Nuit Blanche 2023 Illuminates Toronto This Weekend
Dance of the Molecules, 2020, Radha Chaddah
Starting this Saturday, September 23, at 7 p.m., Toronto will come alive as Nuit Blanche fills streets and spaces with more than 80 interactive art projects by close to 250 artists. The free all-night celebration of contemporary art will animate neighbourhoods across the city with exhibitions in Etobicoke, downtown and Scarborough.
Visit the Nuit Blanche website for the latest information about participating artists and the complete event program. This webpage also offers an interactive map for enhanced event navigation and details exhibition locations, project descriptions, details on artist talks and more.
Remember to follow Nuit Blanche Toronto on Facebook, on Twitter and on Instagram @NuitBlancheTO and to share your night using the official hashtag, #NBTO23.
Navigating by Neighbourhood
Art projects will be clustered in easy-to-navigate Nuit Neighbourhoods, making exploring the event more convenient for audiences. Neighbourhood include Don Mills, East Danforth, Bloor-Yorkville, North York, Sterling Road, Fort York, Weston, West Queen West and the downtown waterfront with large-scale exhibition areas in Etobicoke, downtown and Scarborough.
Etobicoke
Shoaling, the Etobicoke exhibition is curated by Lillian O’Brien Davis. Enter a multivocal exhibition focused on connections between land and water that link memory, climate, race and labour through performance, video, sculpture and technologies. Etobicoke will also showcase independent projects presented by Exhibition Sponsor Humber College and the local arts community that the public can experience.
Etobicoke sites include Assembly Hall, Humber College’s Lakeshore Campus, and Colonel Samuel Smith Park. Featured projects include a 150-foot-long light installation, land-based installation along a beach, and two newly commissioned film works.
Browse art projects in Etobicoke.
Eclipse, 2023 by Naomi Rincón Gallardo (credit: Claudia López Terroso)
Downtown
The Disturbed Landscape exhibition, curated by Kari Cwynar, will occupy Toronto’s downtown core with creative reversals and disruptions to our built environment. Unearth centuries of development in the city’s financial centre as commissioned artists highlight the ever-present relationship between land, economy and power in urban environments. The downtown core will also feature various independent projects and installations delivered in partnership with leading cultural institutions.
Scarborough
Explore ideas of togetherness, friendship and collectivity pointing to Scarborough’s unique urban topography and discover public spaces transformed through the assembly of shared experiences. Eight commissioned projects comprise the In The Aggregate exhibition, curated by Noa Bronstein.
Visit Scarborough Town Centre to experience a descending fleet of space vessels made of bamboo and discarded plastics, a 40-foot video installation on queer dance and resistance practices, and hand embroidered letters stitched onto silk saris, bringing with them feelings of nostalgia, loss and a desire for connection. Scarborough Town Centre is the proud sponsor of this exhibition.
Browse art projects in Scarborough.
Circle of Enquiry for a Dish with One Spoon, 2018, Bonnie Divine. (Credit: David Devine)
Nuit Talks
Nuit Talks is a free program of insightful conversations with art-makers participating in Nuit Blanche 2023. These pop-up talks will take place throughout the night of Nuit Blanche at the site of the artwork itself. Connect with artists and curators to explore their works and learn about their creative processes. Each 20-minute talk is followed by a short question and answer period. No registration necessary.
Exhibition Curators Lillian O’Brien Davis, Noa Bronstein, Kari Cwynar and Humber Galleries Program Lead Melissa Poliah will moderate the talks.
Downtown Talk:
Bonnie Devine in conversation with Curator Kari Cwynar
Project: Circle of Enquiry for a Dish with One Spoon
Location: Commerce Court West (Exterior Plaza), 199 Bay St.
Time: 12:00 a.m. (midnight)
Etobicoke Talks:
Alvin Luong in conversation with Curator Lillian O’Brien Davis
Project: The Mystery of the Twisted Fantasy
Location: Assembly Hall – Ground Floor, 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr.
Time: 9 p.m.
Humber Fellowship in conversation with Humber Galleries Program Lead Melissa Poliah
Artists: Elham Fatapour, Ebru Kur, Cesar Melo, Konrad Karczewski, Justin Ho, Hoi Ching Chiu (Natalie), Georgia Acheampong, Ashley Aalto, Tristan Bolton
Project: UNIPLEX: Multimedia Explorations in Geometry, Symmetry and Transformation
Location: L Space Gallery, 19 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr.
Time: 10 p.m.
Soft Turns (Sarah Jane Gorlitz & Wojciech Olejnik) in conversation with Curator Lillian O’Brien Davis
Project: allgrowrhythms
Location: Colonel Samuel Smith Park (beach), 3145 Lake Shore Blvd. W.
Time: 11 p.m.
Scarborough Talks:
Patrick Cruz in conversation with Curator Noa Bronstein
Project: Mga maiikli ngunit malalim na hininga sa nakakapagbagababag na mundo (Short yet deep breathes in this worrisome world)
Location: Scarborough Town Centre, Taste Market Entrance, 300 Borough Dr.
Time: 9 p.m.
Leeroy New in conversation with Curator Noa Bronstein
Project: Balangay Starfleet
Location: Scarborough Town Centre, Centre Court, 300 Borough Dr.
Time: 10 p.m.
Mitchell Akiyama in conversation with Curator Noa Bronstein
Project: A cut at an edge that was always a middle
Location: Scarborough Town Centre, Galleria, 300 Borough Dr.
Time: 11 p.m.
Getting Around
Eventgoers are encouraged to take public transit or other travel methods like walking or cycling. Those who need to drive should plan their route in advance, stay alert and allow extra time to get to and from their destinations. To learn more about road closures, all-night TTC services and more, visit the Nuit Blanche website.
About Nuit Blanche Toronto
Nuit Blanche Toronto is the city’s annual all-night celebration of contemporary art, produced by the City of Toronto in collaboration with Toronto’s arts community. Since 2006, this award-winning event has featured over 1600 art installations by approximately 5,800 artists, generating over $489 million in economic impact for Toronto.
Keep in the loop with the latest arts news from City of Toronto, including open calls, new exhibitions and more. Sign up for the CultureTO newsletter.
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