"Call for Artists: Manif d’art 3"
2004-07-21 until 2004-08-13
Manifestation internationale d’art de Québec
Quebec, QC, CA Canada

Manifestation internationale d’art de Québec is preparing the third edition of its Manif d’art, to be held May 2005. To complete its programming, it is currently inviting artists from all disciplines (visual, media and multidisciplinary) to propose projects on the theme of Cynicism, the topic of Manif d’art 3. Cynicism: not a day goes by without hearing the word used in conversation or by the media to deplore whatever would decay the exercise of power. Whether the denounced iniquity is real or imagined, the use of the word cynicism is so widespread that it acts as a contemporary beacon to the disapproval of numerous citizens who are worried as to how the world is being run.

But there exists another type of cynicism, in art this time, which is understood according to its philosophical roots in ancient Greece, the cynicism of Diogenes for instance. Within this approach, the term is not pejorative—quite the con-trary. This type of cynicism – free and rebellious wisdom – attacks social conventions through improper action, there-by revealing their artifices and absurdities; it upholds as a fully sovereign existence lived in the here and now with the means at hand. An enthusiast of simplicity and fiercely independent, the cynic is an on-the-spot thinker who elabo-rates and communicates his philosophy while simultaneously putting it into practice. A cynical attitude in art may be recognized by the often virulent acuity with which many works of art raise social or political questions, but it is also present in the methods of any artist who works from daily structures close to reality, exploiting (a bit like Diogenes) chance situations that provide opportunities to shake up the community, rattling its cer-titudes.

Critical dissidence with respect to norms and admitted representations; the hedonism and autarky of an exis-tence lived in the present; an economy of means, a tactical anchoring to context and an offensive character, using, for example, humour or derision—these are the features of a cynical attitude in art. This double trend, these two cynicisms, are the focus of the third edition of the Manif d’art, which is inviting artists to propose projects that address cynicism as a theme, as a form or as an attitude in their work.

Patrice Loubier, Curator
André L. Paré, Co-Curator

Portfolio requirements:

- Either a VHS tape (5 minutes maximum), DVD, CD-ROM, or approximately 10 slides showing recent work
- Accompanying descriptions of slides, disc or tape
- An up-to-date resume
- A short artist’s statement
- A media portfolio
- A description of the proposed project: a short text outlining its relationship to the theme plus sketches or other supporting visuals
- A self-addressed stamped return envelope

Proposal deadline:
August 13, 2004 (postmark bearing witness)

Mailing address:
Manifestation internationale d’art de Québec
Manif d’art 3 / Call for proposals
160, rue Saint-Joseph Est
Québec (Québec)
G1K 3A7

*A more complete description of the Manif 3 theme is available at www.manifdart.org

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for Canada

Other Important Exhibitions in Canada