Discipline : Architecture
Categories :
Commercial Building / Retail, Health Clinic & Small Commercial Space
: Grand Winner
Categories :
Special Award / Architecture + Art
: Gold certification
Galerie FOIL – contemporary art, raw architecture and sensitive experience
Located in the heart of the Mile-Ex district in Montreal, Galerie FOIL is a unique destination where contemporary art dialogues with everyday life. Founded by artists Fvckrender (Frédéric Duquette) and Baeige (Jo-Anie Charland), the hybrid space combines gallery and café to evolve between exhibition, hospitality, and sensory experience. A place of expression, meeting, and discovery, FOIL (Finer Objects in Life) is part of a desire to make art accessible, alive, and rooted in the community.
Occupying a former World War II ammunition factory, the space was entirely transformed by the neighboring architecture studio Atelier L’Abri. The original building, remarkable for its sawtooth structure, solid wood frame, and raw concrete columns, is enhanced by an intervention that respects its heritage while projecting it into the present. The concrete slab, board ceilings, and beams sandblasted to reveal the texture of the nearly century-old wood, while new visual breakthroughs and skylights diffuse warm natural light into the exhibition spaces.
The gallery is centered around a manually brushed metallic central volume. At the front, the bright café opens onto Parc des Gorilles via a large glazed garage door, welcoming visitors into an atmosphere that is both raw and refined. The minimalist counter with gentle shapes is covered with a handcrafted microcement finish. At the back, a projection room offers an intimate setting for audiovisual works. The custom café furniture is designed by local designer Raymond Raymond and complements the layout with elegant simplicity. The metal cube contains a workspace and meeting area furnished with a large table by Montreal woodworker Essai mobilier and Danish chairs by Vipp.
FOIL offers an eclectic program mixing physical and digital works. It features creations by the founders as well as those of contemporary artists such as J3000, Vincent Tsang, Andrea Wilkin, Victor Mosquera, and Zoë Winters. A restored 1970 Porsche Targa is showcased as a central piece. The experience is enhanced by a sound atmosphere by Olivier Lamontagne (The Holy), an ambient fragrance created by D.S. & Durga, and a cafe offering provided by the roaster ZAB Café, accompanied by pastries from Mélilot.
More than just an exhibition space, FOIL is a laboratory of creation and conviviality. With its morning events AM:PLIFIED, blending croissants and DJ sets, its immersive projections, its cocktails inspired by the works, and its inclusive vision, the gallery establishes itself as a new voice in Montreal's cultural scene. It celebrates beauty in its purest form—a tribute to the finer objects in life.
