Toronto’s biggest new park in a generation welcomes 15-foot sculpture by famous artist

Canada’s biggest contemporary artist has just unveiled his first public work in Toronto.

The Lassonde Art Trail, which runs roughly four kilometres through Toronto’s brand-new Biidaasige Park on the newly created Port Lands island, Ookwemin Minising, is a sprawling outdoor art gallery hosting countless rotating installations from artists from around the world.

Today, coinciding with National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the trail has unveiled The Colony from renowned Indigenous-Canadian artist Kent Monkman, set to sit alongside 16 other installations from heavy hitters like the internationally acclaimed artist Monira Al Qadiri.

“There are so many thematic elements within the park to explore, from sustainability to acknowledging the post-industrial landscape of the Port Lands. There is a wealth of material here, and gradually honing in on all these artists from the beginning was important,” November Paynter, artistic director and chief curator for the LAT, told yourcitywithIN.

Paynter — who has a stacked resume, including serving as former director of programs at Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Art  — delved into the importance of the art trail, galleries vs. public installations, and how getting Monkman to debut his first free work has set the tone for Toronto’s art space.

[The Colony. 2026. Bronze, steel. Commissioned by Lassonde Art Trail. Photo: Michael Seleski]

Brought on to curate the Lassonde Art Trail in 2023, Paynter noted that this string of installations is where Biidaasige Park is truly hitting its stride, and that every art piece has its own story.

“There is always something inherently interesting about dealing in an outdoor space, because it is very natural in presentation but also fastidiously designed. Every dead tree, every rock, everything is put in this very specific place to create this post-glacial river experience,” says Paynter.

The art trail is just one component of the Biidaasige Park initiative, which has recreated a major chunk of the Port Lands into a 60-acre waterfront green space on the newly manufactured island created by moving the Don River to enhance flood protection in Toronto’s east end.

As a result, works like Monkman’s The Colony and Al Qadiri’s First Sun (previously on view in NYC’s Central Park) harmoniously blend with the island and, by extension, the cityscape and the lakeside.

“It felt very appropriate to approach somebody such as Kent [Monkman], who has a huge following and all these large-scale exhibitions and approach him about this. I think the fact that it is in his home city; it’s on the water and part of this world-class park system, really resonated with him,” says Paynter.

The Colony — according to Paynter — is Monkman’s first public work not locked behind a gallery ticket, making the installation the current jewel of the Lassonde Art Trail. The work is an approximately 15-foot-tall sculptural carving of beavers in various acts of celebration, evoking Indigenous ceremonies.

“I can’t think of a better place for these beavers, inspired by the fanciful beavers of Veremondo Rossi’s 18th-century engraving, to gather in a ceremonial feast, celebrating our worldviews, honouring the water, and continuing our traditions of relaying knowledge through songs and stories,” Monkman said in a statement alongside today’s unveiling.

Paynter further elaborates that the beaver motif also plays into the nature of Biidaasige Park on Ookwemin Minising, which is technically an engineered piece of nature.

Beyond the obvious, there is substantial nuance in The Colony as well, with Paynter stating, “There is a precise language at work; sure, it’s playful, but it also references art history, as well as the traumatic literal history of beavers being hunted to near extinction — something that echoes in the broader context of humankind and Indigenous folk.”

The Colony comes hot on the heels of another installation debut this month, the aforementioned First Sun by Monira Al Qadiri, which, according to Paynter, also plays heavily into the art trail’s theme of nature juxtaposed with an urban setting.

[Monira Al Qadiri, First Sun, 2025. Photo: Vid Ingelevics and Ryan Walker. Courtesy of the artist and Lassonde Art Trail. Co-commissioned by Lassonde Art Trail and Public Art Fund, New York.]

“There’s this idea in ancient Egyptian culture that reveres insects and nature. The sun god, Khepri, is part human and part scarab, and the work kind of touches on how in this day and age, we should probably revere insects a little bit more than we do,” says Paynter.

While First Sun will only call the Art Trail home for a year, The Colony is here to stay, and is one of two permanent sculptures anchoring the Art Trail. The second permanent sculpture, by internationally renowned Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, will launch on the trail in 2027.

As for what she hopes people come away with on their next park visit, Paynter states, “I hope you all end up having a really rich experience; the whole is diverse in terms of each approach.”

[Headline photo: Kent Monkman with The Colony. 2026. Bronze, steel. Commissioned by Lassonde Art Trail. Courtesy of Michael Seleski]