The 2026 edition of the Toronto Biennial of Art sets out an expansive and intellectually rich framework, bringing together artists from across continents under the theme Things Fall Apart. Borrowing its title from Chinua Achebe’s seminal novel, the Biennial reflects on moments of rupture as sites of transformation, renewal, and possibility. Within this global constellation of artists, a select group of African-born practitioners offers deeply resonant perspectives shaped by history, migration, and lived experience.
At the heart of this presence are three artists whose practices embody the complexities of identity and movement across geographies. Their contributions do not simply align with the Biennial’s curatorial direction—they enrich it, grounding its conceptual ambitions in lived realities and material explorations that extend from the African continent into the wider world.
Chiedza Pasipanodya (Zimbabwe)
Chiedza Pasipanodya is a sculptor and writer whose practice moves fluidly between material exploration and metaphysical inquiry. Born in Harare in 1987, Pasipanodya engages material culture, diasporic memory, and transformation through a post-minimalist lens informed by Afro-diasporic and speculative frameworks. Their work considers how objects act as vessels of history and cultural transmission, shaped by migration, spirituality, and time.
Working across sculpture and installation, Pasipanodya creates forms that invite perceptual shifts, often reflecting on the unseen relationships between matter and meaning. Their practice has been exhibited internationally, including presentations at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe and institutions across Canada and Europe, and they are a recipient of the Cranbrook Museum Purchase Award .
Dawit L. Petros (Eritrea)
Dawit L. Petros is a visual artist and educator whose work rigorously examines the intertwined histories of African and European colonialism and modernity. His multidisciplinary practice spans photography, installation, video, sound, and performance, underpinned by extensive research into displaced and often overlooked histories.
Petros’ work navigates the complexities of migration, place-making, and identity through a conceptual and aesthetic language that engages abstraction and minimalism. His work has been presented at leading international institutions including Tate Modern, Haus der Kunst, and the Liverpool Biennial, and he is the recipient of major accolades such as the Scotiabank Photography Prize. He is also co-founder of the Black Athena Collective and serves as an Associate Professor at Dartmouth College .
Julianknxx (Sierra Leone)
Julianknxx is a poet, artist, and filmmaker whose expansive, multidisciplinary practice is rooted in storytelling. Born in Freetown, his work draws from personal experience, oral history traditions, and diasporic narratives to explore identity, memory, and the construction of cultural histories.
Working across film, performance, music, and sculpture, Julianknxx creates deeply immersive works that reflect on existence within liminal spaces—between geographies, histories, and identities. His work has been exhibited globally, including at Tate Modern, the Barbican, and the Sharjah Biennial, with his acclaimed installation Chorus In Rememory of Flight touring major institutions across Europe. His practice continues to expand the language of contemporary art through poetic and cinematic expression .
Together, these artists form a focused yet impactful representation of African voices within the 2026 Biennial. Their works reflect not only personal histories but also broader cultural and historical currents, aligning seamlessly with the exhibition’s emphasis on rupture as a generative force.
Beyond these three artists, the Biennial unfolds as a wide-ranging international exhibition featuring over 30 artists and collectives drawn from across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Artists such as Brendan Fernandes—born in Nairobi and working between Toronto and Chicago—alongside figures like Coco Fusco, Dala Nasser, and Regina de Miguel, contribute to a transnational dialogue shaped by varied cultural, political, and historical contexts. Indigenous artists including Rebecca Belmore and Kent Monkman also play a central role, grounding the Biennial within the specificities of Canadian histories and First Nations perspectives.
The full list of other participating artists includes Andrés Ramírez Gaviria, Antonio Obá, Bonnie Devine, Cameron Harvey, Carole Harris, Carolina Fusilier, Céline Semaan and Jean-Marc Bullet, Charisse Pearlina Weston, Dawoud Bey, James Perkins, Julien Creuzet, Lindsay Katsitsakatste Delaronde, Nanibah Chacon, Naotaka Hiro, Nirbhai Singh Sidhu, Raphaël Barontini, Rouzbeh Akhbari, Simranpreet Anand, Skawennati, Solange Pessoa, Taqralik Partridge, Tetsuya Yamada, Underground Resistance (presenting Drexciya and beyond), and Wen Liu.
Curated by Allison Glenn, the Biennial adopts a research-driven and site-responsive approach, bringing together over 30 artists and collectives in a city-wide exhibition that runs from September 26 to December 20, 2026 . The curatorial framework positions rupture not as an endpoint, but as a starting point—an opening through which new narratives and connections can emerge.
A central motif of the exhibition is water, understood as both a physical and conceptual connector. Drawing from the geographies of the Great Lakes, the Biennial traces links between global waterways—from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean and beyond—foregrounding the ways in which histories of migration, trade, and cultural exchange continue to shape contemporary life . This framework allows the participating artists to engage with layered histories across multiple sites and contexts.
For the first time, the Biennial extends beyond the Greater Toronto Area through a network of institutional collaborations and artist-led projects across North America. This expanded footprint reflects a growing ambition to connect local narratives with broader international dialogues, creating a platform that is both rooted and far-reaching .
Exhibitions and installations will take place across a diverse range of venues, including the Art Museum at the University of Toronto as the main exhibition partner, alongside major institutions such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Aga Khan Museum, and public sites like the CN Tower and Toronto Pearson Airport . This city-wide approach reinforces the Biennial’s commitment to accessibility and public engagement.
Accompanying the exhibition is a robust programme of performances, learning initiatives, and public events, as well as a major publication titled Things Fall Apart: Notes on Rupture. Together, these elements extend the Biennial beyond the gallery space, inviting audiences to engage with its ideas in dynamic and participatory ways .
Within this expansive and thoughtfully constructed framework, the contributions of Pasipanodya, Petros, and Julianknxx stand as important and compelling voices. Their works carry with them histories, narratives, and perspectives that deepen the Biennial’s exploration of rupture and renewal—ensuring that African experiences remain present, visible, and integral to this global conversation.
