Meet Massive XV’s radiant visionaries

One of Toronto’s hottest fundraisers, AGO Massive, celebrates its 15th anniversary this April with an epic night of scintillating art, food, drink, fashion and performances, all in support of a great cause – bringing people and art together. Proceeds from AGO Massive support the AGO’s exhibitions and education programs. We recently told you about this year’s Creative Director, Brampton-born director and producer, Director X. To get the party started, he’s gathering an exciting group of local artists to transform the AGO with artworks large and small, all inspired by the power, shape and magic of crystal.

We don’t want to give too much away, so here’s just a bit about what the amazing artists taking over this year’s AGO Massive have in store for us.

Toronto artist David Krovbilt reimagines the large, mirrored elevator found in the southwest corner of the AGO’s Level 1 as a floating garden of delight, inviting partygoers to hold the doors and be surrounded by jewels, butterflies, dragonflies and flora. Entitled Honey Lips, this collage installation will run all night long.

Renowned for his large-scale murals, artist and designer Ben Johnston takes over Walker Court with YOU & ME, an urgent cry to hold onto the people who mean the most and never let go.

In her new video work, OCADU’s own Alexa DelSol reminds us that although every anniversary invites self-reflection, not every party marks the passage of time with cake. Guests can catch her work in the Weston Family Learning Centre.

Crystal Maze by Toronto artist Nicole Charles takes Charles’s expertise with acrylic to new heights as she dares visitors to get lost in a sea of free-standing, light-reflecting panels. Don’t miss this shape-shifting artwork in the Weston Family Learning Centre.

Toronto-based artist Tabban Soleimani welcomes partygoers into her cheeky and intimate multimedia garden. Playful and colourful, this installation will spring out of the Weston Family Learning Centre.

Upstairs in Baillie Court, Nimea Ariana’s Crystalline Structures vibrate with light to amplify the flow of positive energy around guests. Informed by her shamanistic practice, the frequency and pitch of these vibrations seek to penetrate guests’ own DNA.

AGO Massive XV is happening on April 11, and tickets are still available on the AGO website. Stay tuned for more exciting details, including a sneak peek of Director X’s artistic installation The Orgonite Cube.