Things to do in Montréal: February 5 to 11

We’ll be missing the fun frenzy of Igloofest after this weekend, when the 2015 edition comes to a close, that’s for sure – but lucky for us, there’s lots more Montréal madness where that came from. How about we stay in this week and soak up some cool culture?

Last hurrah

Don’t you go missing the last of the outdoor dance festival Igloofest now, which will go out with a bang with a wild weekend featuring international track masters Paco Osuna, Midland B2B Paul Woolford, Dubfire, Luciano, Girl Unit and Ernesto Ferreyra. Locals will be lighting up the nights too, with Jimmy Be, Robert Robert, Cri and Dead Horse Beats presiding on Friday night; Nico Sé, Eekkoo and Maybe Moby Is Playing Tonight on Saturday; and Cristobal Urbina and The One Tash signing out until next year on Sunday. For those interested in winning the Iglooswag contest, based on best costume, the theme for the last weekend is “white as snow.” So pull out your white one-piece snowsuit!

Arts with heart

February 5 marks the opening of two exciting exhibitions at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles. British artist Simon Starling brings us 15 works under the theme of Metamorphology, which means that each piece represents a transformation through the power of art. The sculptures, photographs, installations and films exhibited draw fascinating connections between people and places that may at first seem completely disparate. Then, For the Last and First Time by French artist Sophie Calle presents two recent series of works that take a poetic look at beauty and the mental images of blind people. At the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, soak up the lavish, exotic warmth of Marvels and Mirages of Orientalism: From Spain to Morocco, Benjamin‑Constant in His Time, a major exhibition featuring some of the 19th century’s most famous images. February 8 marks the last day of the super cool, super colour saturated Valérie Belin exhibition at Phi Centre; the French artist’s monumental photographs are festive and frenetic and not to be missed.

Moving images

Speaking of the Phi Centre, head over on February 6 for launch of a special work by video artist Dominique T. Skolz titled Y2O, on until March 7. Playing simultaneously on six screens, the work plays on the contrasts of narrative and emptiness, love and loss, emotional extremes and serenity. Over at the SAT, be ready for your mind to be blown by the projections onto the semi-circular walls of the Satosphere by Carapace, Quantum and Nimbes. As you lie or lounge on the floor, the three short works explore themes of the self versus the constructed, architectural versus natural environments, and lightness and joy versus the dark and foreboding.

Live music

As Fleetwood Mac play the Bell Centre on Thursday, February 5, the Stars rock out Métropolis with openers Hey Rosetta!. Go dark and heavy on Friday night with Voivod, Exhumed, Iron Reagan, Black Crown Initiate and Napalm Death all playing at Club Soda, or celebrate Black History Month with a special show presented at the Jamaica Association of Montréal, featuring Kaisha Lee, Clinton Sly, Kya Kindu, Saboo Boomgaia, Ebony Royal and Sampaloo. On Saturday, February 7, catch Nothing More at Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre or head to L’Escogriffe for a local band lineup featuring Buffalo Theory Mtl, Tumbleweed Dealer, Mikrob and Floating Widgit. Dance till the very end of the weekend on February 8 with Guy Gerber and Paolo Rocco at Stereo, and catch pop singer Mika as he gets backed by none other than the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, at the Maison Symphonique on February 10 and 11.