Bridging the past and present: Montreal artist illustrates Jewish immigrant experience
Artist Arnie Lipsey may have moved away from Montreal decades ago, but the city is at the heart of his latest project, "The Past is Before You."
The exhibit, now showing at the Museum of Jewish Montreal, tells the story of three generations of his family. Each portrait is inspired by old family photographs.
"I start with the goal of developing a portrait of the people involved and different locations or elements or props, if you will, to, to tell the story of who they were or are," he said.
Using a vibrant colour pallet, a nod to his long career in animation, his subject matter is often darker. His parents were European Jews who came to Montreal in the mid 1930s. Although they escaped Hitler's terror, they both lost many family members in the Holocaust.
Lipsey says his work explores the psychological legacies that link generations.
"I know that there's a lot of loss and there is pain and complexity of who they were and or are and I've tried not to shy away from that," he said.
Like in the portrait of his grandmother, Look Out, which shows his grandmother sitting in her Cote St-Luc home with her daughters. In the background on one side, is the lookout at Mount Royal Park. On the other side, is the shtetl she fled in Lithuania.
Lipsey also features his own story, as an art school graduate who left Montreal to pursue his career. Now based in Toronto, he says he wanted to return to his first love of painting.
Artist Arnie Lipsey's exhibit 'The Past is Before You' is on display now at the Museum of Jewish Montreal. (Arnie Lipsey)
Avery Monette, a tour guide at the Museum of Jewish Montreal, says it’s appropriate his work is being shown in Mile End, a neighbourhood with deep Jewish roots.
"The way that he's able to capture his family's memories and contrast them with the depictions of his family's life here in Montreal in the postwar period, combined with his family's life in pre-war Poland and Lithuania, it's really quite incredible to see the contrast between the two," she said.
She says the exhibit is also striking a chord with visitors.
"There's so many people who come into the museum to see this exhibit who find not only kind of memories of their own family in it, but memories of their own."
The "Past is Before You" will be showing into the fall at the museum, located at 5220 St-Laurent Boulevard.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Thousands of miles from home, Trudeau learns of dissension in his caucus
The free trade agreement with ASEAN is expected to be signed at the end of 2025. If Trudeau is pressured to step down, or if his government falls and loses the next election, Trudeau will not, as prime minister, be there to see the fruits of his labour.
Court untangles 'bizarre mess' that allowed Vancouver duplex owner to pay off mortgage after foreclosure, sale
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled on a case she describes as a "bizarre mess" in a decision issued earlier this week.
Here's the dirt on the germiest items in your day-to-day life
Your home – considered to be one of the safest havens from all the external stresses – is filthy.
Ottawa bylaw officer struck by driver after altercation in ByWard Market
The woman was taken to hospital with stable injuries, paramedics say.
Liberals announce new campaign director amid new push to oust Trudeau
The Liberal Party has named Andrew Bevan as its new national campaign director for the next federal election. The announcement comes as party continues to face lagging polls and as party leader Justin Trudeau is facing new pressure to step aside.
Severe weather has some snowbirds leaving Florida, others battening down the hatches
When Julie Riddell and her husband, Gerry, bought their Fort Myers, Fla., vacation property in 2009, it didn't cross their mind that they might be buying in a hurricane-prone area.
'Terrifier 3' slashes 'Joker' to take No. 1 at the box office, Trump film 'The Apprentice' fizzles
The choices on the movie marquee this weekend included Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, a film about Donald Trump, a 'Saturday Night Live' origin story and even Pharrell Williams as a Lego. In the end, all were trounced by an ax-wielding clown.
He told his mother there was 'no way' he'd meet someone in Australia. Then he fell in love at first sight
Mike Grossman was adamant he wasn’t going to fall for anyone in Australia.
Trump suggests a protester may get 'the hell knocked out of her' by her parents
Former U.S. president Donald Trump called for a protester at one of his rallies to 'go back home to Mommy' to 'get the hell knocked out of her,' his latest instance of using violent language when confronted by demonstrators.