very beginnings, vibrant, essential, and deeply unifying. I look forward to seeing you there.”

— Karine Vanasse, actress

An educational mission at the heart of Plural

Education is certainly one of the aspects at the heart of the event’s mission, in addition to ensuring the recognition and prosperity of the contemporary art market in Canada. “To ensure the success of our members, the public needs to invest more money in the works of the galleries we represent, and to make this purchase, there needs to be an understanding of the educational mission of the event because we see our visitors as the collectors of tomorrow. To do that, they have to be interested in them, understand them, know the language so that they can talk to the artists, the galleries and the scene, and if we give them these keys to understanding and these moments of exchange, they will attend the openings and make acquisitions, and perhaps become regular customers of our members,” explains the contemporary art professional and former director Julie Lacroix in an interview in 2023.

In addition, the Plural Forum programme, which includes most of the presentations, guided tours and satellite programmes, will help visitors who are less familiar with Plural.

An Exhibition Curated by Sophie Latouche at Plural 2026

As part of Plural, curator Sophie Latouche presents ANTICIPATION, a special exhibition on view at the Pavilion, on the second floor of the Grand Quay of the Port of Montréal, from April 10 to 12, 2026. Inspired by science fiction — and more particularly by the visionary work of Octavia E. Butler — ANTICIPATION examines the premonitory power of art: works that, through their materiality and gestures, fully inhabit the present while reaching toward what is to come.

The future, here, is not an abstraction. It is a practice. The artists brought together by Latouche summon it through the reuse of metals, wood, textiles, plastics, and found objects — transforming what is worn or discarded into resource, blending subsistence, availability, and ideology in the face of the economic and ecological pressures of our time.

Other works dwell on more intimate gestures: reactivation, cyclical time, archives excavated and recomposed to sketch possible worlds on the edge of utopia. The body, too, is called upon — its choreographic movements shape matter, its vulnerabilities raising questions of protection and functionality in a world in flux. The machine, functional or allegorical, runs through the exhibition as a throughline: smiles appearing on inanimate objects, battery-powered flowers, pipes breathing a breathless song.

ANTICIPATION invites us, ultimately, to consider our own projections — shaped as much by loss as by the possibility of reinvention — and to weigh the impact of our present actions on the collective imaginaries yet to come. The exhibition brings together works by:

• David Armstrong Six (Bradley Ertaskiran)
• Michelle Bui (McBride Contemporain)
• June Clark (Daniel Faria Gallery)
• Betty Goodwin (Galerie Simon Blais)
• Maggy Hamel-Metsos (Galerie Eli Kerr)
• Anique Jordan (Patel Brown)
• Kelly Jazvac (Galerie Nicolas Robert)
• Anne Low (Franz Kaka)
• Jenine Marsh (COOPER COLE)
• Caroline Monnet (Blouin Division)
• Bronson Smillie (Pangée)

“Visitors are invited to consider their own anticipations, shaped as much by loss as by the possibility of reinvention, underscoring the importance of our present actions and our collective imaginaries.”

– Sophie latouche curator of the exhibition

A contemporary art event that grows with the years and will appeal to gentlemen

From its humble beginnings in Westmount Square (as mentioned above) with one table, to the Place des Festivals, the Complexe de Gaspé, the Arsenal and the Grand Quay, Plural has never stopped attracting audiences, and its partners continue to support the event.

We advise you to take more time to visit Plural, as the event is now on two floors and you’ll have more to see.

Art Galleries participating in the Plural Contemporary Art Fair 2026 edition

On the first floor of the Grand Quay, you can explore the booths of 38 commercial galleries showcasing the best of Canadian contemporary art during the 2026 edition of the Plural contemporary art fair, at The Grand Quay of the Port of Montréal’s bringing together over 500 artists. Gentlemen, there’s something for all your senses.

• Art Mûr (Montréal)
• Blouin Division (Montréal/Toronto)
• Bradley Ertaskiran (Montréal)
• Chiguer art contemporain (Montréal/Québec)
• Christie Contemporary (Toronto)
• Clint Roenisch Gallery (Toronto)
• COOPER COLE (Toronto)
• Daniel Faria Gallery (Toronto)
• de Montigny Contemporary (Ottawa)
• Duran Contemporain (Montréal)
• ELLEPHANT (Montréal)
• Franz Kaka (Toronto)
• Galerie C.O.A (Montréal)
• Galerie Eli Kerr (Montréal)
• Galerie Hugues Charbonneau (Montréal)
• Galerie Nicolas Robert (Montréal/Toronto)
• Galerie Robert Poulin (Montréal)
• Galerie Robertson Arès (Montréal)
• Galerie Simon Blais (Montréal)
• Galeries Bellemare Lambert (Montréal)
• Hunt Gallery (Toronto)
• McBride Contemporain (Montréal)
• Pangée (Montréal)
• Patel Brown (Montréal/Toronto)
• PATRICK MIKHAIL (Montréal)
• Paul Petro Contemporary Art (Toronto)
• Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain (Montréal)
• Slate Fine Art Gallery (Regina)
• SSEW Project 縫合計劃 (Markham)
• Stephen Bulger Gallery (Toronto)
• Susan Hobbs Gallery (Toronto)
• The Blue Building (Halifax)
• TIAN Contemporain (Montréal)
• TrépanierBaer Gallery (Calgary)
• United Contemporary (Toronto)
• Wishbone Galerie (Montréal)
• Yves Laroche Galerie d’art (Montréal)
• ZALUCKY (Toronto)

Emerging galleries at Espaces Pavillon

ACAG has also unveiled the 7 galleries selected for the Pavilion Spaces section of the 2026 edition of the Plural Contemporary Art Fair.

Located on the 2nd floor of the Grand Quay, the Espaces Pavillon will be taken over by alternative galleries, each presenting the work of one or two artists. For the second year, project spaces and atypical or emerging galleries have been invited to apply to take part in the fair as exhibitors.

As part of the continuation of this initiative, Plural is proud to welcome :

• Art Volt Collection (Montréal)
• Atelier-Galerie A. Piroir (Montréal)
• Janey (Cambridge)
• JANO (Montréal)
• La Guilde (Montréal)
• Projet commun (Montréal)
• The New Other (Toronto)

Plural précise que ces galeries ont été choisies pour leur approche et leur vision singulière, reflétant la diversité qui caractérise Plural. Leur participation témoigne de l’engagement de l’AGAC à soutenir et promouvoir le dynamisme de la scène artistique contemporaine.

Plural Contemporary Art Fair VIP evening, always a popular event

Be sure to attend this prestigious fundraiser for the AGAC Foundation! Get a sneak preview of the works and celebrate the opening of Plural in the company of gallery owners, artists, collectors and professionals from the cultural and business communities.

Places for the VIP Evening are limited, so reserve your tickets now! For preferential group rates for 6 or 12 tickets, please contact [email protected].

Plural Contemporary Art Fair 2026 schedule and prices

Good news: Plural’s ticket prices are holding steady from 2025. For the discerning gentleman, the 3-day pass is the obvious choice — and the smartest one.

Admission:

• Regular rate: $25
• Senior rate: $23
• Student rate: $20
• 3-day pass: $60

• Children 15 and under: Free
• Persons with reduced mobility: Free

Opening hours

• Friday, April 10: noon – 9 p.m.
• Saturday, April 11: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Sunday, April 12: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Buy your tickets for Plural here

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