John Tory
born Toronto, Ontario, 1954

Sculpture - Honey Locust
(2022)

A Rorschach test for the viewer, this sculpture could be seen as an obstacle on the sidewalk, a failure, or a precious spot of green space in a concrete city. It is all of these things, but it is also a visual metaphor for frustration and resilience in the face of austerity. The tree could have been removed and replaced. Instead the artist has cut clean through it and then abandoned it. But in refusing to die, this tree embodies the spirit of Toronto’s residents.