Have you seen advertisements for the Toronto Biennial of Art ? Have you been to a talk, exhibition, or performance that is connected with the Toronto Biennial of Art? Or are you asking, like I was, “What is the Toronto Biennial?!” According to their website, the Toronto Biennial of Art is an international contemporary visual art event which runs from September 21- December 1, 2019. During this time, there are exhibition, talks, and performances that reflect the local context and engage the most pressing issues of the time.
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| Toronto, where water, land, and city meet (source.) |
This event includes more than 90+ artists and covers most of the city of Toronto, as expressed in the official Land Acknowledgment:
It is evident through the Land Acknowledgement and the events that at the heart of the Toronto Biennial is land, namely who belongs on the land. The exhibitions, talks, and installations illustrate and annunciate the significance of the waterfront region and the multifaceted history of Toronto. The Toronto Biennial tries to answer the question: “What does it mean to be in relation?” A question we’ve been trying to answer since time immemorial.
The Toronto Biennial of Art acknowledges the land upon which our event takes place, in multiple venues across the city, stretching from the Small Arms Inspection Building in Mississauga in the West, to the Port Lands in the East; and from Harbourfront Centre in the South, to the Art Gallery of York University in the North.
I have mentioned before that I am not a true Torontonian. In fact, I was born, grew up and left Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to come to Toronto. Unsurprisingly, Saskatoon is extremely different than Toronto. Saskatoon is much colder in the winter, we have a significantly smaller population, and the land is flat. Really flat. Speaking of land, another big difference is that Saskatoon falls into treaty 6 territory. The province of Saskatchewan is actually covered by treaty 4 and treaty 6 in the South and treaty 5 and treaty 8 in the North. While four treaties might seem like a lot, Ontario is covered in more than 40 treaties.
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| Saskatoon, where water, land, and city meet (source.) |
Let me take a moment a explain what is a treaty. A Treaty is legal agreement that set out the rights and responsibilities. In Canadian history, we are usually taught treaties are made between Indigenous nations and the provincial and federal government, but this isn’t altogether true. There is a long history of treaties being made between Indigenous groups. For instance,Have you ever heard Southern Ontario be referred to as “Dish (or bowl) with one spoon territory”? This concept of “Dish With One Spoon territory,” is a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that bounds groups and individuals alike to share and protect the land. The big idea is that we all eat out of the same dish, we need to ensure it is never empty and there is enough for future generations, which includes all creatures. Each wave of newcomers have been invited and tasked with upholding the values of this treaty. The Dish with one Spoon Treaty, wasn’t created in one go, instead it was seen as an agreement that was tested, relearned, and evolved over time.
The Toronto Biennial is a collaborative effort to try and better understand the indigenous context, including the deeper narrative and underrepresented histories of the land of Toronto. So, do you plan or have been to an event connected to the Toronto Biennial of Art? Let me know! As always, you can leave a comment, send me an email (allyforand@gmail.com), or if Twitter and Instagram are more your speed my handle on both is @Ally_but_online.
