La Biennale de Montréal is an international event focusing on the visual arts and media arts. To attain its objectives, it breaks down the barriers between artistic disciplines, bringing together artists from the visual and media arts, architecture, design and film. The Biennale was founded in 1998 by the CIAC – Centre international d’art contemporain de Montréal.

The Centre International d’Art Contemporain de Montréal (CIAC) was created in 1983 with a mandate to disseminate contemporary art from Quebec, Canada and abroad. A non-profit organization with no permanent space, the CIAC earned an international reputation with the Cent jours d’art contemporain de Montréal, held from 1985 to 1996.

The CIAC is run by a team of art professionals in the fields of conservation, education, communications and administration. According to the needs, different venues are used: galleries, museums, exhibitions centres, warehouse, parks, vacant spaces.

Since 1998, the CIAC has been pursuing its commitment to contemporary art through the Biennale de Montréal. The first edition of the Biennale de Montréal took place in 1998, and the chief curator and artistic director of the biennial was Claude Gosselin, director of the Centre International d’Art Contemporain de Montréal.

The first edition of the Biennale de Montréal took place in 1998, and the chief curator and artistic director of the biennial was Claude Gosselin, director of the Centre International d’Art Contemporain de Montréal. After 7 edition 2011, the BNL MTL is now an independent organization.

In spring 2013 the Biennale de Montréal and the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, announced a unique partnership between the two institutions. Henceforth, all future editions of the BNL MTL will take place at the MACM. Following exchanges initiated in the spring of 2012, the collaboration will take the form of a co-production agreement that will help to energize the contemporary art scene of Quebec, providing artists with an innovative public showcase. 

With this arrangement, the BNL MTL’s future is solidified. The alliance with the MACM gives this major event a new face, while its revised structure ensures a stronger artistic vision and broader scope for research and creation in contemporary art. The two institutions are now working together to rally and unify the artistic community. This change in direction by the BNL MTL was taken to both stimulate artists and develop new audiences.

Source: www.biennalemontreal.org