An exploration of human psyche, memory and materials

Drawing inspiration from such varied sources as art history, literature, psychoanalytic theory and popular culture, Katz has developed a unique visual vocabulary that explores the depths of the human psyche and the infinite possibilities of painting. For her, painting serves as a bridge between worlds: it unites autobiography and art history, humour and ambiguity, language and image, without ever being reduced to one single meaning. The gallery layout, conceived by Katz, eschews chronological order in favour of a network of visual and thematic connections that invites the public to reflect on how memory, coincidence and influences shape our identity. True to its title, the exhibition unfolds like a game, a play on perception and association. From one painting to the next, motifs metamorphose and take on new meaning. Figures become avatars, signatures and self-portraits. Doors and windows, canals and mouths: all offer passages between lived experience and the imagination.

Traces of Gradiva

A central figure in the exhibition is Gradiva, meaning “she who steps forward.” Gradiva is a fictional character created by the 19th century German author Wilhelm Jensen, which is based on a Roman bas-relief and had an inspirational influence on psychoanalytic literature and Surrealism. Under Katz’s brush, this character becomes a contemporary muse who crosses thresholds, interconnects paintings and reminds us that images, like memories, can always resurface in new forms. Referenced throughout the exhibition, Gradiva embodies this poetic thread and bears witness to art’s ability to sublimate memory while unleashing buried desires. In keeping with the character’s elusive nature, a painting of Gradiva has ventured outside the exhibition galleries. Visitors are invited to search for it in among the Museum’s permanent collection.

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Allison Katz: Jeu d’esprit

2026.10.09 – 2027.3.14

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), Montreal, Canada

An exhibition organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
The exhibition is curated by Mary-Dailey Desmarais, Zhao-Ionescu Chief Curator of the MMFA.