Patti Smith in Toronto with photo exhibit, performances

Punk artist talks photos, Mapplethorpe and gender

Legendary musician and artist Patti Smith is in Toronto to promote Patti Smith: Camera Solo, an exhibition of her photography on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario until May 19.

The exhibit includes approximately 70 black-and-white photos of items related to artists such as Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and Smith’s friend Robert Mapplethorpe. The photos are accompanied by personal artifacts and a short film Smith directed in 2008, Equation Daumal.

On March 9, Smith will perform in a tribute show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. March 9 is the anniversary of Mapplethorpe’s 1989 death from AIDS-related complications.

Smith will also do two separate Toronto performances: An Evening of Words and Song with Patti Smith is Thursday, March 7; and on Friday, March 8 she will appear at a screening of Patti Smith: Dream of Life at Jackman Hall. Both events are at the AGO.

Below are video clips from Smith’s media conference in Toronto, as well as some of the photographs included in the exhibit.

On occasion, the number of editors and other staff who contribute to a story gets a little unwieldy to give a byline to everyone. That’s when we use “Xtra Staff” in place of the usual contributor info. If you would like more information on who contributed to a particular story, please contact us here.

Read More About:
Video, Culture, Toronto, Arts

Keep Reading

2025 Pride collections lean heavily into jorts

ANALYSIS: From American Eagle to Target, many of this year’s Pride offerings are bland on bland

Activist groups reportedly gave Alberta list of LGBTQ2S+ books to investigate

ANALYSIS: Action4Canada is calling Alberta’s move to investigate “inappropriate” school library books a “massive win”

Alberta to create standards for ‘age-appropriate’ school library books

Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer” and Alison Bechdel’s “Fun Home” are among the books flagged as “extremely graphic”

Rechie Valdez named Women and Gender Equality and Youth minister

Valdez will handle gender in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet