This spring, the Museum of Contemporary Arts Toronto (MOCA) invites visitors to embark on a captivating journey through a new large-scale, site-specific artwork by renowned artist Jessica Stockholder. Known for her innovative “paintings in space,” Stockholder has long been a pioneer in blurring the boundaries between painting and sculpture. By masterfully merging colors with architecture and everyday objects, she creates immersive environments that redefine the way we interact with art.
Jessica Stockholder, The Squared Circle: Ringing, installation view, MOCA Toronto, 2025. © Jessica Stockholder. Photo: LF Documentation.
As visitors step into the museum, the vibrant colors envelop them, setting the tone for an immersive tour. Upon entering the reception, it’s striking to see the bold, youthful palette that Jessica Stockholder has used to transform the space. The walls, floor, including the one behind the desk, which she designed and built, are painted in a dynamic array of vibrant colors. Green, yellow, orange – these whimsical hues, combined with geometric shapes and patterns, create a unique intersection of pictorial and physical experiences. The artwork grows organically from the realm of painting yet transcends traditional boundaries. The colors are tangible, almost palpable, and the shapes seem to be in conversation with the space. The colors and forms appear to be calling out, inviting engagement and interaction.
Jessica Stockholder, The Squared Circle: Ringing, installation view, MOCA Toronto, 2025. © Jessica Stockholder. Photo: LF Documentation.
The installation, The Squared Circle: Ringing, is a site-specific commission that transforms the space with a unique blend of architecture and experience. Featuring a box ring and marionettes suspended from the roof, attached to tables made from old, cut-up furniture sourced from thrift stores, the artwork explores the interplay between objects and physical action. The furniture pieces repeat patterns with bold colors, mirroring the marionettes’ movements.
Jessica Stockholder, The Squared Circle: Ringing, installation view, MOCA Toronto, 2025. © Jessica Stockholder. Photo: LF Documentation.
This installation is more archival than ephemeral, valuing life and relationships. Stockholder’s work shifts and changes, reflecting the push and pull of competing forces. The title references a wrestling ring, a stage of confrontation and spectacle where struggle unfolds, and human and animal instincts collide. Through her chosen materials, Stockholder channels feelings of determination, opposition, disappointment, and pride, creating a dynamic experience that explores transformation and the intersection of form and choreography.
Jessica Stockholder, The Squared Circle: Ringing, installation view, MOCA Toronto, 2025. © Jessica Stockholder. Photo: LF Documentation.
The Jessica Stockholder exhibition features a striking installation near the door, where a poetic text is printed on the wall, evoking the idea of a stage or platform where different worlds converge. The text reads like a meditation on public spaces, listing terms like stage, bullring, rink, town square, and podium. The wall itself becomes a dynamic element, framing the work without a physical frame, with Stockholder’s words inviting the viewer to ponder the relationship between space and experience.
Jessica Stockholder, The Squared Circle: Ringing, installation view, MOCA Toronto, 2025. © Jessica Stockholder. Photo: Nusrat Papia
The juxtaposition of these two installations creates an intriguing dynamic, highlighting the tension between the constructed, performative spaces and the organic, natural world. Two video installations bring the natural world indoors, one near the back door flooding the space with light and evoking a forest, and another beside a ventilator suggesting a garden with blooming flowers swaying in the breeze. The videos create a sense of depth, drawing the viewer in, yet also disrupt the illusion, leaving a sense of pause. Stockholder’s idiosyncratic arrangement of the installations transforms the space, making it beautiful, interesting, and fascinating.
Jessica Stockholder, The Squared Circle: Ringing, installation view with video installation in the back (right) MOCA Toronto, 2025. © Jessica Stockholder. Photo: Nusrat Papia
Located on Floor 1, the installation promises to transform the space into an immersive experience, blurring the lines between art and environment. Stockholder’s work is ultimately about the quality of space, inviting visitors to move around and accumulate different perspectives, each one revealing a new picture. Through this process, the boundaries between art and environment dissolve, creating a truly immersive experience.
Jessica Stockholder, The Squared Circle: Ringing, installation view, MOCA Toronto, 2025. © Jessica Stockholder. Photo: LF Documentation.
Nusrat Papia
*Exhibition information: Jessica Stockholder, The Squared Circle: Ringing, April 17 – August 3, 2025, Museum of Contemporary Art, 158 Sterling Rd, Toronto. Museum hours: Wed – Thu & Sat – Sun 11am – 6pm; Fri 11am – 9pm.