World Press Photo 2025 in Brookfield Place

Beautiful and haunting photographs are on display in Toronto's Brookfield place as part of the World Press Photo Exhibition from September 22 to 16 October 16, 2025.

Gabriel Medina During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

by Jerome Brouillet

From their website, "Presenting the results of the 2025 World Press Photo Contest, the annual exhibition showcases the best and most important photojournalism and documentary photography of the last year. The winners were chosen by an independent jury made of 31 professionals from around the world who reviewed more than 59,320 photographs entered by 3,778 photographers from 141 countries."

See more of the entries after the jump.

Luminato 2025 Rainbow Dreams in Brookfield Place

A bright, colourful art installation is in Toronto's Brookfield Place, part of the Luminato Festival but continuing after the fest has finished for 2025. Rainbow Dreams is from artist Hiromi Tango and it did include a Rainbow Wheel which is now in First Canadian Place until July 11, then will move to Bay Adelaide Centre from July 14-25.

From Luminato, "Internationally acclaimed artist Hiromi Tango brings her transformative vision to Toronto for the first time in North America. Drawing from her extensive body of work, these environments feature designs uniquely inspired by Toronto's striking glass towers and dynamic energy, offering spaces of color, playfulness, and mindfulness. In collaboration with neuroscientist Dr. Emma Burrows, Tango transforms the rainbow into more than just a symbol—it becomes a practice, nurturing the most valuable space we own: the one square foot between our ears."

Rainbow Wheel is a large, human sized hamster wheel made for spinning, "Step into Wheel, where movement becomes meditation. As your motion sets a spinning rainbow in motion, discover how physical activity can create moments of presence and clarity."

Evanescent now in Brookfield Place

The long hall in Brookfield Place is now the temporary home to the Evanescent art installation. The big, shiny balls are nestled in the Allen Lambert Galleria, on display as part of the Luminato Art Festival.

Putting the installation together

Previously installed in the garden outside of Brookfield Place, it fits in nicely in the long, glass and steel arched space home to many large scale art pieces in the past. Evanescent should probably be on site until the end of July 2024.

From Brookfield Properties website, "Atelier Sisu is a Sydney based design studio led by award winning artists Renzo B. Larriviere and Zara Pasfield. The pair work with a multi-disciplinary team to create experiential environments, installations and sculptures. Their direction of work sits between the fields of art and architecture (art-chitecture), with particular focus in the realm of public art. Their work endeavours to be visually engaging and intellectually elegant in nature. This immersive piece of ‘art-chitecture’ appeals to our universal playfulness and childlike wonder. Evanescent is about living fully in the moment and not taking life, in all its beauty, for granted. This large-scale public artwork is Instagram-worthy, yet its magical message might just encourage you to put your phone aside."

Floating MAiZE art in Brookfield Place Toronto

The Allen Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place continues to support art as the display of Floating MAiZE by Jean Shin hangs down near the Bay Street entrance. The art installation uses discarded materials in search of sustainability, taking plastic Mountain Dew bottles and making a new, artificial landscape hanging above visitors. Jean's art made me think of the environment and of having a drink.

From Brookfield's website, "Using cast-off or donated materials, I create large-scale sculptures that draw attention to everyday objects, often underscoring their circulation and cumulative effect upon our live environment. In the case of Floating MAiZE, the repurposed single-use plastic Mountain Dew bottles, once filled with soda containing corn syrup, illustrate the issues of corporate extraction and overconsumption, and the harmful effects of highly processed foods on our health. The sheer mass of plastic in Floating MAiZE encourages visitors to consider the failure of the beverage industry to take responsibility for the scale of plastic waste it generates, less than 9% of which is recycled, and this waste’s detrimental effects on the environment and our collective well-being."

World Press Photo 2022 at Brookfield Place

Large scale photographs sit under the white arch of the Allen Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place. It is another year of powerful photos from the annual World Press Photo Contest which celebrates the best of documentary photography and photojournalism. This stop on the worldwide tour showcasing the "stories that matter" during the 65th annual contest remains at Brookfield Place until October 26.

From the World Press Photo website, "Selected by an independent jury out of 64,823 entries by 4,066 photographers from 130 countries, the 2022 World Press Photo Contest regional winners are 24 photographers from 23 countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Madagascar, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Palestine, Russia, Sudan, and Thailand."

Columbia, South America: Police arrests during evictions of people from the San Isidro settlement, by Vladimir Encina

From the Book of Veles by Jonas Bediksen of Norway. The lady pictured is not real, she is a product of computer-generated 3D models for a documentary on fake news - where all the content of the book was fake

Women make camouflage gear for snipers in the Ukrainian army, by Guillaume Herbaut of France

Toronto's Merry Christmas lights 2021

Tis the season to enjoy the holiday decorations and lighting displays that light up the night around the Six. The giant herd of deer and the Christmas tree is back in the Toronto Eaton Centre. Don't forget to check out the historic Distillery District Winter Village and head out to Harbourfront for some Saturday night time skating DJ parties under the concert stage.

Cavalcade of Lights is on in Nathan Phillips Square at City Hall

Toronto's outdoor rinks are open

From the City's website, "Experience the magic of the holiday season with Cavalcade of Lights, from November 27 to January 7 at Nathan Phillips Square. This year, the reimagined festivities will be different, transforming City Hall and its surroundings into a dazzling wonderland each night from 5 to 11 p.m. The City’s glittering tree and skating events return plus – new for this year – mesmerizing light installations inspired by cultural festivals from around the world. Explore tunnels made from thousands of energy-efficient bulbs, discover glowing ice sculptures in an enchanted forest and watch as beams of light animate City Hall like never before."

The gorgeous illuminated trees at Commerce Court remind me of watching familiar Christmas movies over and over during the holidays

See more lights after the jump.

Glowing Hearts in Brookfield Place

#HeartsTO at Brookfield Place is helping the United Way of Greater Toronto with donations when you post the hashtag and photo of the hearts. The neon LED lights have been setup in the downtown core by partners of Brookfield so keep your eye out and share the love.

World Press Photo 2019 at Brookfield Place

The best of the best of the best are back in the Allen Lambert Galleria during the 62nd annual World Press Photo Exhibition. Over 78,000 photos were entered from photographers from 129 countries, the winners will be in the galleria from October 1 to 23, 2019. Here is a small selection of some of the winners. Sarah Blesener's photo of Russian students laughing before a singing and marching competition in the picture at top.

Descriptions from the World Press Photo website: "Patriotic education, often with a military subtext, forms the mainspring of many youth programs in both Russia and the United States. In America, the dual messages of ‘America first’ and ‘Americanism’ can be found not only as a driving force behind adult political movements, but around the country in camps and clubs where young people are taught what it means to be an American. In Russia, patriotic clubs and camps are encouraged by government. In 2015, President Vladimir Putin ordered the creation of a Russian students’ movement whose aim was to help form the characters of young people through instruction in ideology, religion and preparedness for war. The ‘Patriotic Education of Russian Citizens in 2016–2020’ program called for an 8 percent increase in patriotism among youth, and a 10 percent increase in recruits to the armed forces."

Visitors wander the free exhibition in Brookfield Place

A child sleeps on a mattess on top of a dead river in this photo by Mário Cruz

"The Pasig River in Manila, Philippines was declared biologically dead in the 1990s, due to a combination of industrial pollution and waste being dumped by nearby communities living without adequate sanitation infrastructure. A 2017 report by Nature Communications cites the Pasig as one of 20 most polluted rivers in the world, with up to 63,700 tons of plastic deposited into the ocean each year. Efforts are being made to clean up the Pasig, which were recognized by an international prize in 2018, but in parts of the river the waste is still so dense that it is possible to walk on top of the garbage."

Brent Stirton photo of a female anti-poaching ranger training in Zimbabwe

"Akashinga (‘The Brave Ones’) is a ranger force established as an alternative conservation model. It aims to work with, rather than against local populations, for the long-term benefits of their communities and the environment. Akashinga comprises women from disadvantaged backgrounds, empowering them, offering jobs, and helping local people to benefit directly from the preservation of wildlife. Other strategies—such as using fees from trophy hunting to fund conservation—have been criticized for imposing solutions from the outside and excluding the needs of local people. "

Into the Clouds at Brookfield Place

Art collective FriendsWithYou brought some friendly clouds to Allen Lambert Galleria where they hung from the long hall, promising not to rain on visitors or their parades.

Four inflatable clouds show the collectives' desire to promote positive messages of happiness.

Empathy is Illuminating

A recent exhibition in Toronto's Brookfield Place had an elevated box you could sit underneath to uncover what was inside. And inside was a cityscape with plenty of statements - remember to not hit your head.

A number of other exhibits talked about people and the cost of medicines as well as the benefits of milk

See more after the jump.

Holly jolly Christmas season in Toronto

Decorations are going up all around the city in anticipation of Santa's special night and the winter festivals have started. The Toronto Eaton Centre has the giant deer installations along with the humongous Christmas Tree and across the street Hudson's Bay/Saks off 5th Avenue Christmas windows are on display while the Snowflake installation is back at Brookfield Place. The Santa Claus Parade was on November 18 so Santa is free to boss around the elves during the peak of toy making season.

Nathan Phillips Square lights and Christmas Tree

In addition to the 2018 Distillery District Christmas Market November 15 to December 23, there is the new Aurora Winter Festival in Ontario Place November 29 to December 30. Also returning is the Holiday Fair in Nathan Phillips Square December 1 to 23. Some other winter festivals are a Nutcracker Christmas at the Castle (Castle Loma) December 1 (start of daytime programming) and December 17 (start of evening programming) to December 23, Evergreen's Winter Village December 1 to 31.

Hudson's Bay Xmas windows

Brookfield Place decorations

The Winter Solstice celebration in Kensington Market features their amazing parade and burning ceremony on December 21. Here is the 2012 solstice celebration.

See more of the Christmas season after the jump.

World Press Photo 2018

The best of the best of the best. Pictures that capture the world, good and bad, return to Brookfield Place as part of the prestigious, annual photography competition. The photos speak for themselves.

Alessio Mamo, Italy. War portraits

Ronaldo Schemidt, Venezuela

From the World Press Photo website; "We showcase stories that make people stop, feel, think and act. We encourage diverse accounts of the world that present stories with different perspectives. We exhibit those stories to a worldwide audience, educate the profession and the public on their making, and encourage debate on their meaning. We are a global platform connecting professionals and audiences through trustworthy visual journalism and storytelling."

Adam Ferguson, Australia: Boko Haram, Aisha was assigned a suicide bombing mission

Thomas Peschak, Germany/South Africa: nature

See more of my favourite photos from the 2018 exhibition after the jump.

Tepkik at Brookfield Place

Toronto’s home for long art installations welcomes the suspended sculptural work depicting the Milky Way by Nova Scotia artist Jordan Bennett. Hanging in the Allen Lambert Galleria from July 30 till August 24, 2018.

From Brookfield’s website; Jordan’s art installation is “a contemporary reflection of a traditional Mi’kmaq petroglyph, depicting the Milky Way, which has been found on the rocky shores of the lakes and rivers at Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia. The piece is composed of visual elements rooted in Mi’kmaq visual culture of Mi’kmaki (Traditional Mi’kmaq Territory). These depictions of the land, the sky, our galaxy, and the universe as represented through legends and stories are presented through my own lens and historical understandings of traditional Mi’kmaq quillwork patterns and motifs. This new work employs the use of printed fabric as well as reflective vinyl on aluminum such as is used for common road signs. Contemporary road signs tell of a place, a marker, a law or direction. Mi’kmaq visual culture is created through porcupine quillwork, clothing, baskets, canoes and other objects that also hold official signifiers of laws, places, cultural markers and direction. The use of these contemporary materials in combination with Mi’kmaq design will call to attention that our visual designs and motifs embedded with knowledge, are also our signs and stories. They are the voices of our ancestors and elements of our laws which we try to understand and follow. This artwork will create a visual link to Mi’kmaq ways of being and understandings of our known universe and our place in it by presenting a visual conversation exploring Mi’kmaq creation stories. The work titled Tepkik, the Mi’kmaq word for Night reflects on the time of day in which we can visually see our place in the galaxy most clearly, this work brings the stars and stories of our galaxy into view at any time of day.”