Popular Weekend Events in Toronto (August Updated)

This groundbreaking ROM-original exhibition explores the profound connection between Japanese objects and the human sense of touch, known as shokkan—a vital element in the creation and appreciation of Japanese art. Transcending the tactile sensations felt at the fingertips, shokkan is the combination of memories, language, and other senses like sight and sound. This first-of-its-kind exhibition showcases over 100 objects, including textiles, armour, paintings, lacquer works, ceramics, prints, and contemporary art, many of which are integral to everyday life rather than solely for display. From the intricate texture of a matcha tea bowl to the “imagined touch” of a woodblock print, be inspired by the exquisite and innovative craftsmanship through encounters with touchable objects and hands-on experiences that allow you to fully appreciate Japanese art.

Step into the world of bees and embark on a breathtaking new immersive journey, experiencing the perfect fusion of art and science. This exhibition, a collaboration between the National Museum of Liverpool and award-winning artist and sculptor Wolfgang Barthes, highlights the 120-million-year history of bees' adaptation and survival, telling the epic story of these amazing creatures and their close connection to us and the natural world.

This exhibition brings together two of the 20th century's greatest painters—Rita Letendre (1928–2021) and Norval Morrisseau (1932–2007). Demonstrating the expressive potential of bold colour and line, these two artists pushed the boundaries of painting. During a career that spanned over sixty-five years, Letendre used brush, airbrush, palette knife, and her hands to make her work. Vibrating with physical and emotional energy, her paintings, —five of which are on view here, —embody her ongoing quest for connection and understanding. Morrisseau's six-panel masterpiece, Man Changing into Thunderbird (1977), illustrates the theme of transformation, an idea central to Anishinaabe philosophy. This painting records the artist's personal evolution into Miskwaabik Animiiki, or “Copper Thunderbird”, a name he received in a healing ceremony. The name carries connotations of protection, healing, mystery, and power, and Morrisseau used it as his signature. Merging personal narrative with intense colour and elaborate design, Morrisseau called this work, “the ultimate picture for me,” - it is featured here alongside two other works by him from the 1970s.

The "Crawford Lake: Layers of Time" exhibition features Indigenous and settler artifacts, native and introduced plant specimens, historical documents, relevant artwork, rock core samples, and more, providing a captivating record of human life on Earth. The exhibition shows how everything from early agriculture to modern nuclear weapons testing has left its mark on this humble Canadian lake—and on the planet as a whole—and encourages us to consider the record our activities and decisions today will leave for future generations.

Edna Tasson was a pivotal figure in the Toronto and New York art scene of the 1940s, exerting a crucial influence on the development of Canadian abstract painting. Inspired by Wassily Kandinsky's theories of abstraction and color, her oil paintings and works on paper are characterized by floating compositions, fluid lines, and luminous forms achieved through the free fusion of colors. This exhibition showcases over 25 oil paintings, watercolors, and collages on paper created in the 1940s, highlighting Tasson's intuitive approach and innovative spirit. As a leading figure in Canadian non-figurative art, Tasson's valuable works and archival materials, provided by her family, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), and lending institutions across Canada, will be presented in this rare exhibition. Curated by Renée van der Award, Associate Curator for Canadian Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the exhibition will be accompanied by a hardcover catalogue published in conjunction with Goose Lane Press.

"Psychedelics" is an immersive, interdisciplinary exhibition exploring the cross-cultural and scientific significance of altered states of consciousness. Featuring artwork, objects, botanical specimens, and interactive installations, along with extensive consultation and nuanced narratives, the exhibition aims to illuminate a topic that has been taboo and inaccessible for the past half century.

Renowned American artist Dawoud Bey presents an installation art exhibition focusing on video and photography. This exhibition features three landscape-themed projects by the artist: *Night Coming Tenderly, Black*, *In This Here Place*, and *Stony the Road*. The centerpiece of the exhibition is *350,000* (2023): a dual-screen video work that recreates the journey of 350,000 enslaved Africans along the Richmond Slave Road between 1830 and 1860.