In a free public art exhibition titled Sun/Shade, The Bentway’s summer 2025 programming offers a never-before-seen sand dune performance, a mobile forest travelling the city, and more
TORONTO May 14, 2025 – The Bentway has announced its highly anticipated Summer 2025 season of programming headlined by a new public art exhibition, Sun/Shade, a sensational dance performance atop a large sand dune, and a city-wide installation of a moving forest.
Sun/Shade festival runs from May 23 – October 5
From May 23 to October 5, Sun/Shade will explore the city’s changing relationship with these natural features. The art exhibition will bring together a dynamic mix of artists, designers, and researchers from Toronto and beyond to deploy natural light and shadow as creative tools, revealing how new thinking about familiar resources can improve urban life.
A natural haven for sun and shade seekers
The Gardiner offers a unique and expansive canvas for the new art exhibition and experimentation. Stretching over 6.5 km, the elevated highway’s canopy provides the city with its largest continuous shadow, making the area a natural haven for sun and shade seekers. This ideal space will provide the benefits of both elements while also serving as a gathering place for community events, public art, recreation, and lively celebrations throughout the summer.
“As extreme urban heat events rise in Toronto and cities everywhere, it’s even more vital to create accessible spaces where communities can maximize access to shade and stay protected from harsh light,” says Ilana Altman, Co-Executive Director of The Bentway. “This season of programming explores how we must adapt to our changing climate and reshape our public spaces to balance the benefits of both sun and shade. Our creative collaborators are prompting us to recognize shade as an essential public resource and embrace sunlight as a creative collaborator.”
World premiere of Sand Flight from Norway
Visitors will be in awe of the world premiere of Sand Flight from Norway choreographer Ingri Fiksdal and theatre director Jonas Corell Petersen, where eight dancers and a 50-person choir will descend on a massive sand dune exploring new traditions for changing climates. Carrying on the theme is Moving Forest by Amsterdam’s NL Architects, a mobile project featuring a flock of 50 trees, pleasantly travelling throughout the city, bringing shade to sunbaked urban sites across the GTA.
A key dimension of Sun/Shade explores the importance of shaded spaces for public health, anchored by a new partnership The Bentway’s official Sun-Safety Partner, the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund.
Protecting your skin from the sun
“Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada, and the incidence of melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – is rising. The best way to prevent skin cancer is to protect your skin from the sun,” advises Danielle Paterson, Executive Director of the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund. “We are proud to partner with The Bentway on Sun/Shade, an amazing sun safety initiative that emphasizes the importance of accessible public shade in Toronto.”
Details about summer at The Bentway, including RSVPs and tickets to opening weekend events, are now available at thebentway.ca. A detailed breakdown of events, installations, and programming is available below.
The Bentway’s complete summer program details:
OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Sun/Shade Opening Night Party – $20 Tickets Friday, May 23, 7pm-11pm
The Bentway and Fashion Art Toronto are kicking off the season by hosting an opening night party. A Sunglasses At Night fashion show will celebrate the site’s latest art exhibition in style and flair. Attendees are encouraged to don their best and most-fabulous shades and dance the night away under the Gardiner. Canada’s Drag Race’s Jada Shada Hudson will host.
SUN/SHADE: ART INSTALLATIONS
On view from May 23 to October 5 – FREE
Casting a Net, Casting a Spell by Celeste (Mexico City, Mexico)
Artist duo Celeste’s majestic, quilted canopy casts welcomed shade down to a seating area below, offering relief from the heat and a space for gathering. Like a suncatcher, Casting a Net, Casting a Spell embraces and harnesses the sun, weaving in archetypes that have surrounded the sun since ancient times.
Seeing Celsius by LeuWebb Projects (Toronto, Ontario)
What happens when one sees heat? By adding thermal-imaging technology to the familiar viewfinder found at scenic lookout points, LeuWebb enables the viewer to see the temperature differences across The Bentway space and the bodies that move through it. It’s a new perspective that will shift how to view urban spaces and the materials that shape them.
Declaration of the Understory by Tania Willard (Secwepemcúl’ecw; British Columbia) Co-commissioned with the Indigenous Curatorial Collective
Secwépemc artist Tania Willard approaches the space below the highway as a tree canopy, reminiscent of the “understory” floor of southern Ontario forests, where pockets of shade and sunlight shape unique ecosystems below. In a stunning mixed-media
Installation stretched across multiple Bentway sites, floral motifs, iridescence, and powerful slogans offer a mediation on the power of shade as a lifeforce.
La sombra que te cobija / the shadow that shelters you by Edra Soto (Chicago, USA)
A geometric pavilion invites visitors to cross under the Gardiner, casting both a cooling effect and ornate shadow patterns. Edra Soto’s installation references the shade-making façades of working-class Puerto Rican bungalows to create an expansive, sun-filtering threshold, reflecting on the intersection of heat-responsive architecture, place-making, and cultural heritage.
Second Shade by Mary Mattingly (New York, USA)
Echoing both the towering structures of downtown skyscrapers and a forest of trees, Mary Mattingly’s Second Shade combines lush greenery and repurposed construction materials to make a unique 20ft tall urban canopy, showcasing the cooling potential of green roofs, soft landscaping, and responsive architecture.
Bathed in Strange Light by Natalie Hunter (Hamilton, Ontario)
Working in collaboration with the sun’s rhythms, Natalie Hunter’s photographs on the windows of The Bentway Studio (facing Canoe Landing Park) explore how ever-shifting sunlight shapes the experience of public spaces. As the sun moves throughout the day, translucent images cast down a colorful, slow-moving cinema.
SUN/SHADE PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS
Sun/Shade Curators’ Tours – FREE
Saturday, May 24, 2pm – 3:30pm
Sunday, May 25, 2pm – 3:30pm
Thursdays, June 19, July 17, August 21, September 18, 2025, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Visitors can get a chance to experience the inner workings of the Sun/Shade outdoor art exhibition by joining a curators’ tour with the Bentway team. The tour will provide exclusive behind the scenes content where visitors can learn the inspiration behind the season, the creation of each artwork, and how they fit together. Sun/Shade explores new ways of collaborating with the sun, as well as the importance of shade, in urban spaces.
Moving Forest by NL Architects (Amsterdam, NL) – FREE
Presented in partnership with YZD, with support from Harbourfront Centre
A flock of 50 trees in shopping carts playfully travels throughout the city, stopping to create a refreshing shade canopy in usually-sunny spaces. Follow their eight-week journey throughout the city – from The Bentway and YZD at Downsview, to the Neighbourhood and Harbourfront Centres on the waterfront – enjoying pop-up readings and performances along the way. Created by NL Architects, it’s a potent reminder of the need to prioritize tree canopies as cities change.
Sand Flight by Ingri Fiksdal & Jonas Corell Petersen (Oslo, Norway) – $10 to $30 PWYC Tickets
Presented in partnership with Toronto Dance Theatre
June 12, 7pm; June 13, 7pm; June 14, 2pm; June 15, 2pm
Witness the world premiere of Sand Flight, from internationally renowned choreographer Ingri Fiksdal. Eight dancers and a 50-person choir descend on a massive sand dune under the Gardiner Expressway for a powerful performance that speculates on climates-to-come, where shade-worshipping is the new normal.
Tickets to Sand Flight are on a sliding scale Pay-What-You-Choose model. Ranging from $10 to $30, audiences are invited to select whichever ticket price option works best for them. All price points give access to the same seating areas.
RECREATION AND SOCIAL PROGRAMS
Roller Skate Parties with BEATS + SKATES, and Melanin Skate Crew – Free to attend; roller skates available to rent for a fee
Fridays, 6pm-10pm; June 27, July 25, August 29, September 26
Let the good times roll with Bentway’s monthly Roller Skate Parties! From beginners to skater pros, all are invited to show off their superfly moves along the figure-eight trail. Every party will include local DJs, group skate demos and themed nights.
Roller Skate Lessons – $15 Tickets, roller skate rentals extra
Fridays, 6pm-7pm and 7pm-8pm; June 13, June 20, July 4, July 11, July 18, August 1, August 8, August 15, August 22.
Learn how to roller skate at the Bentway this summer. The venue is offering visitors weekly roller skate lessons for those who are looking to gain basic skills. Expert instructors will be on deck to help novice skaters build confidence on wheels and navigate the figure-eight trail.
Dino Runs – $20 Tickets
Saturdays, 9:30am-12 pm; June 14, July 19, August 16, September 20,
This fun-filled morning starts with costumed Dino Specialists teaching participants about dinosaurs through song, dance, storytelling, and games. Then, the kids will set out as Dino Explorers on an exciting, non-competitive chase to recapture runaway dinosaurs. These fun and educational events sold out in 2025.
Art Socials with Noble Space – $15 Tickets Wednesdays, 6:30pm-8:30pm; June 4 – August 27
The Bentway’s weekly Art Socials at The Bentway Studio are back by popular demand. Inspired by the interplay of sun and shade, come learn the basics of screen printing, watercolour painting, letterpress, and more craft media while connecting with neighbours and fellow community members. The best part, no experience is required.
SUPPORTERS AND PARTNERS
Sun-Safety Partner:
• David Cornfield Melanoma Fund
Seasonal Supporters:
- Balsam Foundation
- City of Toronto
- TD Bank Group
and The Bentway’s growing family of friends and supporters Project Partners:
- Indigenous Curatorial Collective
- YZD
- Toronto Dance Theatre
- Ontario Arts Council
- Government of Ontario
- Save Your Skin Foundation
- Manulife
- Harbourfront
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