Memories and Testimonies
April 9 - May 18, 2002

Guest Curated by Loren Lerner

Vernissage: April 9 at 6 p.m.

"Memories and Testimonies" is an exhibition that explores the current questions arising from the experience and personal impact of war and displacement, as witnessed first hand or as told by the children of immigrants.

The collective story of this exhibition begins with the memories and visual testimonies of artists who left Europe as a result of the Second World War, or conflicts such as the Hungarian rebellion in 1956, and the armed struggle in Bosnia during the 1990's. Along with the experiences of those who left Europe due to war and political terror, the exhibition includes work by another generation of artists who are the children of these immigrants.

"Mémoires et Témoignages / Memories and Testimonies" is a presentation of works conceived by eleven Canadian artists who have come from Europe since the Second World War: Gershon Iskowitz and Liliana Berezowsky from Poland,Werner David Feist and Eva Brandl from Germany, Marcel Braitstein from Belgium, Caroline Dukes from Hungary, Graham Metson from England and Sadko Hadzihasanovic from Bosnia. Georges Dyens grew up in Tunis and lived in Paris as an adult, Angela Grossmann is from England but her father was originally from Germany, and Natalka Husar was born soon after her parents' arrival from Ukraine.

Public Programming
The Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery will offer a variety of events and resources allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the multiple
interpretations of "Memories and Testimonies".

Educational Activities

Art and Memory:
Tour and Activity
Bookings for tours are available throughout the duration of the exhibition.

For pre-arranged group visits, the Gallery invites all those interested to participate in a dialogue-based tour of this exhibition. The tour will be followed by a mixed media art activity
exploring the nature of memory.

For more information or to schedule a visit contact Piera Palucci
at the Ellen Art Gallery.

Reservations can be made at 848-4750, or by email at ellengal@alcor.concordia.ca, please include the word "reservation" in the subject line.

Walk-In Tours
Tuesdays & Thursdays from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

As part of its educational programming the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery offers the public an ongoing program of free walk-in, bilingual tours of
current exhibitions.

Film Night
Wednesday, May 8, 4:00 - 11:00 p.m, Cinema de Sève, Concordia University

The Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery will host an evening of film and video to explore issues and themes related to "Memories and Testimonies". At 6:00 p.m. a free, bilingual tour of the exhibition will precede the 7:00 p.m. screening.

Memories and Testimonies
FILM VIEWING AND EXHIBITION TOUR
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2002

FREE SCREENINGS
Cinema de Sève - Concordia University
McConnell Building, 1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W., first floor.

4:00 p.m. screening

Memorandum (1965/58 min, 17 sec.)
John Spotton & Donald Brittain, directors.
The memorandum was Hitler's, and its subject was the solution to the "Jewish problem". In this film, a Canadian Jewish Holocaust survivor, Bernard Laufer, who escaped that solution joins other survivors in a pilgrimage to the infamous camp Bergen Belsen. This pilgrimage is set in the Germany of 1965 where Nazi war criminals are still being tried for actions and decisions that remain difficult to prove. The full devastation of their acts can only be veritably recounted by the testimonies of these survivors.

Le Pont de l'exil (1997/51 min,24 sec.)
Jean-Pierre Gariépy, réalisateur.
Témoignages de quatre exilés qui ont trouvé refuge à Montréal, des hommes et des femmes venus de l'Iran, de la Bosnie, du Burundi et de l'Algérie. Comment parviennent-ils à faire face au déracinement et se redéfinir à travers les différentes épreuves d'une immigration particulière aux réfugiés politiques.

7:30 p.m. screening

The Colours of my Father: A Portrait of Sam Borenstein (1991/29 min.)
Judith Borenstein, director.
With singleness of purpose, Sam Borenstein painted for over 40 years. Born in Kalvaria, Lithuania in 1908, Borenstein lived in Suwalki, Poland from 1912 until 1921, experiencing war and pogroms first-hand before he emigrated to Montreal with his father and a sister. Twenty years after the artist's death, his daughter, animation filmmaker Joyce Borenstein explores the colourful vibrancy and expressive power of his Laurentian landscapes and urban scenes.

Krzysztof Wodiczko: Projections (1991/53 min.)
Derek May, director.
As a Polish refugee and a Canadian citizen, Wodiczko has taken his provocative art to international concerns and attention. His projections of images on landmark architectural sites speak critically of social injustice, war and the dangers of misguided nationalism.

FREE EXHIBITION TOUR
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2002
Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery
opposite the Cinema de Sève, Concordia University
McConnell Building, 1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W., first floor.
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.