Partners in Art was thrilled to sponsor Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art as they presented the first public art installation in Canada by renowned Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi. Known worldwide for his extraordinary urban interventions, Nishi casts public monuments in a strikingly different light. Building upon historical monuments in unexpected ways, he offers a fresh perspective to the casual passerby, replacing the monument’s distance and formality with new and unexpected twists.

For his Canadian premiere, Nishi delicately balanced a stack of objects upon the head of Sir Adam Beck at his eponymous memorial in downtown Toronto. Each of the objects had been chosen for its relevance to contemporary life in Toronto. Through this visually stunning and delightfully humorous intervention, Nishi aimed to revivify viewers’ relationships with the often-overlooked monument. In the process, he newly engaged visitors with history, commemoration and community.