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Frances Adair Mckenzie

f.adair.mck@gmail.com

Tiohtià:ke/Montréal QC

Bio

Frances Adair Mckenzie is a sculptor and animator based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. She holds a BFA from Concordia University. Adair’s research into sculpture, digital materiality and its conceptual realms is expanded through rigorous studio practice and constant exploration of new technology and tools. How technology sees and influences the way we see is central to her thinking and practice.  Experiments with stop-motion, 3D animation, virtual reality and stereoscopy leak out into her sculptural work. This digital foraging leads to questions regarding the stability of identity, production and consumption of desire and the surface tension between digital interfaces and architectural space.

Frances' video work has been widely exhibited internationally, most notably at the Somerset House London, UK, The MAXXI museum in Rome, IT and TOKAS residency in Tokyo. Frances has had solo exhibitions at the Fonderie Darling and Centre Clark in Montreal and at Towards Gallery in Toronto. Two animations and a stop-motion virtual reality piece have been produced by the National Film Board. Her VR piece was nominated for a Prix Gémeaux  in Quebec and won a Canadian screen award for best immersive fiction.

Frances Adair Mckenzie would like to thank the Canada Arts Council and the The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) for their generous support.

Education

 

2024-2026                MFA Virginia Commonwealth University 

2010-2011                Diploma British Columbia Institute of Technology 

2005-2009                BFA Concordia University 

 

Awards

 

2024       Quebec longlist nominee for the 2024 Sobey Art Award

2023       Recipient 2023 Canadian Screen Award Best Immersive Experience Fiction

2022       Nominé au 37e Prix Gémeaux expérience interactive 

2022       SAT Fest innovation prize

CV

​​

2024

Group Exhibition Champagne Toast, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA 

Solo Exhibition Désiré ,The Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Montréal QC 

Group Exhibition Coup de chaleur, Nicolas Robert, Montréal QC 

Group Exhibition Tangible Fictions, Patel Brown, Montréal QC 

Solo Exhibition Migraine Season, Towards Gallery, Montréal QC 

2023      

Solo Exhibition Private Life Darling Foundry, Montréal QC 

Solo Exhibition Saison des Migraines, L'Écart, Abitibi-Témiscamingue QC 

2022

Video Installation The Orchid and the Bee(Satosphère) SAT, Montréal QC 2022       

Video Installation The Orchid and the Bee, Biosphere, Montréal QC 

Video Installation ARTLAB, Buenos Aires AR 

Group Exhibition Banquette,  Afternoon Projects Vancouver BC 

2021                        

Group AR Exhibition  BEDfellows,  Momenta Photo Biennale, Montréal QC 

Group Exhibition Howe Are You Island?, Sight & Sound Fest, Montréal QC 

Video Installation  BEDfellows, Museo MAXXI, Rome IT 

Group Exhibition Space Portrait II, Mutek ES, Buenos Aires AR 

Video Installation En fleurs, Place des Arts, Montréal QC 

Group Exhibition Par la forêt,  Stewart Hall Art Gallery, Montréal QC 

Group Exhibition Tout se confond,  Darling Foundry Montréal QC 

2020

Group Exhibition Howe Are You Island?, Somerset Studio, London UK

Group Exhibition Space Portrait, Festival Internacional Inmersiva, Centro Cultural Digital, Mexico City MX

Group Exhibition Space Portrait, Abuja Art Week, Abuja NG

Group Exhibition Distant Arcades Mutek, Montreal QC                        

2019
Solo Exhibition Day of Y Crutch Contemporary Art Center, Toronto ON
Group Exhibition Future (Im)perfect OBORO, Montréal QC
Group Exhibition Latent See Anteism Bookart Space, Montréal QC
2018
Duo Exhibition Busy Bodies Parisian Laundry, Montréal QC
Group Exhibition Par la forêt Musée d'art contemporain des Laurentides
Duo Exhibition Near Channels Support, London ON
Solo Exhibition Les pas perdus Le Lobe Chicoutimi QC
Group Exhibition 'When things become thoughts: a sinkhole in my
terraformed mind’
Vie D’ange/MAW New York NY
2017
Solo Exhibition Being Made While You Wait Centre Clark, Montréal QC
Group Exhibition Transmundane Dunlop Art Gallery Regina SK
Group Exhibition LUX Daziboa London UK
2015
Solo Residency/Exhibition An Orchid Shaped Hole Connexion ARC, Fredrichton, NB
Solo Exhibition Glossed Over 50/50 ARC Victoria BC
Duo Exhibition In the Name of the Glove Bethlehem XXX Pop Montreal, Montréal QC
2014
Group Exhibition Les Contemporaines Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal QC
Duo Exhibition Party Like its 1699 Satosphere Société Des Arts Technologiques(SAT) Montréal QC
2013
Group Exhibition Art and Tech Rook and Raven London UK
Group Exhibition Rematerialised NMSU Gallery New Mexico US


 

Residencies

2023

BANFF Center for the Arts Banff AB

L'Écart, Rouyn-Noranda QC

2022

Tokyo Art and Space Residency CALQ Tokyo JP

2022
Mutek ARTlab Residency Buenos Aires AR

2019-2022
Studio Residency Darling Foundry Montréal Q

2020

Somerset Studio Residency London UK
2017-2019
Production Residency Nation Film Board of Canada Montréal Q
2017-2019
Production Residency Nation Film Board of Canada Montréal Q
2017
Artist Residency Artsiceland/Ouvert Art Space Ísafjörður IS
Artist Residency Co{labo}rations Workspacebrussels Brussels BE
2015
Artist Residency Metamorphose Studio 303 Montréal
Artist Residency Clark Street Video Toronto ON
2014
Animator Residency Hothouse Nation Film Board of Canada Montréal QC
Artist Residency Satosphere (SAT) Montréal QC
Artist Residency Les Ateliers Arsenal Contemporary Montréal QC
Artist Residency In Vivo Videographe Montréal QC


 

Filmography

2023

Director A Private Conversation Video Essay

Private Life exhibition, Fonderie Darling, Montréal QC

https://vimeo.com/843553560/776f8d74c0?tq=#t=17

2021

Director BEDfellows  Museo MAXXI, Rome IT 

https://vimeo.com/508989612/e95dc3e947

Co-director Liquid Mirrors Place des Arts, Montréal QC

https://vimeo.com/444691113/a86d472db9

2020

Director Space Portrait II Commission Inmerssiva

Co-director Howe Are You Island? Digital Initiatives Canada Arts Council CBC 
Director The Orchid and the Bee (NFB) Stop-Motion Stereoscopic VR Montréal QC

2019

Director Space Portrait OBORO Stop Motion Stereoscopic Virtual Reality Montréal QC
Animator Mooniyang Director Caroline Monnet Festival du Nouveau Cinema Montréal QC
Animator Jongué by Director Carlos Ferrand Montréal QC
2018
Director/Animator Trading Hooks for Hands Parisian Laundry Montréal QC
Password: Winston https://vimeo.com/301467664
2017
Director/Animator Punk Shadows (Indie) Blood and Glass Music Video Montréal QC
Director/Animator Fry Guy (Independent) Parisian Laundry Montréal QC
Password: FRYGUY https://vimeo.com/311341706
Animation 13, a ludodrama about Walter Benjamin Documentary Director Carlos Ferrand Montréal QC
2016
Animator All We Need Naked Island Series National Film Board of Canada Montréal QC
2014
Director A Little Craving National Film Board of Canada Montréal QC
Co-Director Party Like it’s 1699 Satosphere; Immersive Spectacle SAT Montréal QC
Animation Land in Sight UQAM Projection Director Caroline Monnet Montréal QC
Director A Love Poem to Unnecessary Objects Videographe Montréal QC

Screenings

2023

Howe Are you Island? LabDoc UQAM, Montreal QC 

PLIFE performance/essay, Darling Foundry, Montréal QC

The Orchid and the Bee Sat fest, Taiwan, ROC

2022

Howe Are you Island? 35ème édition du Festival Les Instants Vidéo, Marseille FR 

Howe Are you Island? Athens Digital Arts Festival, (ADAF)Athens GR 

Howe Are you Island? Simultan Fesitval XVII, Timiśoara RO

Howe Are you Island? Les Percéides: 7e Grande recontre des arts médiatiques, Gaspésie QC

Howe Are you Island? Mutek Distant Arcades II, Montréal QC

Howe Are you Island? Noviembre Electronico, Buenos Aires AR

Howe Are You Island? Printemps numérique MTL Connect, Montreal QC

Howe Are you Island? Somerset House Studios London UK

Howe Are you Island? Antimatter Media Art Festival, Victoria BC

The Orchid and the Bee Video Miami Science Museum, Miami FL

The Orchid and the Bee Video Installation Biosphere, Montréal QC  

The Orchid and the Bee Sociète des Arts Technologique, Montréal QC 

The Orchid and the Bee Bucheon Int. Animation Festival, Bucheon KR 

2021                           

The Orchid and the Bee SIGGRAPH Asia, Daegu KR

The Orchid and the Bee Spark Animation Festival, Vancouver BC

The Orchid and the Bee Geneva Int. Animation Festival, Geneva CH 

The Orchid and the Bee Ottawa Int. Animation Festival, Ottawa CA 

The Orchid and the Bee L.E.V. Festival, Gijón ES 

The Orchid and the Bee Fantoche Animation Festival, Baden CH 

The Orchid and the Bee Annecy Animation Festival, Brussels BE

The Orchid and the Bee Mutek Distant Arcades, Montreal QC 

2019
Trading Hooks for Hands Cordova DOVETAIL II, Barcelona SP
The Orchid and the Bee View Conference, Turin IT
Space Portrait OBORO, Montréal QC
2018
Trading Hooks for Hands Parisian Laundry Montréal QC
FryGuy Le Lobe Chicoutimi QC
2017
A Love Poem FemmoSphere Schwules Museum Berlin DE
A Love poem Queer Aging Spectrum Berlin DE
A Love Poem LUX/Daziboa London UK
Live Video Electric Circuits Kingston Ontario
Video Installation Working Title Festival Workspace Brussels BE
Fry guy Parisian Laundry Montréal QC
2016
Live Video Pride Festival Toronto ON
Live Video Pop Montreal Montréal QC
2015
A Little Craving Canadian Showcase Ottawa International Animation Fest
Live Video Pride Festival Toronto ON
2014
Live Video Société Des Arts Technologiques Montréal QC
Quartier 20.14 Video Installation HTMlles Festival Studio XX Montréal QC
Wreath Video Installation Chromatic Festival Montréal QC
2013
Forgotten Detritus Video Installation New Media Festival Vancouver BC
2012
Teen Sleuth Video Installation Festival Phenomenon Montréal QC 2011
Forgotten History of Residential Schools Live Video W2 Vancouver BC
Teen Sleuth Video Installation The Music Gallery Toronto ON
Teen Sleuth Video Installation HTMlles Festival Studio XX Montréal QC 2011
Teen Sleuth Video Installation Fringe festival Montréal QC

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