Some exhibitions will be set up ahead of the festival to allow more time to enjoy them.

• Jeremy Perrodeau, at Quai des Brumes from May 2 to 29, 2024
  • Discover the creative stages of Jeremy Perrodeau’s comic book Le visage de Pavil, published by éditions 2024. From the sketchbook to coloring, layout and inking, this exhibition shows the creative process behind a work finalist for the 25th Bédélys International Award.

• 25th Bédélys Awards Winners, at Grand salon du pavillon of esplanade Tranquille, Quartier des Spectacles from May 1 to 31, 2024
  • You’ll find the jury’s selection for the 25th Bédélys Awards in the heart of the Quartier des spectacles, at the inviting esplanade Tranquille. In the comfort of the library’s reading area, you’ll be able to read the thirty or so finalists’ works for an enjoyable discovery.

Exhibitions on Saint-Denis Street

MCAF is also about exhibitions, so take a long stroll along Saint-Denis, between Roy and Gilford, and spoil yourself with these exhibitions to be seen throughout the weekend:

• Les métiers de la BD
  • Who’s behind the making of a comic strip? Take a look at the different trades involved in each stage of comic book creation. From the creation of the work to its translation and printing, a number of people are involved until it finds its readers.
• Bourse Manga O-Taku
  • The O-taku Manga Grant is back for a second edition, and the winners are presented in this exhibition. The top 3 finalists in Canada’s 1st manga creation grant are brimming with talent, and the first pages of their works are on display to show you the extent of their virtuosity.
• Les chercheuses en BD, 2nd edition
  • 21 female STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) researchers from 13 of Quebec’s universities have been paired with an equal number of comic artists from Quebec and France, who sketch their portraits in short comic strips. The panels presented invite you to learn more about the careers of these exceptional women through the eyes of the cartoonists. Produced in partnership with the Consulat général de France à Québec and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies.
• Montréal Imaginaire
  • The Montreal Comic Arts Festival presents an exhibition showcasing the representation of the city in 21st-century Quebec comic art. Bringing together some twenty panels from contemporary literature, Montréal Imaginaire depicts the city from a variety of pencil strokes and angles. Inspired by the literary cartography of the same name by Gilles Marcotte and Pierre Nepveu, researcher Thara Charland takes us on a journey through the emblematic landscapes and places of Montreal as seen or revisited in comics: from the Jean-Talon market to the refineries of Montreal East, from the Red Light of the 1950s to a futuristic version of Saint Joseph’s Oratory.
• Dessine-moi la recherche : carnets pour l’éducation et la santé publique
  • How can research help people? In schools and health and social services establishments, how can it raise awareness of the issues facing different professions, such as healthcare professionals, teachers and support staff, managers and childcare workers?
    To shed new light on these issues, 7 emerging female researchers are swapping their research notebooks for drawing books in a creative odyssey of scientific vulgarization. Eager to make their work known beyond the walls of the university, they embark on this journey through the medium of comics, a new medium for several of them.
    Accompanied by comic artist Martin Patenaude-Monette, or Martin PM, our adventurers threw themselves headfirst into the Vulgarisathon de l’Acfas, an activity designed to guide up-and-coming researchers in the creation of popular scientific works in the format of their choice. Against all odds, over a three-month period, they took part in the ideation, design, scriptwriting and illustration of the comic strips for this exhibition, in order to translate into images the research themes that drive them on a daily basis.
• 25e prix Bédélys
  • The winning comics of the 25th Bédélys Awards are unveiled in this exhibition, highlighting them and their creators. This presentation will be on display on the festival site, and encourages you to meet the winning artists during the 13th Festival BD de Montréal.
• The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance
  • In this large-format exhibition, discover pages from Kwakwaka’wakw cartoonist Gord Hill’s The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance. Drawn from exhaustive research into the acts of resistance of various Indigenous peoples across the continent and through the ages, this comic book educates as much as it engages its readership. The key excerpts from this comic book presented in this exhibition continue the work of raising awareness of First Peoples’ issues and sharing the struggle against colonialism and racism.