Traces

‘Traces’ is a group exhibition featuring the work of ten local and international artists, designers, and collectives, exploring the weight of migration, forced relocation, and preserving culture and identity: what we carry, what we leave, and how we belong again.

Featuring Hangama Amiri, Sonny Assu, Meena Chowdhury, Nilojan Jegatheeswaran, Jenn Kitagawa, Dennis Lin, Rose Nordin, Anahita Norouzi, Waard Ward, and Abhishek Wagle, this multidisciplinary exhibition includes a broad range of works in sculpture, installation, cyanotypes, geographic maps, furniture, and textiles to foreground lived experience and shared storytelling.

As climate crisis, geopolitical conflict, and economic precarity reshape our sense of place, ‘Traces’ considers creative expression as a form of protection, dignity, and hope. Weaving together themes of emotional and personal experience, cultural identity, conflict, community and collaboration, the exhibition invites audiences to reflect on how places are unmade and remade, and how culture persists through movement.

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Join us on Friday, January 30, 2026, from 6-8pm, for the exhibition reception and launch of ‘Roses for Cooking and Baking’, an artist cookbook by Waard Ward collective and collaborators. Free with RSVP.

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‘Traces’ is curated by DesignTO, co-presented with Harbourfront Centre, with media partner AZURE Magazine. The DesignTO Festival is supported by the Government of Ontario and the City of Toronto.

About DesignTO

DesignTO is a charitable arts organization celebrating 16 years of designing a sustainable, just, and joyful future. From January 23-February 1, 2026, the DesignTO Festival features 100+ free events and exhibitions across Toronto, showcasing hundreds of artists and designers. As Canada’s largest annual design festival, DesignTO has welcomed over 1 million attendees, reached 2.6 billion people through media, supported 7,000+ artists and designers, and generated $159 million in tourism impact since 2011.