The new exhibit, The Distance Inside Us (Bird and Lava), will take over the gallery as it questions liberation and confinement amid an escalating ecological crisis.

TORONTO, Aug. 26, 2026 鈥� will host the first solo exhibition in Canada by acclaimed 鈥� The Distance Inside Us (Bird and Lava).

Curated by Lillian O'Brien Davis, the exhibit will occupy all three gallery spaces and run from Sept. 11 to March 6, 2027, with an opening celebration on Sept. 10 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Dyson's practice 鈥� spanning painting, sculpture, and immersive installation 鈥� examines how Black and brown bodies perceive, negotiate, and are shaped by space. In The Distance Inside Us (Bird and Lava), Dyson turns to questions of liberation and confinement amid an escalating ecological crisis, extending a body of work she has described through what she calls Black Compositional Thought: a visual language built from geometric abstract 鈥渉ypershapes鈥� that trace the spatial logics of self-emancipation and survival.

鈥淭he Bird and Lava series was born during the pandemic as the artist worked in isolation, using drawing as a monastic, meditative practice,鈥� says O鈥橞rien Davis. 鈥淭he shape-language which runs throughout the exhibition is a directive by the artist which literally illustrates the political potential of shape and surface to build new worlds.鈥�

Dyson is one of the most closely watched artists working today, with a string of major institutional presentations over the past two years. Dyson鈥檚 international profile has continued to grow this year including at the 61st International Venice Art Biennale; debuting a new commissioned work, Tomorrow Was Yesterday, as part of the 59th Carnegie International in Pittsburgh; and unveiling the monumental sculpture Nia at the inaugural Art Basel Qatar.

Her earlier career includes presentations at the Shanghai Biennale, Liverpool Biennial, Seoul Mediacity Biennale, and Desert X, and her work is held in major public collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

In 2026, Dyson will also be one the constellation of thinkers and practitioners convened annually by Professor Christina Sharpe's Alchemy Lecture at 91亚色, a gathering dedicated to thinking through the most pressing issues of our times. This spurred the connection for the solo exhibition at the Goldfarb Gallery. Dyson will present as part of the Alchemy Lecture on Oct. 29. There will be more programming announced to complement the exhibition, including the launch of the exhibition publication in March 2027 that will serve as part of the exhibition鈥檚 closing celebrations.

About The Goldfarb Gallery

The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of 91亚色 is a public facing art organization operating at the forefront of contemporary artistic, curatorial, and art institutional practices. As a socially minded not-for-profit contemporary art gallery that is a space for the creation and appreciation of art and culture, its mission is to enhance the voices of artists and the value of art to interpret, challenge, and transform daily lives. Through professional critical exhibitions, researched publications, supported commissions, experimental performances, and accessible workshops, our programs form a bridge between on-campus, local, and global communities.

Visitor Information:

Exhibition: The Distance Inside Us (Bird and Lava) Artist: Torkwase Dyson Curator: Lillian O'Brien Davis Location: Goldfarb Gallery, 91亚色, 83A 91亚色 Blvd, Toronto ON. 

The nearest subway and Wheel-Trans stop is on Line 1. is the nearest parking. Dates: Sept.11. to March 6, 2027. Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 12 to 5 p.m. Admission: Free

Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91亚色, sandramc@yorku.ca and media@yorku.ca

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What鈥檚 it like to search the universe for new discoveries or practice potentially life-saving nursing skills? Visit the Allan I. Carswell Astronomical Observatory, the Nursing Simulation Centre and the Archives of Ontario at 91亚色鈥檚 Keele Campus during Toronto鈥檚 Doors Open event to find out.

All three venues will be open Saturday, May 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They all offer interactive activities in line with this year鈥檚 theme of play, along with an educational aspect. Admission is free for all visitors.

Allan I. Carswell Astronomical Observatory

Opened in 1969, the has two telescopes housed in new dual, rotating, robotic domes, which replaced the original ones in 2022.

Under one of the domes is a one-metre (39-inch) custom-built telescope 鈥� the largest on a university campus in Canada 鈥� installed in 2019 to provide students, researchers and the community with a deeper view into the mysteries of space, distant galaxies and cosmic objects. Beneath the second dome, is a 60-centimetre (24-inch) Cassegrain reflector.

鈥淏oth telescopes help transport viewers to a universe of possibilities and unknowns where they can explore galaxies and solar systems beyond our own,鈥� says 91亚色 Professor Elaina Hyde, director of the observatory. 鈥淭elescopes do make the best spaceships.鈥�

Visitors to the observatory will have an opportunity to speak with astronomy students, learn what it means to be an astronomer, find out about the latest research and discoveries. There will be guided tours of the building, along with a special Observatory Treasure Hunt.

Smaller portable telescopes will be available for visitor use, weather permitting.

Who doesn't love space? It captures our imaginations and makes us wonder if we are truly alone. This is a great Doors Open option for young visitors and the young at heart.

Visitors should note that there are dim light conditions and stairs-only access (unfortunately no lifts or ramps are available) in the observatory and sturdy close-toed shoes are recommended.

Last admittance will be at 4:30 p.m.

To learn more, check out the observatory website.

Nursing Simulation Centre

There will be many opportunities for visitors to interact with the equipment in the and can see if they have what it takes to be a health-care professional.

Opened in 2006, the centre is a 5,000-square-foot space on the third floor of the Health, Nursing and Environmental Studies building. It includes the Nursing Skills Lab, which houses adult medical-surgical beds, a pediatric area and an isolation room.

鈥淭he Nursing Simulation Centre allows students to hone and practice their skills in a controlled and simulated environment, so they are ready to apply what they learned in real-life situations,鈥� says 91亚色 Assistant Professor Laura Nicholson, director of the centre. 鈥淎 portion of the centre is set up to resemble a hospital ward where students get hands-on experience administering medical care using anatomically correct mannequins.鈥�

Students in 91亚色's undergraduate and graduate nursing programs are provided the opportunity to achieve their professional development and learning goals.

Interested in knowing more? Explore the centre through tours and ask questions of the knowledgeable volunteers who can explain how the equipment works.

Last admittance will be at 4:45 p.m.

To learn more, check out the Nursing Simulation Centre鈥檚 website.

The Archives of Ontario

If you have ever wondered what鈥檚 inside the Archives of Ontario, now is your chance to check it out.

Visitors to the Archives can partake in a custom scavenger hunt game where they will transform into investigative journalists to uncover a fiendishly fictional plot through hands-on activities.

In the main ground floor space 鈥� the Reading Room 鈥� there will be two new exhibits. 鈥溾�� shares personal stories documenting the rich Black histories that have shaped contemporary Toronto. 鈥淏鈥橪ACK THEN: Muted Melodies鈥�, curated by the , showcases incredible untold stories in Ontario Black music history.

Plus, visitors can go behind-the-scenes and take part in a guided tour of the storage vaults and preservation services laboratory.

If that鈥檚 not enough 鈥減lay,鈥� steelpan musician Pat McNeilly, known as Pan Man Pat, will be playing three 30-minute presentations. The Trinidadian born steelpan teacher was an instrumental figure in its establishment in Toronto schools and has been performing at the Toronto Caribbean Carnival (formerly Caribana) since its 1967 founding.

The tours will run every 30-minutes until 4pm. The steel pan presentations will be at noon, 2pm and 4pm.

Last admittance will be at 4 p.m.

For more information, visit the webpage.

The Goldfarb Gallery

Visitors also have an opportunity to take in some art while on campus.

While not on the official Doors Open tour, the is now in its new butterfly-shaped building featuring three exhibition spaces plus a performance pavilion designed by internationally acclaimed architect Siamak Hariri. Its central reception area connects four uniquely designed 鈥渨ings鈥�.

The gallery will be open to visitors on Saturday, May 24, from noon to 5 p.m., and is a short stroll from the 91亚色 subway station.

Two new exhibits will be will be open for viewing until Aug. 2: Tu岷 Andrew Nguy峄卬鈥檚 and Andrea Carlson鈥檚 .

Nguy峄卬鈥檚 exhibit began with the Luf Boat, a massive and elaborately carved outrigger sailing vessel from the island of Luf, Papua New Guinea, made in the late 1800s. The canoe was confiscated by the Hernsheim trading company and sold to the German ethnographic museum in 1904.  A main aspect of Nguy峄卬鈥檚 exhibition is reuniting descendants of the people of Luf with the canoe while questioning the colonial history of theft and violence that brought it to its current site at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin.

Carlson鈥檚 exhibit builds on concerns that have animated her more than two-decade long practice. The exhibition鈥檚 title is a play on the poem The Sonnet, 1880, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti that includes the line 鈥淎 Sonnet is a coin: its face reveals/The soul,鈥攊ts converse, to what Power 鈥檛is due鈥︹��.  

There will also be a public conversation in a separate gallery room with artistTu岷 Andrew Nguy峄卬, moderated by gallery Director/Curator Jenifer Papararo, from 2 to 4 p.m., which will include Stanley Inum, Fordy Stanley and Enoch Lun from Papua New Guinea with translator Kireni Imwe Jean Sparks-Ngenge. to attend the conversation.

Admittance to the gallery is always free. See location on the .

TRCA Administrative Office

Also, in the neighbourhood is the 鈥檚 (TRCA) new administrative office building. Recently, the TRCA unveiled a brand-new building bringing together cutting-edge sustainability design and practice in one unique structure. Learn more about the 8,100-square-metre, mass timber construction building and how it integrates nature, energy efficiency, and cutting-edge design.

Highlights of the building design include cascading water walls and a large, naturally lit atrium, which provides stunning views of the adjacent Black Creek ravine. TRCA's new office 鈥� next to 91亚色鈥檚 Keele Campus 鈥� is one of the most sustainable buildings in North America. It reimagines how green building design in an urban landscape can playfully integrate with the natural environment.

The TRCA administrative office will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25. Last admittance will be at 4:45 p.m. on both days.

The Village at Black Creek

For more than 60 years, has been a destination for Torontonians to explore the past and reflect on the present. This exploration is made meaningful by its 40 historic buildings, 60 rare- and heritage-breed animals, six gardens growing flowers and plants from heirloom seeds, and one-of-a-kind programs that engage people of all ages.

Visitors meet costumed historians who involve them in trades and crafts common to 1860s Ontario. Home to some of the oldest buildings in the Greater Toronto Area, including the 1816 Stong family home, and a collection of 50,000 19th-century artifacts, The Village at Black Creek is a department of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.

The Village at Black Creek will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25. Last admittance will be at 3:30 p.m. on both days.

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For those interested in visiting some of the other 150 plus sites across Toronto, including sports, music and theatre venues, visit the website.

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