New fall programming announced

From Peter Paul Rubens to Hito Steyerl, artists have always responded to the world around them, producing work to challenge the way we think and change our perceptions about what’s possible. This fall, a range of AGO programs will explore some of the issues inspiring artists today. With a provocative line-up of talks, performances, film screenings and more, we’re excited to bring world-class conversations to the AGO.

To kick things off this fall, we’re introducing AGO Futures, a series of talks that examine the most pivotal issues of our time and feature seminal thinkers. Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker Naomi Klein and Canadian professor of political science and director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, Ron Deibert, discuss issues of green technology, data and surveillance in modern society. British-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie and contemporary English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer Zadie Smith join us to explore their new works of fiction. Get the full list on our website.

The AGO Live series continues this fall with three performances spanning music, dance and performance art. First up is Songs from Heaven, a choral performance of newly composed works by Canadian composer Owen Pallett, Cree cellist Cris Derksen and Toronto-based musician and composer Matt Smith, inspired by the larger-than-life works on view in Early Rubens. Other performances include a modern dance celebration titled 100 Years of Merce Cunningham, in partnership with Fall for Dance North Festival, and an ambitious multimedia concert, Salon Mondialité, by New York-based artist Miho Hatori.

We also can’t wait to welcome artist Hito Steyerl along with New York-based writer and curator Brian Droitcour, whose insights will open her first Canadian retrospective, Hito Steyerl: This is the future, held here at the AGO. During her talk, Dr. Sasha Suda, the Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada and co-curator of Early Rubens, will discuss how Rubens made the Baroque period his own as an artist and statesman in early 17th-century Antwerp, Belgium. There is also a great line-up of Hollywood films exploring the subject matter of his work.

Information about these programs and more can be found on our website. And stay tuned to AGOinsider for deeper dives into the several exciting series that make up our fall season.

Many of the programs are free of charge but as always, surcharged events feature a discount for AGO Members.

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