In a year that saw Donald Trump elected President of the United States and the a resurgance of Nazi-sympathizers and white nationalists in North America, Toronto’s annual night art Festival Nuit Blanche has decided to go a slightly different direction than usual.
This year, Nuit Blanche exhibitions will be held in public spaces around Toronto like Nathan Phillips Square and Queens park, displaying 85 contemporary art projects crafted by over 350 local, national, and international artists.
According to NOW, for the first time in Nuit Blanche’s 12 year history, organizers are curating art directly related to a specific theme: Protest and Resistance.
This comes at a time only weeks after the deadly protests in Charlottesville, and in a year that has seen a massive women’s march and anti-Muslim ban protests that crossed borders between Canada and the U.S.. Social change has become a big topic for Canadians recently as well; Ryerson University’s student union called for the removal of their statue of Egerton Ryerson a few weeks ago and following Charlottesville, Canadians have began petitioning for the removal of Sir John A. MacDonald from federal buildings and schools.
Even more timely, this theme comes on the year of Canada 150, for that reason organizers have asked artists to consider “the many possible futures of Canada.”
Nuit Blanche takes over the city September 30th. For more information please check out their website.
Image courtesy Nuit Blanche