MOCA Toronto Announces Winter/Spring 2019 Exhibitions and Programs
TORONTO, January 7, 2019 — For its winter/spring 2019 season, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Toronto presents solo exhibitions by two female artists and filmmakers.
From February 14 to April 14, 2019, two works by renowned artist and filmmaker Chantal Akerman will be exhibited: In the Mirror (1971-2007) made when Akerman was 21, and the more recent, NOW (2015). NOW, an immersive video installation designed for the 2015 Venice Biennale, will have its Canadian premiere at MOCA Toronto. The coupling of these two important works, produced years apart, offers a glimpse into the broad range of themes explored by Akerman, in the questions she raised and her dedication. Film curator Andréa Picard invited Akerman to exhibit in Toronto before she passed away in 2015. As a companion piece, Picard is curating a retrospective survey of Akerman’s films at TIFF Cinematheque in fall 2019.
Opening at the same time as Akerman is an exhibition of four major works by artist Basma Alsharif. At the centre of the exhibition is a new work, A Philistine (2018), that invites visitors to settle into an armchair and enter a story that moves backwards in time, beginning in present-day Lebanon, travelling back through 1935 Palestine and concluding in New Kingdom Egypt (16th-11th century B.C.E). A Philistine is supported by The Consortium Commissions – a project initiated by Mophradat.
Both these artists share many concerns – geopolitical definitions, the collapsing of histories and how we form individual versus collective memory.
Concurrently, the Light Therapy room continues until April 30, 2019 and the work of Ange Loft opens on February 20, 2019. MOCA’s current exhibition BELIEVE, closes Sunday, January 6, 2019.
About MOCA
MOCA Toronto reopened in its new 55,000 square foot home on September 22, 2018. The new MOCA Toronto is a place of conversation, exchange and exploration where visitors of all ages and backgrounds can be part of a global creative moment.
Recently awarded Leading Culture Destinations’ New Culture Destination of the Year 2018 (North America), MOCA features work from both Canadian and other international, ascending and world-renowned artists that explore the themes of our time. Located on Sterling Road, in the culturally rich Junction Triangle community, the museum is housed in the historic Tower Automotive Building, a former aluminium factory. Key partners bolster the museum experience, including a studio collaboration with the Ontario Science Centre, studio spaces by Akin, café by Forno Cultura and shop by Art Metropole.
The evolution of MOCA Toronto is made possible through a unique alliance with Castlepoint Greybrook Sterling Inc., public sector funders, private donors, members, sponsors and a network of cross-sectoral partners. For more information on MOCA Toronto visit moca.ca.
For press inquiries contact:
Rachel Hilton
Managing Director
rhilton@moca.ca