Plural Contemporary Art Fair will take place from April 11-13, 2025

The AGAC (Contemporary Art Galleries Association) is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a new edition of Plural, Contemporary Art Fair (formerly known as Papier), AGAC’s flagship event. The event returns from April 11 to 13, 2025 at the Grand Quay at Port of Montréal. A perfect outing for you gentlemen.

40 years of AGAC (Contemporary Art Galleries Association)

In 2025, AGAC proudly celebrates its 40th anniversary, a significant milestone for the organization that testifies to its key role in the Canadian contemporary art landscape. Since it was founded 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.

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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.”

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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 Quai in the Port of Montreal (formerly known as Jetée Alexandra), and is spread over two floors. The 2025 edition will welcome 37 galleries from 7 Canadian cities.

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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 2025 of Plural Art Contemporary Fair

Participating galleries from seven Canadian cities were chosen for their outstanding work and meaningful contribution to the sector, representing the very best of the country’s contemporary art. The selection committee in charge of evaluating the applications was made up of three visual arts professionals: Jessica Bradley (Independant curator and consultant) Florence-Agathe Dubé-Moreau (Independent curator, which you may know to be Laurent Duvernay-Tardif girlfriend) and Anne-Marie St-Jean Aubre (Curator of Quebec and Canadian Contemporary Art, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts).

AGAC also welcomes first time exhibitors, galleries COOPER COLE (Toronto), de Montigny Contemporary (Ottawa) and Wishbone (Montreal), as well as project spaces Ceremonial / Art (Vancouver), La Guilde (Montreal) and two seven two (Toronto).

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 2025 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.

“Contemporary art in Canada is abundant, varied and touching. The range of emotions you can experience by browsing through all its works by established and emerging artists is limitless. To have access to all this, and even more, in one place, is an opportunity, a real window on the art world.”

— 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.

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The next Gallery Weekend will take place in autumn 2025 in Montréal and Toronto. For four days, some twenty contemporary art galleries invited by AGAC open their doors to the general public and offer a host of activities in the Queen City and the Québec metropolis. It’s the perfect time to discover numerous exhibitions, and to meet and talk with gallery owners, artists and other players in the art world. Take advantage of the programming offered in the galleries on the web and social networks: visits in company of artists and curators, discussions, and much more.

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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 Anaïs Castro at Plural 2025

Find out more about the special exhibition “The Past Tense Is Always Longer,” which will be on show in the Pavilion on the second floor of the Plural Contemporary Art Fair from April 11 to 13.

Curated by Anaïs Castro, The Past Tense Is Always Longer explores the inextricable relationship between memory and contemporary art. Through the works of 11 artists, the exhibition highlights the fluidity of memory—how it is constantly woven, fragmented and reinvented. From the moment they arrive at the Pavilion, visitors will be invited to immerse themselves in this luminous space, where each work is a vehicle for both personal and collective narratives.

Anaïs Castro is a curator and writer based in New York and Montreal. Over the past 15 years, she has held positions at various institutions, including Arsenal Contemporary Art, Art Mûr, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and Stills—Scotland’s Centre for Photography. She also worked alongside Gaëtane Verna as an Assistant Curator on Kapwani Kiwanga’s project for the Canada Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale.

Les artistes dont les œuvres seront présentées dans le cadre de l’exposition sont :

• Nadia Belerique (Daniel Faria Gallery)
• Myriam Dion (Blouin Division)
• Joyce Joumaa (Eli Kerr)
• Lotus L. Kang (Franz Kaka)
• Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill (COOPER COLE)
• Berirouche Feddal (McBride Contemporain)
• Kyle Alden Martens (Patel Brown)
• Jeneen Frei Njootli (Macaulay + Co.)
• Sheilah ReStack (The Blue Building Gallery)
• Michaëlle Sergile (Galerie Hugues Charbonneau)
• Ingrid Tremblay

“[…] The past tense is always longer unfolds as a weaving of narratives and materials, where each work inscribes memory into form, gesture, and gaze. Moving between what was and what remains to be reimagined, the exhibition reveals how memory is not only preserved but also continuously reshaped—tracing the sensitive imprints of histories in perpetual transformation.”

– Anaïs Castro, curator of the exhibition

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

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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.

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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 2025 edition

On the first floor of the Grand Quay, you can explore the booths of 37 commercial galleries showcasing the best of Canadian contemporary art during the 2025 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 (Toronto)
• COOPER COLE (Toronto)
• Daniel Faria Gallery (Toronto)
• de Montigny Contemporary (Ottawa)
• Duran Contemporain (Montréal)
• Eli Kerr (Montréal)
• ELLEPHANT (Montréal)
• Equinox Gallery (Vancouver)
• Feheley Fine Arts (Toronto)
• Franz Kaka (Toronto)
• Galerie C.O.A (Montréal)
• Galerie Hugues Charbonneau (Montréal)
• Galerie Nicolas Robert (Montréal/Toronto)
• Galerie Robert Poulin (Montréal)
• Galerie Robertson Arès (Montréal)
• Galerie Simon Blais (Montréal)
• Galeries Roger Bellemare et Christian Lambert (Montréal)
• Macaulay + Co. (Vancouver)
• McBride Contemporain (Montréal)
• Pangée (Montréal)
• Patel Brown (Montréal/Toronto)
• Patrick Mikhail Gallery (Montréal)
• Paul Petro Contemporary Art (Toronto)
• Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain (Montréal)
• Slate Fine Art (Regina)
• Stephen Bulger Gallery (Toronto)
• The Blue Building (Halifax)
• TIAN Contemporain (Montréal)
• United Contemporary (Toronto)
• Wishbone (Montréal)
• Yves Laroche Galerie d’art (Montréal)
• Zalucky Contemporary (Toronto)

Emerging galleries at Espaces Pavillon

ACAG has also unveiled the 7 galleries selected for the Pavilion Spaces section of the 2025 edition of the Plural Contemporary Art Fair.

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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.

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

• Atelier-Galerie A. Piroir (Montréal)
• Ceremonial / Art (Vancouver)
• Collection Art Volte (Montréal)
• La Guilde (Montréal)
• Plataforma ArtBase (Montréal)
• Projet commun (Montréal)
• two seven two (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 amanda@agac.ca.

Special offer: Plural x Printemps du MAC

Printemps du MAC and Plural are offering you a unique opportunity to celebrate and support local contemporary art! Buy a combined VIP ticket and enjoy VIP access to Plural’s fundraising Opening Night (April 10, 2025) and the Printemps du MAC fundraising event (April 11, 2025), a fun-filled evening for everyone!

Plural Contemporary Art Fair 2025 schedule and prices

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 11: noon – 9 p.m.
• Saturday, April 12: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Sunday, April 13: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Buy your tickets here