MOCA Toronto presents Jeff Wall Photographs 1984-2023

TORONTO.— The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto unveils Jeff Wall Photographs 1984–2023, a comprehensive survey of one of Canada’s most influential living artists. Opening October 19, 2025, and on view through March 22, 2026, it is Wall’s first major Canadian survey in over 25 years, and his first in Toronto in 35 years. It traces four decades of his practice, offering the opportunity to experience the full scope of his contributions to contemporary photography and visual culture.

Featuring over 50 works, the breadth of this presentation allows viewers to see the evolution of Wall’s working methods. From his very early incorporation of digital image compositing and editing in the early 1990s, and the expansion of his range, from transparencies in light boxes, to classic black and white prints in the 1990s, and colour inkjet prints in the 2000s.

"Jeff Wall Photographs 1984–2023 comes at a defining moment for MOCA Toronto as we continue to expand our curatorial ambition and deepen our commitment to presenting and celebrating Canadian artists and their impact on global discourses,” says Kathleen S. Bartels, Executive Director. “Having had the privilege of knowing and working with Jeff for nearly twenty years, it is a profound honour to collaborate with him again on this landmark project. His work has shaped the field of contemporary photography, and this retrospective offers an unparalleled opportunity for audiences to experience the depth, complexity, and enduring influence of his practice.”

Visitors are welcomed on Floor 1 by Children, a group of circular portraits depicting children from diverse cultural backgrounds. Set against dramatic cloud formations, the children are elevated to positions of power typically reserved for adults and heroic figures. On Floors 2 and 3, Wall’s works unfold in a loose and poetic chronological order, tracing recurring themes such as the tension between reality and fiction, social marginalization, and the quiet dignity of everyday life. Even his most unsettling images—depicting struggle or landscapes fouled by thoughtless behavior—possess a haunting beauty and strength.

Throughout the exhibition visitors will encounter Wall’s sustained engagement with the world around him, and the artistic, literary, and cinematic influences that shape his vision. His photographs reveal the complexities of contemporary life—its beauty, its pain, and the human effort to grapple with what it gives us. They are often reconstructed from events he witnessed, as well as less objective sources such as personal memories or his reading of literary works. His complex, hybrid approach imbues his pictures with a generality we can all relate to.