The 17th annual Nuit Blanche Toronto will feature exhibitions in Etobicoke, downtown Toronto and Scarborough, with more than 80 art projects from close to 250 artists from a variety of disciplines. Entry is free for the all-night celebration of contemporary art which will be held from 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 23 to 7 a.m. on Sunday, September 24.
This year’s Nuit Blanche theme, Breaking Ground, encouraged exploration within the arts community to focus on issues related to nature and pioneering change. Specifically, artists were invited to explore themes of climate change, the impact of urban development on communities and collective responsibilities around land and stewardship.
“I look forward to Nuit Blanche Toronto every year and the creative energy it brings to our streets,” Mayor Olivia Chow said in a statement. “It’s a celebration of contemporary art that is accessible and enjoyable for all, while showcasing the remarkable talent we have in our city. I invite everyone across Toronto to participate in the Nuit Blanche festivities.”
Three Toronto-based curators will present unique exhibition areas with their distinct perspectives.
Shoaling, curated by Lillian O’Brien Davis: The Etobicoke exhibition (sponsored by Humber College) is a multivocal exhibition focusing on connections between land and water that link threads of memory, climate, race and labour through performance, video, sculpture and technologies.
Disturbed Landscapes, curated by Kari Cwynar: The downtown exhibition unearths centuries of development within Toronto’s financial district, as artists enact a series of creative reversals and disruptions to our built environments.
In the Aggregate, curated by Noa Bronstein: The Scarborough exhibition (sponsored by Scarborough Town Centre) explores ideas of togetherness, friendship and collectivity that point to Toronto’s unique urban topography and public spaces transformed through the assembly of shared experiences.
The art festival aims to uncover and highlight artists who challenge the status quo through media, form or content, to transform public spaces and inspire audiences to experience Toronto in new and meaningful ways, featuring works from award-winning artists, Divya Mehra, Bonnie Devine and Alvin Luong, along with emerging talent including Joy, Par Nair and Tristan Sauer.
Your Wish is Your Command, by Winnipeg’s Divya Mehra, pokes at colonial underpinnings in the Financial District with a magic lamp. Lifelines showcases work by the Black Arts Fellowship’s inaugural cohort at the Wildseed Centre for Art & Activism.
More information about Nuit Blanche and a complete list of art projects can be found on the City’s website: www.toronto.ca/nbto.
