As part of Focus Montreal, this episode brings together voices shaping the city’s vibrant art scene. It explores network interconnectivity, intergenerational dialogue, and Indigenous perspectives, while addressing market challenges and international visibility.

Art Talk Rewind is a podcast series presented by Luxembourg Art Week, revisiting the talks held during the fair. Partners and their guests explore the key questions shaping contemporary creation and the art market.

As part of the fair’ Focus Montréal, this panel discussion explores the vitality of Montreal’s art scene through the perspectives of those who shape it. Bringing together key figures – including institutional representatives, gallery owners, and cultural actors – the panel provides a comprehensive overview of the dynamics driving Montreal today: interconnected networks, intergenerational dialogue, the rise of new players, Indigenous perspectives, market developments, and international visibility. This essential conversation highlights the forces that sustain and propel creation in Montreal.

Guest speakers

Abdelilah Chiguer, general director, Chiguer art contemporain

Louise Déry, director of the Galerie de l’UQAM

Milly A. Dery, general and artistic director, Fonderie Darling

Anie Deslauriers, general director, the Contemporary Art Galleries Association – AGAC

Anne-Marie St-Jean Aubre, curator of contemporary Quebec and Canadian Contemporary Art at the MMFA

Biographies

Abdelilah Chiguer is a gallerist with an unconventional path. After earning a master’s in manufacturing management and logistics, he worked in major North American companies before discovering his passion for visual art in 2002 at the Musée d’Orsay. He has been active in Quebec’s contemporary art scene as founding member of the Cercle des collectionneurs d’art actuel, board member and chair of the Foire en art actuel de Québec, and co-president of the Contemporary Art Galleries Association (AGAC). In 2015, he co-founded Galerie 3 in Québec City, renamed Chiguer art contemporain in 2022, when he became sole owner and opened a new space in Montréal. The gallery now operates three exhibition spaces and participates in numerous art fairs in Canada and abroad.

Louise Déry (PhD in Art History) is the director of Galerie de l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Previously curator at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and director of the Musée de Rimouski, she has curated around a hundred exhibitions and edited numerous publications, featuring artists such as Nancy Spero, Dominique Blain, Sarkis, Michael Snow, Jean-Luc Nancy, Enrique Ramírez, Emmanuelle Léonard, and David Altmejd. She curated the Canadian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2007) and is currently presenting an exhibition on Altmejd titled *Agora*. Her distinctions include the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts (2015), the Ordre des arts et des Lettres de France (2017), the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec (2021), and the Ordre national du Québec (2023).

Milly A. Dery is General and Artistic Director of Fonderie Darling in Montreal. A curator, author, and cultural manager, she bridges contemporary art, research, and sustainable institutional practices. With a master’s in Art History from the University of Montreal, she brings a critical perspective shaped by art, society, and local context. Active in numerous juries and committees in Montreal and internationally, she represents a new generation of cultural leaders combining rigor, intuition, and a poetic vision.

Anie Deslauriers became General Director of the Contemporary Art Galleries Association in February 2024. Previously, she spent 15 years as Assistant Director at Blouin Division Gallery, developing new markets and organizing exhibitions and fairs, and then joined the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ Foundation as Philanthropic Development Officer. Throughout her career, she has built strong connections across the Canadian art ecosystem while defending its unique interests.

Anne-Marie St-Jean Aubre is Curator of Contemporary Quebec and Canadian Art at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, holding the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair. Her research and curatorial work focus on identity and cultural issues explored through contemporary artistic practices.

The 12th edition of Luxembourg Art Week will take place from November 20 to 22, 2026.