Explore MOCA
MOCA Toronto offers a fresh way to experience the city’s creative side. Inside a former industrial building on Sterling Road, art invites you to look closer, listen carefully and question familiar ideas. Moreover, its changing programme gives both first-time visitors and returning locals a reason to explore.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto brings together Canadian and international artists through exhibitions, new commissions and public programmes. You can encounter ambitious sculpture, discover an immersive installation or join a creative workshop. Meanwhile, free admission opportunities help make the museum an accessible part of Toronto’s cultural life.
What Is MOCA Toronto?
MOCA is an independent, non-profit museum with artists and experimentation at the centre of its mission. Its programme focuses on contemporary work, often through commissions that allow artists to develop something new.
Previously known as the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, or MOCCA, the institution once operated on Queen Street West. In September 2018, it moved into the Auto BLDG in Toronto’s Lower Junction. That move gave the museum a new setting within a former industrial space.
Today, MOCA Toronto connects local audiences with ideas from across the world. However, you do not need an art history background to enjoy a visit. Start with the materials, shapes or sounds that catch your attention, then let your questions guide you.
Current Exhibitions at MOCA Toronto
The fall season runs from October 4, 2026, to February 14, 2027. It features exhibitions by Bharti Kher and Delcy Morelos, alongside a sound project by Beverly Glenn-Copeland.
Together, these presentations offer distinct ways to consider bodies, land, memory and connection. Furthermore, their different materials make for a varied visit, moving from sculpture to an environment shaped by organic matter and sound.
Bharti Kher: Bones
Bharti Kher’s Bones brings together work from the past 15 years with new sculptures. The title suggests both bodily remains and the foundations from which something can grow.
Kher combines found objects, cast forms and architectural elements in unexpected ways. Female figures appear alongside abstract structures, while ropes and chains connect materials such as wood, stone and concrete. As a result, the sculptures invite you to think about balance, tension and change.
In addition, the exhibition includes mirrored Matter paintings covered with bindis. Their clustered patterns suggest both tiny forms of life and vast cosmic spaces. A monumental circular work, Virus XXVI, extends this visual language through thousands of bindis.
Take time to study how the pieces relate to one another. Rather than seeking a single meaning, notice how a familiar object changes when Kher places it in a new setting.
Delcy Morelos: Ombligo
On Floor 2, Bogotá-based artist Delcy Morelos presents Ombligo, a major commission created for the museum. Its title means “navel,” pointing towards origins, nourishment and our first connection to another body.
The installation extends from the ceiling in a form that follows the contours of a womb. Morelos uses long strands of sisal rope treated with soil and corn roots harvested in Toronto. Meanwhile, mixtures involving corn, tapioca and tobacco add further layers of meaning.
Her work draws on her relationship with the land in Colombia and her Emberá family heritage. Consequently, the installation opens questions about care, displacement, extraction and renewal.
For visitors exploring contemporary art in Toronto, Ombligo offers an encounter with scale, texture and scent. Allow yourself time to notice how those elements shape your response.
Current Projects: Art Beyond the Gallery
Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Light of the Heavens
MOCA Toronto also brings art into spaces you might otherwise pass through. This season, its South Stairwell Sound Series features Canadian singer and composer Beverly Glenn-Copeland.
Light of the Heavens is a recently recovered song dating from around 1986. It comes from the same period as his influential album Keyboard Fantasies.
Soft electronic textures support Glenn-Copeland’s voice, creating a reflective pause between gallery visits. Moreover, the work explores a sense of connection between human life and the wider universe.
The project runs until February 14, 2027. Therefore, make the stairwell part of your visit rather than treating it simply as a route between floors.
Upcoming Events at MOCA Toronto
Beyond its exhibitions, the museum offers tours, workshops and community gatherings. These events can add context to the art or give you space to try making something yourself.
Curator Tour With Rui Mateus Amaral
Saturday, October 31, 2026 | 11 am–noon
Join Artistic Director Rui Mateus Amaral for a tour of Bones and Ombligo. The event offers a closer look at the exhibitions through a curatorial perspective.
The tour costs the price of admission and is free for museum members. Therefore, it is a useful option if you enjoy hearing how an exhibition’s ideas come together.
Free Friday Night
Friday, November 6, 2026 | 5–8 pm
Enjoy free admission to all exhibitions during this evening event. Bring a friend, explore at your own pace and make contemporary art part of your Friday plans.
In addition, the museum lists another Free Friday Night on December 4, 2026, from 5–8 pm.
Natural Inks Workshop With Alex Iorgu
Saturday, November 7, 2026 | 1–4 pm
This workshop forms part of the museum’s November Community Weekend. The listed fee is $50 per person, including general museum admission.
Furthermore, members at the Enthusiast level and above qualify for workshop discounts. It offers a practical option for visitors who want to add a creative activity to their day.
November TD Community Sunday
Sunday, November 8, 2026 | 11 am–5 pm
TD Community Sunday offers free museum admission throughout the day. Meanwhile, the Assemblage Adventure drop-in workshop runs from 11 am–3 pm.
Inspired by Bharti Kher’s work, the activity invites children to explore shapes, stamps and patterns. As a result, it makes a welcoming choice for families planning a cultural outing together.
Visitors can reserve tickets ahead of time or obtain them at the door, subject to availability.
Art Hive: A Free Creative Evening
Friday, November 13, and Friday, November 27, 2026 | 5–8 pm
Art Hive welcomes participants of all skill levels to make art in a relaxed community setting. Graduate students from the Toronto Art Therapy Institute lead the sessions, with support from the museum’s learning team.
Materials are available, although you can also bring a work in progress. Importantly, Art Hive is free on Floor 1; visiting the remaining floors requires museum admission.
Seating operates on a first-come basis. Therefore, arrive early if you want to settle in for an evening of making and conversation.
Plan Your MOCA Toronto Visit
The museum sits at 158 Sterling Road, making it a rewarding stop during a day in Toronto’s west end. For a first visit, consider allowing around 90 minutes, with extra time for an event.
Regular opening hours:
- Wednesday and Thursday: 11 am–5 pm
- Friday: Noon–8 pm
- Saturday and Sunday: 11 am–5 pm
- Monday and Tuesday: Closed
Listed general admission:
- Adults: $14
- Seniors aged 65 and over: $10
- Students aged 19 and over: $10 with valid student identification
- Visitors aged 18 and under: Free
In addition, Floor 1 is always free to visit. The museum also offers complimentary admission to Indigenous Peoples and support persons accompanying visitors with disabilities.
Lansdowne and Dundas West subway stations are each roughly a ten-minute walk away. Likewise, Bloor UP Express station provides a convenient connection for visitors arriving from Union Station or Pearson Airport.
Before setting out, confirm the day’s hours and any event booking requirements. On Saturday, October 17, 2026, the museum will close early at 4:30 pm.
Why Make Time for MOCA Toronto?
A museum visit can change the pace of a city day. Here, sculpture asks you to consider balance, organic materials draw attention to the land, and music creates room for reflection.
Moreover, the mix of exhibitions and public activities gives you several ways to take part. Choose a curator tour for context, a workshop for a creative challenge or a free evening for an easy introduction.
Whether you live nearby or are discovering the city, MOCA Toronto deserves a place on your cultural itinerary. Arrive curious, leave time to linger and see which ideas stay with you.