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Black Ark
A public art installation inviting us to remember Canada’s role in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
Black Ark
A vessel. A threshold. A space for reflection.
In Black Ark, Nigerian Canadian artist Oluseye Ogunlesi explores Canada’s role in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Referencing the slave ships that were built in Canada, this cathedral-like structure invites you into the hold of a ship, creating passage and revealing the fractured and erased history of enslavement in Canada. Etched into the structure, the phrase Exodus 1792 pays homage to the 1196 Free Blacks who departed Halifax in the winter of 1792 for a new beginning in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Built of wood and polished metal, Black Ark commemorates the migrations of Black people through time, space and place.
As Part of ArtworxTO
Presented by City of Toronto
Photo of Oluseye Ogunlesi’s Black Ark by Cassandra Popescu
Explore Oluseye’s Work



Date & Time
June 9, 2022 – September 5, 2022 EDT
Begins June 9 and runs until September 5, 2022
Interactive Art
FREE
Location
Accessibility
Visual Story
Venue Guide
Radio LUMI
Click on the Visual Story for detailed information on Accessibility and Advisories.
Creative Team
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Oluseye Ogunlesi
Artist
Production Team
Kafi Pierre, Producer (Luminato)
Toluwalase Rufai, Designer
Production Canada, Fabrication Team