Art Installations Around The 6ix You Can View For Free

Public art installations are all over the city and sometimes we’re so busy and on-the-go, that we forget to stop for a moment and appreciate it. From bold, eye-catching structures, to statues and paintings, there’s so much that we can absorb from Toronto’s art culture.

The Toronto Downtown West BIA in collaboration with MASSIVart recently launched an online network tool that pinpoints all the free public art installations around the city. This makes it WAY easier to see the many massive art pieces. So, get your best friends and spend a day in the city scavenging through all of Toronto’s public art installations!

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10 Public Art Installations Around The City You Have To Check Out

See the full interactive map here.

1. HEADS

Location: 56 Blue Jays Way, Bisha Hotel and Residences, Toronto

Artist: Jun Kaneko

About The Artwork: The heads are designed to elevate the person in and amongst the towering brick, glass, and steel structures of the city. Kaneko has said of his works, “I hope… that [they] will give off enough visual energy to shake the air around [them].”

2. PRIMROSE

Location: 50 St Joseph St, Toronto (Clover Hill Park)

Artist: Myfanwy MacLeod

About The Artwork: Primrose is inspired by real baby donkey who was born prematurely in 2012 in Shropshire, England. Primrose’s underdeveloped bones led to permanently bowed legs and vets put some custom pink casts on her to straighten them out. MacLeod called the sculpture a “parody of the equestrian monument”, also citing references like Jesus riding a donkey and the “valorization” of the working donkey.

3. MOUNTAIN

Location: 200 Front Street West, Simcoe Park, Toronto

Artist: Anish Kapoor

About The Artwork: In the enclosed space represents the courtyard, surrounded by fir trees and confronted to the urban architecture of the various adjacent buildings. Mountain creates a natural space to take a breath and experience a moment while being surrounded by the buzzing pulse of the city. The art installation possesses an imposing air of grandeur, an awe-inspiring evocation of seismic forces and tectonic movement.

4. RISING

Location: 188 University Avenue, Toronto

Artist: Zhang Huan

About The Artwork: The polished stainless-steel sculpture consists of countless doves, the international symbol of world peace, and a twisted tree branch that resembles the body of a dragon. The sculpture draws an analogy to the fragile conditions facing our planet. Zhang Huan seeks to convey the message that humans can exist in harmony with nature, and that, if this delicate balance is struck, our cities will become better places to live.

5. SPEECH BUBBLE

Location: 106 John Street, Toronto

Artist: Jennifer Marman

About The Artwork: This work plays heavily on the idea of things left unsaid. It also provides a focal point in the urban plaza in downtown Toronto. Cantilevered atop an inverted triangle that forms the neck of the speech bubble, the screen becomes part of an animated sculpture: its unique structure unifying form with function.

6. SPIRAL FOUNTAIN

Location: 45 Peter Street, Rogers Centre, Toronto

Artist: Judith Schwarz

About The Artwork: From the top, water cascades down the spiral column, deflecting across the disk, and continues downward into the large gently tilted basin on the ground. The piece depicts the connection of the three elements: sky, water, and earth. The disk adds an unexpected, disruptive dimension to the spiral and flow of water, showing that the relations of natural elements are not simple.

7. Superior

Location: 120 Bremner Blvd, Toronto

Artist: Douglas Coupland

About The Artwork: A harmony of blues, greens, and greys, this graphic work pays homage to the famous painting entitled North Shore, Lake Superior, 1926 by Group of Seven artist, Lawren Harris.

8. THE ETERNAL FLAME OF HOPE

Location: 55 John Street, Metro Hall, Toronto

Artist: The Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons

About The Artwork: Inspired by the perseverance of Canadians with disabilities, this art installation serves as a reminder that, as a society, we must be all-inclusive. For more than seven years, the Eternal Flame of Hope has burned brightly at Metro Hall in downtown Toronto.

9. THINGS END

Location: 80 John Street, Festival Tower, Toronto

Artist: James Carl

About The Artwork: While the predominant feel of the piece is communicated through its relaxed stance, the work nevertheless suggests a little mischief with the tension suggested in its twists and turns, and it reminds the viewer of the tactile pleasures of snapping elastic bands.

10. TURTLE POND

Location: 223 Bremner Boulevard, MTCC South Building, Toronto

Artist: FASTWÜRMS

About The Artwork: The key elements of the work aim to create something that is visually striking for the entrance by day and night. Furthermore, there is a strong desired to be site responsible, integrating iconography and promote cohesive cultural narratives.