Toronto Biennial of Art: Things Fall Apart

Fourth Edition | September 26 – December 20, 2026

Agwé & La Sirène, 2026 © Raphaël Barontini / ADAGP Paris / CARCC Ottawa 2026 Courtesy Raphaël Barontini and Mariane Ibrahim (Chicago, Paris, Mexico City)

The fourth edition of the Toronto Biennial of Art (TBA), titled Things Fall Apart, will take place over a 12-week period from September 26 to December 20, 2026, transforming Toronto and partner regions with free exhibitions, performances, and public programs. Grounded in diverse local contexts, the Biennial’s city-wide programming aims to inspire individuals, engage communities, and contribute to global conversations.

Curated by Allison Glenn, Things Fall Apart centres on artists whose practices engage rupture as a generative force—reconsidering histories, geographies, and systems that shape contemporary life while proposing new ways of understanding the present. Drawing upon the enduring resonance of the eponymous phrase across literature, music, and cultural discourse (from Chinua Achebe’s landmark 1958 novel to W.B. Yeats and The Roots), Things Fall Apart relies on the shared geographies of the Great Lakes as a departure point to trace expansive, interconnected relationships between over twenty international waterways, trade routes, and voyages across five continents.

In addition to curated artworks across more than 10 sites, TBA 2026 features an expansive schedule of free arts events, performances, screenings, and learning programs designed for intergenerational audiences, curated by Allison Glenn, with learning programs developed by Senior Manager, Learning & Community Partnerships, Mary Kim.

Visit torontobiennial.org to learn more about the 2026 curatorial process, artist list, free programming schedule, and exhibition locations.

Opening Weekend Highlights:

Opening Party – Friday, September 25 at 7:00pm
Art Museum at the University of Toronto
Ticketed | Purchase tickets
Guests will be amongst the first to see the main exhibition partner site at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto. Attendees will celebrate alongside TBA 2026 artists, art enthusiasts, and partners at this special fundraiser event featuring artist performances. Generously sponsored by EY.

Opening Day Public Programs – Saturday, September 26

Rebecca Belmore: Gichigami
Art Museum at the University of Toronto | 12:00pm
Free | Register here
Rebecca Belmore’s new work opens as a procession moving from Queen’s Park to the University of Toronto, where it will remain on view as an installation at the Art Museum.

Toronto Biennial of Art 2026 Opening Remarks
Art Museum at the University of Toronto | 1:00pm
Free | No registration required
Formal opening remarks from Executive Director Patrizia Libralato, Curator Allison Glenn, and Executive Director/Chief Curator of the Art Museum, Barbara Fischer.

Raphaël Barontini: Konvwa libèté
Meeting point in front of Hart House (7 Hart House Circle) | 1:30pm
Free | Register here
Co-presented with the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, Hart House, and the Art Museum, Barontini brings a celebratory, carnival-style street parade to the U of T campus featuring percussion, indigo costumes, banners, and flags.

Gallery TPW Opening
Gallery TPW | 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Free | No registration required
Celebrating works by Nani Chacon, Regina de Miguel (in attendance), and Skawennati. Cash bar and light snacks provided.

Public Programs – Sunday, September 27

In Dialogue: Speculative Futures
Harbourfront Centre Studio Theatre | 10:30am
Free | Registration required via TBA’s website
Curator Allison Glenn moderates a discussion with artists Andrés Ramírez Gaviria, Carolina Fusilier, Lindsay Katsitsakatste Delaronde, and Regina de Miguel on time, science fiction, Indigenous epistemologies, and speculative futures.

Brendan Fernandes: The Calls (Toronto)
The Tall Ship Kajama (Docked behind Harbourfront Centre / The Power Plant) | 12:00pm & 2:15pm Sailings
Free | Register here
Co-presented with TO Live, an immersive sonic and movement performance aboard a tall ship on Lake Ontario featuring contemporary dancers and an 18-voice Modern Sound Collective choir.

Eating the Archives: Flatbread as Embodied Histories, November 3, 2024. Featuring: Sameer Farooq and Naomi Duguid. Program held at The Auto BLDG, 158 Sterling Rd, 9th Floor as part of the Toronto Biennial of Art 2024. Photography by Rebecca Tisdelle-Macias.

Select Public Programs:

Convening: An Arrival, A Grounding, A Departure
October 16 – 18, 2026 | Multiple Sites (Native Canadian Centre, Art Museum at University of Toronto, Scarborough Gurdwara, Toronto Black Farmers and Food Growers Collective farm at Downsview Park)
Free | Registration forthcoming via TBA’s website
A three-day public gathering bringing together artists, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, scientists, farmers, and musicians for critical dialogues, live performances, and shared meals.

Artist Talk: Nanibah “Nani” Chacon with Allison Glenn
Thursday, November 5 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm | Online
Registration opens one month prior
A dialogue centering Chacon’s new commission, What happens when they steal our babies … (2026), and its connection to the Diné creation story of Tééhoołtsódii. Co-presented with Gallery TPW.

Exhibition Sites & Main Hub

The 2026 edition transforms the city across 10+ iconic landmarks, intimate galleries, and community anchors, 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
• Toronto Pearson Airport

TBA 2026 Catalogue

• Title: Things Fall Apart: Notes on Rupture
• Release Date: September 26, 2026
• Co-Publishers: Goose Lane Editions & Art Museum at the University of Toronto (with contributing publisher Aga Khan Museum)
• Design: house9 (Montréal)
  Available onsite at the Art Museum, at local bookshops, and online for pre-order.

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