The Auto BLDG, 9th Floor
158 Sterling Road, 9th Floor
Toronto ON
M6R 2B7
Tuesday–Thursday: 10am–6pm
Friday: 10am–9pm
Saturday–Sunday: 10am–6pm
Monday: Closed
About The Auto BLDG, 9th Floor
The Auto BLDG at 158 Sterling Road was built in 1919 by Northern Aluminum (now Alcan) as an aluminium foundry. A reminder of Toronto’s Industrial past, the building was rumoured to be the tallest in the city upon its completion. In 2015, after the closing of the foundry, Castlepoint Numa re-developed the building. The first three floors are now the home of Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Art, and many other floors have been subdivided as office spaces, but the 9th floor remains vacant.
The Biennial’s exhibition on the 9th floor of The Auto BLDG showcases the work of ten artists, including new commissions of video and photo installations, paintings, sculptures, and commissioned textile works by nine contemporary artists.
Note: Entrance to the 9th floor is on Sterling Road, to the left of the main entrance.
If you require automatic doors to access our exhibition space, please enter through the back entrance of 158 Sterling Road and take the elevators located in the southwest vestibule to the 9th floor.
If you require assistance entering the Toronto Biennial on Tuesdays between 10am – 6pm or Wednesdays-Sundays between 10am – 11am, please call 416-530-7474 or enter through the back of the building.
This venue is generously provided by Castlepoint Numa.
Artworks at The Auto BLDG, 9th Floor
Acariciar el corazón del hueso (Caressing the heart of the bone)
Acariciar el corazón del hueso (Caressing the heart of the bone) (2023-2024) is a newly commissioned sculptural loom-altar that combines wooden pieces, fabrics, and needles. The project is a response…
Flatbread Library
The Flatbread Library is a long-term research project focused on the political and social significance of the tandoor, a large clay oven used in South Asia, the Middle East, and…
I Lay My Ear Against the Weave’s Ear
I Lay My Ear Against the Weave’s Ear (2019–ongoing) is a series of works, including a newly commissioned piece, where Elina transforms her grandmother’s weaving tools into musical instruments. For…
Make Trouble
Make Trouble (2024) is a newly commissioned four-panel photo-based installation. The work stems from Sandra’s ongoing research on being and place. It draws inspiration from Fred Moten’s 2007 lecture, “Black…
Mama, are you listening? (upstreams) (ribbons) Lerato le le golo (la go hloka bo ka ntle)… (Mme Crawford)
Dineo draws inspiration from Afro-diasporic spiritual aesthetics and the concept of biological “architecture.” She employs materials such as water, soil, and various minerals to establish a connection with “nature.” Her…
Paintings by Rudy Loewe
Spaces of Return continues the artist’s work with Anansi, a character from West African folklore. In the traditional stories, Anansi is sometimes described as a man, sometimes as a spider.…
Paintings by Santiago Yahuarcani
Examen de bancos en la cueva del saber (Examination by the pipe-smoking shamans at the knowledge cave) (2021) and Sesión de tabaco (Tobacco smoking session) (2022) underscore the profound spiritual…
Temple of Love – Tutti Sistemati
Temple of Love – Tutti Sistemati is a commissioned sculptural video installation that introduces a new version of Temple of Love. Inspired by Roland Barthes’s book A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments…
Textiles by Stina Baudin
Internal Algorithms (Listen to your ancestors, they have all the answers) (2023) is a large textile artwork featuring a rhythmic black-and-white design that encourages viewers to stop and observe the…