Saelan Twerdy
Features and Reviews
"Research Materials: Saelan Twerdy unpacks Étienne Tremblay-Tardif’s archival approach to print culture’s complex histories," Printmaking Today (Summer 2021)
"RÉFLEXIONS SUR 2020 | REGARDS SUR 2021 — partie 3," Residenceeditions.co, February 25, 2021
"The Anxious 'I': Walter Scott’s Autofictional Universe," Momus.ca, October 22, 2020
"The Internet is 'Never Peaceful, Never Fair, Never Good': An Interview with Joanne McNeil," Momus.ca, May 29, 2020
"Staff Previously on Strike at Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal Secure New Agreement," Canadianart.ca, March 26, 2020.
"Eva and Franco Mattes," Canadian Art (Spring 2020).
"After the Afterparty: Alan Belcher and Friends, in Retrospect," Momus.ca, January 10, 2020
"Ken Lum: Everything is Relevant: Writings on Art and Life, 1991-2018," C magazine 144 (Winter 2020).
"Strike Ends Early at MAC Montreal—but Uncertainty Continues," Canadianart.ca, December 11, 2019.
"Curators and Registrars at Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal Stage One-Day Strike," Canadianart.ca, November 4, 2019.
"Professional Staff at MAC Montreal Vote for Strike Mandate," Canadianart.ca, October 9, 2019.
"How to Break a Painting," Canadian Art (Fall 2019).
“Free Your Mind, or Else: 'Acid Communism' and Contemporary Art’s Futurism," Momus.ca, June 12, 2019.
“The Visionary: Jessica Eaton's Alternate Reality,” Blackflash (Spring 2019)
“Kim Waldron,” esse n. 94 (Autumn 2018)
“Recognition and Reckoning: Montreal’s Alternative Art Spaces at the Crossroads,” Momus.ca, July 27, 2018.
“Chto Delat,” Canadian Art (Summer 2018).
“Touch, Desire, and the Trinket Box: Celia Perrin Sidarous Shifts Time,” Momus.ca, June 1, 2018.
“Speaking from a Wound: Jesse Darling on Faith, Crisis, and Refusal,” Momus.ca, January 9, 2018.
“Living with Crisis: Art, Anxiety, and Vulnerability,” Canadian Art (Winter 2017-18).
“In Search of Expo 67,” Canadian Art (Fall 2017)
“Montreal Report: Darkness in Summer,” Canadianart.ca, June 28, 2017.
“Réponse,” Canadian Art (Spring 2017).
“6 New Montreal Art Spaces to Watch,” Canadianart.ca, November 29, 2016.
“Morbid Symptoms: Searching for the Post-Contemporary at the 2016 Montreal Biennial,” Momus.ca, November 22, 2016.
“Marie-Michelle Deschamps: The Art of the Untranslatable,” Canadian Art (September 2016).
“Who Was Edmund Alleyn? Rediscovering a Mercurial and Untimely Talent,” Momus.ca, August 4, 2016.
“The Sadean Woman: Tricia Middleton and the Violence of Art,” Momus.ca, February 9, 2016.
“This Is Where It Ends: the Denouement of Post-Internet Art in Jon Rafman’s Deep Web,” Momus.ca, July 9, 2015.
“Aiming to Please: Division Gallery Surveys Post-Internet Entertainment,” Momus.ca, March 17, 2015.
“Bad Dream of the Bauhaus: Juan Ortiz-Apuy’s IKEA Fantasia,” Momus.ca, February 16, 2015.
“Year in Review: Montreal from the Ground Up,” Momus.ca, December 31, 2014.
“Playing the Double Agent: Kathleen Ritter’s ‘Camoufleurs,” Momus.ca, December 29, 2014.
“Saelan Twerdy’s Top 3 of 2014: Shifting Landscapes,” Canadianart.ca, December 22, 2014.
“Notes On the Art of Writing–And Rewriting,” Canadianart.ca, November 14, 2014.
“Future Forecast: The Montreal Biennale 2014,” Momus.ca, November 10, 2014.
“A Theory of Everything: On the State of Theory and Criticism (Part II),” Momus.ca, November 3, 2014.
“A Theory of Everything: On the State of Theory and Criticism (Part I),” Momus.ca, October 30, 2014.
“Julie Favreau: Mastering the Moment,” Canadian Art v.31 n.1 (Spring 2014).
“Saelan Twerdy’s Top 3 of 2013: New Views,” Canadianart.ca, December 18, 2013.
“Construction Ahead: John Zeppetelli,” Canadian Art v.30 n.4 (Winter 2013).
“Eccentric Anarchy: Staging the Work of Christopher D’Arcangelo,” Magenta v.4 n.3 (Fall 2013).
“Sherry Walchuk: For My Dad,” Canadian Art v. 30 n.3 (Fall 2013).
“Karen Kraven’s Magic Evident at Centre Clark,” Canadian Art v. 30 n.2 (Summer 2013).
“Noel Rodo-Vankeulen,” Border Crossings n. 125 (Feb. 2013).
“How Luc Paradis’ First Big Show Rocked the White Cube,” Canadian Art v. 30 n. 1 (Spring 2013).
“Laurent Grasso Creates Must-See Labyrinth in Montreal,” Canadianart.ca, February 14, 2013.
“Re-uses of Language: the exhibition Postscript brings together experimental literature and contemporary art,” Magenta, Oct. 11, 2012.
“Zin Taylor,” Border Crossings n. 123 (Sept. 2012).
“Laurie Kang: Empty Vessels Make the Most Noise,” ION magazine, June 1, 2012.
“Jon Rafman: Mapping Google,” Canadianart.ca, May 17, 2012.
“Garden of Forking Paths: a conversation with Derek Sullivan,” C magazine n. 113 (Spring 2012).
“Steven Shearer,” Bad Day n. 11 (July 2011).
“Emerging: Alex Kisilevich,” BlackFlash 28.2 (Winter 2011).
“Liam Crockard,” Border Crossings n. 120 (Dec. 2011).
“Shary Boyle,” Bad Day n. 9 (November 2010).
“Projections: Music Video,” C magazine n.108 (Winter 2010/11).
“New Vision Revisited: Jessica Eaton’s Critical Abstraction,” BlackFlash 28.1 (Fall 2010).
Book Chapters
“A Theory of Everything: On the State of Theory and Criticism,” and “Morbid Symptoms: Searching for the Post-Contemporary at the 2016 Montreal Biennial,” in Momus: A Return to Art Criticism Vol. 1, 2014–17, ed. Sky Gooden. Toronto: Momus and /edition, 2017.
Catalogue Essays
"Curatorial Art Against Network Cuture: Guillaume Adjutor Provost's Conceptual Materialism," in Guillaume Adjutor Provost, ed. Ji-Yoon Han. Montreal: Fonderie Darling, 2019.
“Nicolas Grenier’s Working Systems” in Nicolas Grenier. Montreal and Los Angeles: Antoine Ertaskiran & Luis de Jesus, 2018.
“Alexis Dirks,” in Reflections & Refractions, ed. Noa Bronstein. Gallery 44 and Black Dog Publishing: Toronto and London, UK, 2016.
“Gesture and Ritual in the Work of Julie Favreau,” in Julie Favreau: an entire day an entire month, ed. Jake Moore. FOFA Gallery, Concordia University: Montreal, 2014.
“Form and Pattern in the Texture of Being: Zin Taylor’s Unit Operations,” in Zin Taylor: Lichen Voices/Stripes and Dots, ed. Rosemary Heather and Nicholaus Schafhausen. Fogo Island Arts/Sternberg Press: Toronto, 2013.
“The Tangibilities of Form,” and“Interview: Jaime Angelopolous,” in trans/FORM: Matter as Subject, ed. David Liss. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art: Toronto, 2012.
Exhibition Texts
“Shana Moulton: Whispering Pines,” Centre Clark, Montreal, Sept. 7 - Oct. 13, 2018.
“Loving and Leaking: Katie Bethune-Leamen’s Cute Blobs,” Eastern Edge, St. Johns, Oct. 24 – Nov. 28, 2015.
“FrameWork 2/12: Saelan Twerdy on Althea Thauberger,” Susan Hobbs Gallery, Toronto, Jan. 26 – March 3, 2012.
“Chopped & Screwed” at MKG127 Gallery, Toronto, July 6 – 30, 2011.
“Jessica Eaton: Strata” at Red Bull 381 Projects, Toronto, Nov. 18 – Dec. 18, 2010.
“Mystic Heathers & Virgin Snow: Tim Barber,” at LES Gallery, Vancouver, Sept. 25 – Oct. 25, 2009.
“I Need a Miracle: Mark Delong” at LES Gallery, Vancouver, March 13 – April 21, 2009.
Book Reviews
“Lane Relyea, Your Everyday Art World,” C magazine n. 124 (Winter 2014).
“David Balzer, Curationism: How Curating Took Over the Art World and Everything Else,”Momus.ca, October 15, 2014.
“Claire Bishop, Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship,” C magazine n.116 (Winter 2012), p. 59-60.
“Mystical Idiots: Lars Iyer’s Spurious and Dogma,” The New Inquiry, April 6, 2012.