Galerie Sans Nom, Moncton
Acadie Underground 26 exhibition opening at Galerie Sans Nom, 2023 (photo: Annie France Noël)
The Canadian art landscape is ever-changing. Places + Spaces keeps you informed of established and up-and-coming exhibition venues across the country including museums, galleries, artist-run centres, and more. This month, we hear from Galerie Sans Nom’s Artistic Director Aleya Michaud and General Director Emily Muckler.
What is the history and mandate of your gallery?
RE:FLUX 17 vernissage at Galerie Sans Nom, 2022 (photo: Annie France Noël)
Galerie Sans Nom (GSN) was founded in 1977 in Moncton, New Brunswick, following a protest by visual arts students at the Université de Moncton after the school administration deemed their thesis exhibition inappropriate. In response, the students created an independent space dedicated to presenting contemporary art practices that did not have institutional support at the time. The gallery was officially incorporated as a cooperative in 1979 and became one of the first Acadian artist-run centres.
In 1982, the creation of the Salle Sans Sous further strengthened GSN’s commitment to supporting emerging artists by providing an accessible exhibition space for experimentation and new voices.
Presently under the leadership of Emily and Aleya, the gallery continues to evolve while remaining true to its founding principles. GSN’s mandate is to facilitate encounters with contemporary art in all its forms through professional presentation and critical engagement. We present exhibitions and projects by local, national, and even international artists, from emerging to established, while fostering dialogue between artists and the public. As an artist-run centre rooted in Acadie, we remain committed to supporting experimentation, critical discourse, and meaningful cultural exchange within and beyond our gallery walls.
What’s a highlight of the neighbourhood where the gallery is located?
Mathieu Léger, L’impalpable recul de la postproduction d’un futur, une impossible récurrence en 10 actes (02018-02028)*, 2019, performance in front of the Centre culturel Aberdeen, part of Images Rémanentes, a ten-year performance project (photo: Annie France Noël)
Galerie Sans Nom has four exhibition spaces within the Centre culturel Aberdeen on Botsford Street in downtown Moncton. The Centre, housed in a beautifully repurposed historic school building, is a longstanding cultural hub and landmark in the city, bringing together multiple artistic organizations such as Atelier Imago, creative studios, Les Brûmes du Coude, and the versatile Salle Bernard-Leblanc, which hosts a wide range of events. These brick walls play a vital role in the city’s arts and culture life, fostering a strong spirit of collaboration and community.
This zeal extends into the surrounding neighbourhood. Just up the street, F Stop Studio – a not-for-profit artist-run centre focused on analogue and experimental photography – supports contemporary photographic practice in the region. Université de Moncton’s Galerie d’art Louise et Reuben Cohen is still close to home being just up and around the corner from GSN, while Projet Borgitte is a residency and creative space laid out by the Oceanside in Cap-Pelé.
If you feel up for a quick little drive to Sackville, you will find Struts Gallery, another leading NB artist-run centre, and, up the street, Mount Allison University’s Owens Art Gallery.
Many tend to believe that New Brunswick has very little happening within the arts and culture, but the reality is, there are pockets full of excellence in every corner of the province. You just need the heART to find them.
What’s your favourite part of running an art gallery?
Jean-Denis Boudreau (aka Jean LeGenou), La douceur des gens, 2024, installation view (photo: Annie France Noël)
Our favourite part of running Galerie Sans Nom is bringing new art to the forefront and seeing how audiences engage with the work – the dialogues and challenges it offers the public. It’s rewarding when an exhibition or a specific piece resonates with someone, sparks curiosity, inspires, connects with lived experience, prompts critical reflection, or even disagreement. We believe that if art evokes any reaction, positive or challenging, then we’ve succeeded in presenting meaningful work.
We also love the opportunity to work closely with artists as they bring their visions to life in our spaces. As a small team of two, we enjoy supporting and encouraging artists through their installations and seeing how they interact with the space and the public.
How do you find out about new artists?
N’importe qui peut jouer de la guitare, 2023, audio installation at RE:FLUX 18 (photo: Annie France Noël)
We mainly discover new artists through open calls for submissions, both for our gallery programming and for our art and experimental sound music festival RE:FLUX. Beyond calls, we connect with artists through our peer networks, curators, arts administrators, artist recommendations, and participation within regional and national visual arts communities. Our juried process invites proposals from a regional to international scale.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Paul Bossé, La Muerte a mal aux pattes, 2023, video; live art by Rotchild Choisy, 2023 (photo: Annie France Noël)
We’ll soon be celebrating our 50th anniversary, and we hope the gallery continues to be alive and thriving for many years to come. Despite the challenging financial landscape of the arts and culture sector, we hope that GSN continues to strengthen its role as a vital centre for contemporary art in Acadie and Atlantic Canada – deepening relationships with partners, expanding programming, reaching new audiences, and continuing to support artists. Funding = A future for the arts.
What excites you about your upcoming exhibitions?
Amélie Archer
We are excited to continue offering diverse programming in terms of artistic practices and mediums, and to continue supporting emerging artists. We have an exciting current and upcoming season and look forward to seeing how these exhibits resonate with our community.
Many people seem to believe that New Brunswick doesn’t have much happening artistically or culturally, but in reality, there are many vibrant pockets of creativity and excellence across the province.
We were particularly excited about our New Year’s opening exhibitions, which are currently on display the gallery until February 27: Amélie Archer’s Au delà du handicap, Louis‑Charles Dionne’s Comme des gouttes qui perlent à la surface, and Danielle Boudreau’s Soft Ground.