The Weight of Silence
As time slows down, Montreal reveals other faces.
The opening of the exhibition The Weight of Silence will take place on Sunday, May 3 at 3 p.m.
Description
Montreal, photographed in moments when time and weather seemed to slow the city down. Water, wind, and changing seasons were not just a backdrop for Ali Ihtiyar ; they became quiet forces that reshaped space, softened light, and altered familiar places. In this work, silence is not an absence, but something felt heavy and present.
Themes of solitude, resilience, and transience entered the photographs naturally. Reflections blurred certainty, winter paused movement, and seasonal shifts left traces of disappearance and return. It wasn’t a search for dramatic moments, but for states of waiting moments where the city breathes more slowly.
Taken across different Montreal neighbourhoods, these images bring together historic architecture, green spaces, and everyday movement. Through these suspended moments, the work reflects on how weather shapes our sense of place, time, and belonging.
Opening Hours
The exhibition is open from April 25 to May 26:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: 10 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday and Saturday: 12 PM to 6 PM
- Closed on public holidays.
Media
Ali Ihtiyar
Ali Ihtiyar is a Canadian filmmaker and photographer, born in Turkey and based in Montreal. With a master’s degree in fine arts, film, and television production from Marmara University in Istanbul, he has been developing a practice at the crossroads of film and photography for over twenty years.
His work has been presented at numerous international festivals and exhibitions, including Paris Photo and the Montreal World Film Festival, and has received several awards, including the XMAGE 100 Grand Prize at the Huawei Next Image Awards (2025) and the Best Foreign Film Award at the Hollywood International Film Festival (2004).
At the heart of his artistic approach are issues of migration, exile, and cultural memory, particularly within the Kurdish, Alevi, and Armenian communities of Anatolia. His visual language, marked by a photographic sensibility, explores the relationship between humans, time, and space through slow, contemplative images imbued with silence.
With
Ali Ihtiyar
