Dr. Zoé Whitley has been appointed curator for the Focus Exhibition at the 26th edition of Canada’s art fair, following her announcement in December 2024 to step down as director of Chisenhale Gallery in London.

In her own words, “I am perpetually excited by the contemporary artistic practices and creative thinking nurtured in Canada, which resonate globally. Whether serving on the Sobey Art Award jury in 2024—a particular privilege as the only non-artist juror—or working closely with artists like Lotus L. Kang and Abbas Akhavan abroad, it’s thrilling to collaborate with Art Toronto on an international showcase that unites Canadian artists and voices from around the world within the multicultural context of Toronto.”

Dr. Zoé Whitley is an award-winning curator and writer based in London, UK. Born in the U.S., she was Director of the nonprofit Chisenhale Gallery (2020-2025) and has previously served as a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum (2003–13), Tate (2013–19), and Hayward Gallery (2019), all in London. In 2019, she curated Cathy Wilkes’s British Council commission for the British Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale. As Curator of International Art at Tate Modern (2016–19), she co-curated the acclaimed exhibition Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power. Whitley also lectures internationally on visual culture and is the author of the monograph Barkley L. Hendricks, solid!. She serves as a trustee for the Teiger Foundation in New York and Sir John Soane’s Museum in London. She earned her doctorate in contemporary art from the University of Central Lancashire, supervised by artist Lubaina Himid.

Whitley will curate a special section featuring art from participating Art Toronto galleries, offering art collectors a unique opportunity to view and purchase works. The 26th Art Toronto will take place from October 23 to 26 at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto, Ont.