Huge art festival opens in Toronto this week and it will last for more than 2 months

Starting this weekend, Toronto is going to get a major dose of new creativity with the arrival of the 2024 Toronto Biennial of Art. The returning art festivals stretches for 10 weeks.

This will be the third iteration of the Toronto Biennial which puts on art exhibitions and events every two years. It showcases a curated array of local and international artists whose work exemplifies the show's chosen theme.

Dominique Fontaine and Miguel A. Lopez are the curaters this year, both of whom boast a lengthy resume in art curation. The pair decided on 37 unique artists to carry out the upcoming festival's theme of amplifying "political consiousness and reasserting the power of aesthetics."

Among those the Biennial will be featuring is Sonia Boyce, a celebrated artist and professor at the University of the Arts London.

Boyce's work dealing with her experiences as a Black woman in England has drawn public attention since the 1980s. She was the first Black woman elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2016.

Boyce's most recent work titled Feeling Her Way will be presented at the AGO starting Sept. 19 as part of the Biennial.

Chilean poet & artist Cecilia Vicuña will also be showcasing her work titled Futur.O [Futur.E] at Collision Gallery (32 Lisgar St.) starting Sept. 21. The chosen piece is a memoriam to the late Gail Kastner, a Canadian teenager who died as a result of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) in 1953. 

Vicuña made international headlines after being awarded the Premio Velázquez de Artes Plásticas 2019, one of Spain's most prestigious artistic awards. Vicuña has continued to create international works focusing on themes of language, disparity & injustice. 

For those looking for something a bit more interactive, the  Toronto Biennial also includes open discussions with local and international artists, as well as hands-on workshops.

Tanya Lukin Linklater, an Indigenous artist-choereographer, will be leading an open rehearsal at High Park on Sept. 21 and 22 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Linklater aims to draw audiences closer together with Toronto's natural offerings. All interested guests are welcome to observe the rehearsal.

The official launch party of the Toronto Biennial of Art goes down Sept. 20 at 32 Lisgar St., the offical venue for the festivities. Its followed by an after party at the nearby Drake Hotel. 

A full schedule of events is listed on the Toronto Biennial web site. Among the other venues showcasing work from the Biennial this year include Gallery TPW, The Auto BLDG, The Music Gallery, The Power Plant, The Theatre Centre and the Toronto Sculpture Garden.