Toronto Biennial of Art 2026 – Convening: An Arrival, A Grounding, A Departure

Taqralik Partridge, umiakkut (by boat), 2026. On view at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery as part of the Toronto Biennial of Art, 2026. Commissioned by the Toronto Biennial of Art and co-presented with the Art Museum at the University of Toronto. Photography: Rebecca Tisdelle-Macias.

Convening: An Arrival, A Grounding, A Departure

October 16 – 18, 2026

Next weekend, the Convening: An Arrival, A Grounding, A Departure will create a space for those who hold and share knowledge, including farmers, growers, musicians, Elders, artists, and more, to exchange and build intersectional and collective ways of understanding.

The program is organized with some of the exhibiting artists as well as invited co-curators, and consists of dialogues, performances, meals, and moments of collectivity that engage with six new commissions. Thematically grouped into three puncta, it unfolds over three days across the geographies, people, and ideas that make up the place known as Toronto.

Taqralik Partridge, umiakkut (by boat), 2026. On view at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery as part of the Toronto Biennial of Art, 2026. Commissioned by the Toronto Biennial of Art and co-presented with the Art Museum at the University of Toronto. Photography: Rebecca Tisdelle-Macias.

Convening: An Arrival By Water – Day 1

Friday, October 16 | 1:00pm – 4:45pm
Native Canadian Centre
Free | Register here

The opening day centres Indigenous perspectives and practices, and will feature an array of contemporary traditional foods, followed by a facilitated drum social where participants are invited to bring drums and rattles to share and learn songs. TBA artists Bonnie Devine, Taqralik Partridge, and Rebecca Belmore will discuss their artistic practices and new commissions for the 2026 Toronto Biennial.

Nirbhai (nep) Singh Sidhu, A Deathless Potential In Remembrance By You, 2026. On view at the Scarborough Gurdwara as part of the Toronto Biennial of Art, 2026. Commissioned by the Toronto Biennial of Art. Photos courtesy of the artist.

Convening: A Grounding – Day 2

Saturday, October 17 | 12:00pm – 7:00pm
Scarborough Gurdwara
Free | Register here

TBA artist Nirbhai (nep) Singh Sidhu will lead the day’s programming, bringing together speakers, musicians, Simran, and sangat in the context of his new permanent living sculpture, A Deathless Potential In Remembrance By You.

Céline Semaan, Heirlooms, as part of Slow Factory and Ward Gallery’s collaboration, hosted at the Slow Factory.

Convening: A Departure – Day 3

Sunday, October 18 | 10:00am – 3:30pm
Toronto Black Farmers and Food Growers Collective Farm, Downsview Park
Free | Register here

Curator Allison Glenn invites participants to share in a tasting and conversation between TBA artists Céline Semaan and Jean-Marc Bullet, in dialogue with Jacqueline Dwyer, and Noel Livington. They will discuss their approach to and process of collective, multi-site growing, developed for their collaborative project, Notebook of Return / Carnet de Retour.

Exhibition Sites & Main Hub

The 2026 edition transforms the city across 13+ sites, with the Art Museum at the University of Toronto (University of Toronto Art Centre and Justina M. Barnicke Gallery) serving as the main exhibition hub and primary learning space.

TBA 2026 Exhibition Sites

• Art Museum at the University of Toronto – Main Exhibition Hub
• Art Gallery of Ontario
• Aga Khan Museum
• Billboard in St. George TTC Station, Westbound Platform – Bloor-Danforth Line
• CN Tower
• Gallery TPW
• Harbourfront Centre
• *Midnight Moment, Times Square Arts, New York City
  *Month of November only
• Mercer Union, a centre for contemporary art
• Royal Ontario Museum
• Sankofa Square
• Scarborough Gurdwara

About the Toronto Biennial of Art

The Toronto Biennial of Art’s mission is to make contemporary art accessible to everyone. A twelve-week event every two years, the Biennial commissions artists to create new works for a city-wide exhibition in dialogue with Toronto’s diverse local contexts. Year-round public and learning programs bridge Biennials and invite intergenerational audiences to explore the ideas that inspire our events. Building upon past editions and offering new ways of seeing and listening, each Biennial connects people to spark meaningful dialogues and imagine new futures.

For more information, visit torontobiennial.org or follow @torontobiennial.

Media Contacts:
David Yu at Sutton Communications: tba@suttoncomms.com
Catriona Reid at Toronto Biennial of Art: creid@torontobiennial.org