Curated by Philippe Pirotte with Corey McCorkle, Aseman Sabet, and Kitty Scott

Titled “The Grand Balcony” after Jean Genet’s iconic 1956 play, this year’s Biennale de Montréal aspires to join the ranks of such prestigious biennials as those of Istanbul, São Paulo, and Sydney in showcasing a prodigious number of artists and commissioned works. The Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal and various downtown spaces will serve as a stage for a dynamic program of lectures, performances, concerts, and screenings. In addition to premiering several films, such as Eric Baudelaire’s AKA Jihadi, which traces the journey of a now-imprisoned ISIS militant, the exhibition will debut the third act of Anne Imhof’s “Angst,” 2016, a multipart opera that combines sculptural forms, an abstract musical composition, and choreographic elements. Other noteworthy projects include an anthology of writings by multimedia artist Hassan Khan and a sound piece by New York–based Marina Rosenfeld.

— Jens Hoffmann