Walkative Toronto

by Daniel Carnevale

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Toronto has been defined as lacking a ‘cultural confidence’, and it was commonly believed that being absent from the city was synonymous with being more active than actually being there. Once an outsider on the world stage, Toronto’s contemporary art scene was frequently positioned as having ways to go to reach an infrastructure akin to that of a global hub of contemporary art. Even though some artists reached international success, it was still generally perceived that Toronto itself could not foster the arts. Individual instances of success were seen as sparks set in the past that had burned out. Art gallery closures only helped to reinforce the ‘that which has been will be no longer’ narrative. Toronto was its own enemy in the unmaking of its own status.