Syrus Marcus Ware (born in Montreal, QC, Canada; lives in Toronto, ON, Canada) is a Vanier scholar, visual artist, activist, curator, and educator. He uses painting, installation, and performance to explore social justice frameworks and black activist culture, and has shown widely in galleries and festivals across Canada. He is part of the Performance Disability Art Collective and a core team member of Black Lives Matter – Toronto. He has won several recognitions including the TD Arts Diversity Award (2017), Steinert & Ferreiro Award (2012), and “Best Queer Activist” from NOW Magazine (2005).
Learn more about Syrus Marcus Ware’s practice by listening to episode 3 of the Toronto Biennial of Art Podcast “Short Format”, available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
Exhibit
Syrus Marcus Ware at Ryerson Image Centre
Ancestors, Can You Read Us? (Dispatches from the Future) is half of a two-part installation at the Ryerson Image Centre and 259 Lake Shore Blvd E that draws on the shared language of speculative fiction and political activism. Ware transforms the Salah J. Bachir New Media Wall into an imagined time portal through which the […]
September 21 – December 1, 2019
Partners
Exhibit
Syrus Marcus Ware at 259 Lake Shore Blvd E
In a two-part installation at 259 Lake Shore Blvd E and Ryerson Image Centre’s New Media Wall, Ware imagines a world where racialized people have survived the “black death spectacle” writ large on the nightly news; survived the catastrophic impact of the Anthropocene; and survived the crushing effects of white supremacy. Drawing on the shared […]
September 21 – December 1, 2019
Donors & Supporters
Program
Short Format Podcast Series
Short Format is a podcast series created by Aliya Pabani and Angela Shackel for the Toronto Biennial of Art. In expanding dialogues around the inaugural Toronto Biennial of Art, selected artists discussed their practice and processes in a series of short format podcasts and audiograms. Participating artists and collectives included Adrian Blackwell, Ayumi Goto, Caroline […]
September 21 – December 1
12:00am – 11:59pm
Program
Antarctica
Live theatrical performances take place as part of Antarctica, an installation that draws on the shared language of speculative fiction and political activism where the next generation of racialized activists offers insights into a future radically altered by climate change. Weekly Performance Schedule: Friday September 27/October 4 @ 5–5:30pm & 6:15–6:45pm Friday, October 11 @ […]
September 22 – December 1
2:00pm – 3:45pm
Program
Syrus Marcus Ware: Art, Activism, And Futurity
For two decades, Toronto-based artist and activist Syrus Marcus Ware has explored the themes of justice and climate change through his practice spanning painting, installation, performance, and video. In this talk, Ware discusses his hopes for the future of activism and how artistic practice can help us understand an uncertain world as part of the […]
November 27
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Partners