A new outdoor art exhibition brings the Passion of Jesus to the heart of Toronto. Running throughout Lent until April 14, Crossings: A Journey to Easter features 16 works by Canadian artists illustrating the scriptural Stations of the Cross. Visitors can trace the moments of Jesus’ final hours through sites at the University of Toronto and the Yonge and St. Clair area. By pairing contemporary art with the Christian tradition of walking the Stations of the Cross, the exhibition explores how Jesus’ story speaks to our world today.

At Station 3, for example, a large printed banner of Explain Yourself by artist Betty Spackman of Langley, B.C., represents Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin judges. Twelve fingers point at an innocent lamb, whose only response is “I AM.” 

“We so often find solidarity in a common enemy,” Spackman reflects in her artist statement. “We divide into our various camps and cry out for justice, pointing at and accusing the ones who may also be pointing at and accusing us.” By responding to his accusers with love, Jesus breaks the cycle, offering a more radical justice rooted in forgiveness. 

Organized by IMAGO, Crossings is part of an international art project with past exhibitions in cities like New York and London. 

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Caley Moore is Broadview’s managing editor. A version of this story first appeared in Broadview’s April/May 2022 issue with the title “Easter images.”

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