Step Up Series: مجلس Majles / Sitting Room
May 9, 2026
At Choice Properties, we believe vibrant public spaces help create places where people thrive. That’s why we’re proud to partner with The Bentway on the inaugural Step-Up Series at West Block — transforming everyday pathways into places for connection, culture, and conversation.
Launching the series is Toronto-based artist Anahita Akhavan’s new mural, مجلس Majles / Sitting Room, a multidimensional work inspired by archival Persian rug patterns, migration, memory, and the shared spaces that bring people together. Spanning our West Block staircases and courtyard, the installation reimagines the site as an urban sitting room — an open and welcoming place where stories, cultures, and communities intersect.
Curated by The Bentway and presented in partnership with Choice Properties, the Step-Up Series will bring annual public art commissions to West Block, inviting visitors to experience the site in new and unexpected ways while contributing to a more connected and inclusive public realm along Toronto’s waterfront.
Join us on May 9 for a special Artist Talk & Neighbourhood Walk beneath the Gardiner Expressway, led by The Bentway team and exhibiting artists Anahita Akhavan and Stanzie Tooth. The guided tour will explore two new public artworks shaping CityPlace’s evolving cultural landscape, including the unveiling of مجلس Majles / Sitting Room at West Block.
Part guided walk, part celebration of public space, the event invites neighbours, visitors, and the broader community to gather, reflect, and experience how art can transform the city around us.
- May 9, 2026
- Begins at The Bentway Studio, 55 Fort York Blvd
- Tour concludes at West Block, 500 Lake Shore Blvd W
Register now for the Artist Talk & Neighbourhood Walk.
And stay tuned for future Summer programming happing at our West Block staircase.
Location
500 Lake Shore Blvd W.
Toronto, Ontario
About the Artist
Anahita Akhavan (She/her) is an Iranian Canadian artist based in Toronto. Her interdisciplinary practice explores the intersections of memory, ornament, architecture, and identity through abstract and decorative motifs that reframe personal and cultural narratives.
Working across painting, sculpture, and site-specific installation, she draws from manuscripts and archival references to develop layered compositions that reflect the complexities of belonging and migration.
Photo by Rita Taylor, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, 2024.
Event Gallery
The Bentway
At Choice Properties, we’re proud to partner with organizations like The Bentway that share our vision for creating vibrant public spaces where communities can gather, connect, and thrive.
Anchored beneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, The Bentway is a creative public space and not-for-profit organization reimagining the potential of urban infrastructure through art, culture, and community programming.