Art Birthday Bash

Art Promises to Be Your Friend if You Come to the Party

Fringe ArtsFlora Hammond — Published January 17, 2013

This Friday, Art is your oldest friend—considering it’s celebrating a millionth-something year of being alive.

French artist Robert Filliou found out in the ‘60s that Art was accidentally born when a dry sponge was dumped into a bucket of water. Then it became clear to him that Art had been forgotten for too long and it was about time to create a public holiday to commemorate this very special event.

His dream was never fully achieved.

However, in the recent years, people from all over the world honor Art by putting up related get togethers every Jan. 18. Not surprisingly, Montreal is part of the frenzy.

For seven years CKUT radio has been hosting Art’s birthday, an opportunity for artists to mingle.

“We realize how ridiculous it is,” said curator Cam Novak. “It’s just a reason to get together, appreciate some artists and have fun in an artsy place.”

The event will feature an exhibition of drawings from nine artists, visual and audio performances, as well as live music. There will also be prints and postcards for sale.

“Everyone involved in the show is from Montreal,” said Novak. “We’re really trying to promote local talent and doing it in a way that’s not pretentious.”

He explained that the artists who will be presented were not chosen because of their reputation—but because he felt that they deserved exposure.

Novak said he hopes the event will be an occasion for everyone to meet new people and build and tighten artistic networks.

The event aims at being inclusive. The multiplicity of medias to look at, listen to and touch are more opportunities for the onlooker to dive into the universe of the pieces.

You can even bring your own art, that is, if it’s of the edible variety. A contest will decide the greatest birthday cake, so it’s time to make that Monet-inspired 15-layer dessert and classy-up the old watering hole, Brasserie Beaubien.

Art’s Birthday at Brasserie Beaubien (73 Beaubien St. East) / Jan. 18 / Doors at 5:00 p.m. / Suggested price for tickets: $5 before 9:00 p.m., $7 after (add $3 for a piece of art-cake) Event page