Waterfront Toronto Welcomes the Toronto Biennial of Art to the Water’s Edge

Inaugural event joins growing contemporary art destination on eastern waterfront

September 19, 2019, Toronto, ON – Waterfront Toronto is proud to sponsor the inaugural Toronto Biennial of Art, a free contemporary visual arts event with more than 70 local and international programs launching September 21, 2019. As part of its mandate, Waterfront Toronto is committed to supporting arts initiatives that create a more dynamic water’s edge.

The Biennial’s anchor exhibition space in East Bayfront is another step in Waterfront Toronto’s Public Art Program that has been steadily unfolding over the last decade. The program’s goal is to create meaningful and accessible opportunities for residents and visitors to interact with public art.

Waterfront Toronto is building a waterfront that welcomes the world to Toronto and it is exciting to see the Biennial of Art doing the same with artists from over 40 countries being featured alongside Canadian, Indigenous, and Inuit talents.

The West Don Lands Public Art Strategy, created by Waterfront Toronto, was one of the first public art master plans of its kind in Canada and has resulted in a collection of seven installations that have responded to, and helped shape, a distinct local neighbourhood identity. An equally ambitious public art strategy is currently underway in East Bayfront, ensuring that public art plays a role in its transition from a post-industrial site to mixed-use neighbourhood. 

“We’re thrilled to host the inaugural Toronto Biennial of Art down on the waterfront,” said Chris Glaisek, Chief Planning and Design Officer at Waterfront Toronto. “The Biennial is yet another example of how art enhances the urban fabric of our city and presents an exciting opportunity for Torontonians to explore the city’s waterfront – an area that has featured some of Toronto’s best art installations and exhibitions like Nuit Blanche, Luminato and many others.”

Since 2001, Waterfront Toronto has been transforming post-industrial lands into beautiful, sustainable and thriving mixed-use communities. The revitalization of Toronto’s waterfront is being led with the creation of world class parks and public spaces. Our early investment in quality public spaces like Canada’s Sugar Beach, the Water’s Edge Promenade and Sherbourne Common has attracted strong investment in the eastern waterfront.

Waterfront Toronto has realized more than $10 billion in new private sector investment, making the waterfront one of the most attractive and exciting hubs in Toronto. East Bayfront is currently home to nearly 3,000 residents, with new places to live, work and play to be developed in the coming years. The addition of this year’s Biennial of Art will strengthen the neighbourhood’s position as a growing year-round destination that continues to attract attention from residents and visitors from across the Greater Toronto Area.

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Media Contact:

Media Relations
Waterfront Toronto
E-mail: media@waterfrontoronto.ca