If you were to ask a tour guide where to see art in Toronto once the city opens back up post-Covid, they would likely tell you to get tickets for the Art Gallery of Ontario. While the gallery is a wonderful place to see new exhibitions and long-standing collections, it’s not the only spot that the city has to offer. After walking through the halls of the AGO, you should check out these other cultural venues and events:
Graffiti Alley
Graffiti can turn outdoor spaces into sprawling art galleries. Take an afternoon to venture over to graffiti alley to see a series of increasingly bold and colorful murals adorning the backs of buildings. You can grab a hot coffee from one of the nearby cafes and then take a stroll through the unconventional art collection.
Nuit Blanche
Graffiti Alley turns a part of a neighborhood into a gallery. The festival Nuit Blanche transforms the entire city of Toronto into an interactive gallery for a single night. This year the celebration takes place on October 5th. You can see everything from beautiful zen gardens to riveting dance performances to participatory installations. The art projects span across neighborhoods from downtown to Don Mills.
The Drake
One of the cultural destinations that always participates in Nuit Blanche is The Drake. They are partners with the festival, along with the Canadian Art Foundation, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the IMAGES Festival.
All of the six Drake venues are the perfect spots to experience art, all while enjoying a tantalizing dinner or sipping a strong drink. Go to The Drake Hotel on Queen West to feast on appetizers like hand-cut steak tartare or charred octopus before exploring the location’s gorgeous art collections. You’ll find the collection One Way Out by the artist Greg Ito displayed in their lobby and café. Ito uses paintings, installations and sculptures to delve into the concept of escapism. So, you can finish off your specialty cocktails and get transported to a fantastical destination.
The Hotel has the multifaceted performance venue known as the Drake Underground. The cultural hub hosts musicians of all genres to get crowds screaming and dancing until the early hours of the morning. It also hosts poetry slams, where you can hear the city’s up-and-coming spoken word artists compete for the top performance of the night. You can see a full list of what’s going on at The Drake Hotel here.
If you’re looking for a low-key way to spend your afternoon, head to the Drake Mini Bar across the lobby from Drake One Fifty in the Financial District. The venue manages to pack a lot of art into a small space. It’s been a solo exhibition site for the visual artist Rajni Perera in the past and now features the conceptual work of Thomas Trum. The artwork is displayed on murals and tabletops, so you can drink in the thought-provoking images and mood-altering colors while sipping on a freshly-made mojito.
Incredible art exists outside of galleries. You can see it sprayed on the backs of buildings in a narrow alleyway. You can spot it in a sprawling festival. And you can find it the hottest hotels and eateries, where even your menu feels like it should be framed. For the Silo, Mila Urosevic.