The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto (MOCA) will open its doors on May 26, 2018 and welcome 15 local, Canadian and other international artists with the timely exhibition BELIEVE. The world-renowned institution, which Architectural Digest has named one of the “most noteworthy museums opening this year” invites the public for a free day of inclusive activities for individuals and families to get to know the new cultural centre.
BELIEVE will look at beliefs and systems that inform our values and behaviours while touching upon some of the fundamental issues of our times. Artists include Jeneen Frei Njootli, a Vuntut Gwichin First Nation artist who is rapidly gaining attention throughout Canada for her work using traditional materials and techniques from her ancestry. Los Angeles-based artist Barbara Kruger is internationally acclaimed for her work that encourages viewers to revisit what they believe they know, currently through large installations that surround the viewer with language. Awol Erizku is inspired by the origins and evolution of his culture, from ancient Egypt to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and the enduring legacy of racism and prejudice in the United States.
“It is such an exciting time to join MOCA and return to my hometown,” says Executive Director and CEO Heidi Reitmaier. “I am honoured to lead the charge, build a museum, embrace its history and arts communities and welcome the public to engage with contemporary art in an extraordinary part of Toronto.” Reitmaier joins MOCA from the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, where she was responsible for leading the strategic initiative to re-imagine how art museums could engage with diverse audiences and reframe contemporary conversations.
MOCA has partnered with Akin, an organization dedicated to providing affordable studio space for practicing artists in Toronto. The fourth floor of MOCA will include over 20 artist studios, with Akin prioritizing those who live and work in the Junction neighborhood to rent the space.
Working in partnership with developers and city builders Castlepoint Numa and Greybrook Realty Partners, MOCA has found a permanent home in the iconic Auto Building. “The opening of MOCA is an auspicious moment in Toronto's cultural history” says Alfredo Romano, President of Castlepoint Numa. “It represents the continued growth of a neighbourhood that has become known as a centre for art and design in Toronto.”
The reopening of MOCA reflects the growing hub of innovation in Toronto’s West End, inviting the city, as well as national and international guests, to take part in the art themselves.
Source: MOCA Toronto