We have all watched in wonder as a Polaroid photo instantly appears. This summer, the McCord Museum will pay homage to this process, which remains associated in the collective imagination with innovation, efficiency and leisure.

The Polaroid Project: at the intersection of art and technology will present original works from one hundred artists from all over the world, including Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, David Hockney, Chuck Close and Charles Eames, as well as renowned Montréal artists, including Evergon.

“The Polaroid Project: at the intersection of art and technology is a wide retrospective on the invention of the Polaroid, a photographic process that inspired the creative approaches of photographers and artists from Montréal and elsewhere. The exhibition shows the significant influence this technology has had and presents a large number of extremely creative works,” says Hélène Samson, Curator of the Photography collection at the McCord Museum.

Organized by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (New York and Lausanne), in collaboration with MIT Museum (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and the WestLicht Museum for Photography (Vienna) the exhibition includes a wide variety of formats, from classic Polaroids to large-scale works. A more technical component provides an overview of the development of various Polaroid devices and accessories.

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Spotlight on three Montréal photographers

Polaroid was an international phenomenon that made its mark on Montréal’s photographic landscape. To illustrate this piece of the city’s history, the McCord Museum will present the works of three Montréal artists and photographers—Louise Abbott, Benoît Aquin and Charles Gagnon.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to highlight the importance of photography at the McCord Museum by including works from Montréal artists in the exhibition,” concludes Samson.

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The Polaroid Project: at the intersection of art and technology

June 14 to September 15, 2019 at McCord Museum in Montréal

Text: Diane Stehle
Cover: © Bourdin