Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport Launches Perspectives Artist Program, Showcasing Local Talent

Celebrating Toronto's identity, Perspectives provides an opportunity for artists to represent what makes the city special to them, from its landmarks and neighbourhoods to its people and culture.

TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2025 /CNW/ - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is proud to debut Perspectives, a public art program that showcases local talent and expresses unique visions of Toronto. The new program invites local artists to share their personal interpretations of the city, offering a platform for diverse perspectives that reflect the vibrancy, diversity and spirit of Toronto. The launch of the program will feature 20 works of art displayed in the airport's pedestrian tunnel, creating an immersive experience for passengers, employees and community members that travel through the tunnel.

Perspectives at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. (CNW Group/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport)

Perspectives has been designed to be ever evolving, providing a platform for local artists to explore and express their personal connections to the city, from its landmarks and neighbourhoods to its people and culture. Featuring a diverse range of works, Perspectives provides a dynamic, visually engaging experience for travellers, allowing them to connect with the city on a deeper level as they pass through one of its busiest transport hubs. The art will be regularly refreshed and changed to ensure a diversity of perspectives, and future iterations of the program have the potential of expanding to other areas of the airport, including the passenger terminal.

"Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is honoured to have served the City of Toronto for over 85 years. Throughout this time, it has grown alongside the city, providing vital services, fostering community, and offering convenient access and connectivity to the people and experiences that make Toronto such a unique and vibrant destination," said RJ Steenstra, President and CEO, PortsToronto. "Beyond our commitment to enriching the city's cultural landscape through public art installations, Perspectives is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the pedestrian tunnel. The art will be regularly refreshed with new works, showcasing the incredible talent of our local artists while also offering passengers a fresh perspective on the city."

"Nieuport Aviation has supported public art installations in the passenger terminal of YTZ for many years and we give great credit to our partners at PortsToronto for enhancing the pedestrian tunnel through the exciting Perspectives program," said Neil Pakey, President and CEO, Nieuport Aviation. "The launch of Perspectives will bring fresh viewpoints from new artists into the mix and enable our community and travellers alike to enjoy the airport as a permanent public arts venue."

Part of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport's broader commitment to supporting local artists, fostering cultural expression in the public sphere and offering both locals and visitors a meaningful glimpse into Toronto's artistic community, Perspectives aims to create a lasing impact by highlighting the diversity of Toronto's artistic voices.

"I am an Anishinaabe artist from Nipissing First Nation and I currently work out of Toronto. These designs are inspired from my Anishinaabe culture, teachings, language and ceremonies. These designs are layered in teachings. Each design has a minimum of 7 layers. Teachings are layered to highlight the laws of nature. This art form is designed to show the balance of nature and duality. The physical and spiritual worlds. The art is also designed to be a visual healing experience. The departures and arrivals designs are meant to be welcoming and farewelling with peace love and respect.  Aanin and Boozhoo are common greetings in Anishinaabemowin. Biindigen means welcome. Baamaapii translates to "I will see you later" and is a common farewell. There is no word for goodbye in Anishinaabemowin. Biskaabiiyaang is describing someone who has been on a long journey and is on their way home.  I felt these words in my language complimented everyone travelling through Billy Bishop Airport."  

-       Que Rock, Artist

"All of my work is inspired by urban density, architecture, and Toronto's waterfront spanning from the RC Harris Water Treatment plant in the east, to Bathurst and Queens Quay in the West. In my drawings I always try to capture the feelings and details of spaces in downtown Toronto. Growing up in the suburbs you don't really see much density with buildings, stores or people. Downtown Toronto has a unique mixture of old and new architecture literally built side by side or on top of an old building. Billy Bishop Airport has given me this tremendous opportunity to showcase my drawings in a very large scale. I hope this brings in more viewers to my type of drawing & painting." 

-       Mariana Hernandez, Artist

"As a photographer, I strive to capture the heart and soul of Toronto—the energy, the culture, and the everyday moments that make this city so special. Being part of the Perspectives program is an incredible opportunity to share my vision with travelers from around the world and to celebrate the diverse beauty of our city through art. My art pieces look to show perspectives of the city through a mix of seasons, weather, nature and city life so travellers can get a glimpse of life in the city at any moment in time."

-       Jonathan Gazze, Artist

Call for Submissions
Local artists interested in participating in the Perspectives program are encouraged to submit their work on our website. Selected pieces will be showcased in the airport's pedestrian tunnel for a duration of six months, and on its website. For more information about Perspectives, or to submit your work, please visit billybishopairport.com.   

About Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
Offering service to more than 20 cities in Canada and the U.S., with connection opportunities to more than 100 international destinations via our airlines' networks, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is an important international gateway that will deliver a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Preclearance facility in 2025. The airport is a key driver to Toronto's economy, generating more than $2.1 billion in total economic output and supporting 4,450 jobs, including 2,080 directly associated with the airport's operations. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport has served its community for more than 85 years from its iconic location on the Toronto waterfront, where it facilitates healthcare for Ontarians by providing a base for medevac services connected to local hospitals. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is committed to achieving its vision of cleaner, greener and quieter operations, and is renowned for its unique travel experience, efficiency, and customer service, having won a host of passenger-driven and environmental achievement awards. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is owned and operated by PortsToronto. Nieuport Aviation owns and operates the passenger terminal at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. To learn more, please visit billybishopairport.com.

SOURCE Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

Media Contact: Jessica Pellerin, Senior Manager, Communications, PortsToronto, [phone], [email protected]