Stories & Storefronts
Curated by Charlene K. Lau and Negin Zebarjad, East Danforth, Toronto, 2022. 

Stories and Storefronts explores brick-and-mortar stores as records of movement of cultural communities across Toronto. The exhibition focuses on the changing neighbourhood of East Danforth and its diasporas, inviting artists with immigrant backgrounds—Sarindar Dhaliwal, Mani Mazinani, Waard Ward, and Shellie Zhang—to animate immigrant-owned shop windows and storefronts in the community through sculptural and sound installations. The project brings personal and family stories to life, connecting places with the experiences that have shaped the city and generating new, cross-cultural alliances between businesses, artists, and residents. 

Waard Ward will present the project Flowers for East Danforth, delivering flower arrangements by florist Abd Al-Mounim to Arabic-speaking businesses. As a gesture of thanks and celebration, the flowers speak to community growth, resiliency, and alliances across cultures and generations, all connected through language.

Ceramic vessels by artist Anne Campbell.

Photos: Carmen Chen

Using Format