See the work, in person.
Halat Arabesque is on view in the Ramp Gallery at Meridian Arts Centre during Toronto Doors Open. Two days, seven layered sculptures, free, no booking.
Saturday May 23 + Sunday May 24, 2026 · Meridian Arts Centre, Toronto
Two days, drop in.
Doors Open Toronto is a city-wide weekend of free access to buildings and exhibits that don't usually open to the public. The 2026 theme is The World in a City, organized around Toronto's global communities and architecture in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup.
- SaturdayMay 23, 2026
- 10 am – 5 pm
- SundayMay 24, 2026
- 10 am – 5 pm
North York, on Yonge.
Meridian Arts Centre
5040 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M2N 6R8
Ramp Gallery · ground floor, off the lobby
Meridian Arts Centre sits directly above North York Centre station on Line 1 (Yonge–University). Two minutes from the platform to the front doors.
On-site paid parking is available beneath the centre. Reservations and current rates are on the TO Live event page. Multiple Green P lots are within a few blocks if the on-site lot fills up.
Open to everyone.
Meridian Arts Centre is a fully accessible public venue. Step-free entry from street level and directly from the subway platform; elevators between floors; accessible washrooms; assistive listening systems available at the box office. The Ramp Gallery is on the ground floor with wide circulation around each piece.
TO Live's full accessibility services (ASL interpretation, audio description, large-print materials, relaxed-performance accommodations) are detailed on the venue event page.
Need something specific to plan your visit? Email mahmoud@mahmoudhalat.com and we'll sort it out before you arrive.
Seven pieces, layer by layer.
The exhibit is seven large-format arabesque sculptures, each built from twenty-plus laser-cut cardboard layers stacked inside a hardwood frame. The patterns are drawn from the Maghreb tradition (Moroccan zellige, the geometry of the Madrasa Bou Inania, the rosettes of the Alhambra), painted in punchy spray-paint palettes the original masters never had.
On the gallery floor, open the companion site on your phone and play the swipe-vote game: a deck of palettes where you pick the colours you'd want each piece painted in. The votes feed a live leaderboard. Pick a favourite and we'll email the piece back to you in your colours; open the link any time and the site re-tints for you.
Bring headphones if you like reading wall text in quiet, and bring your phone fully charged. Most of the interactive layer lives there.
The rest of the weekend.
Doors Open at Meridian Arts Centre is a full weekend program: tours, music, workshops, the Earl Haig Claude Watson graduating exhibit, food. Make a day of it.
- Guided toursSat + Sun · 10 am – 4 pm
- Half-hourly tours of the lobby, Studio Theatre, Upper Gallery, and Lower Gallery. First-come, first-served; meet at the TO Live table beside the box office.
- The MarketplaceSat + Sun · 10 am – 4:30 pm
- Local makers selling handmade knit goods, jewellery, illustrations, natural wellness products, pressed flowers. In the lobby.
- Kids' CornerSat + Sun · 10 am – 4:30 pm
- Drop-in games and craft activities in the Upper Gallery.
- Live music & performancesThroughout the weekend
- Carnatic veena, cajón percussion, Trash Panda Brass, mentalism, puppet theatre, DJ sets, and more. Full schedule on the TO Live event page.
- Food truckSat + Sun
- Rick's Good Eats, doing Indian fusion. Butter Chicken Birria Tacos and Butter Chicken Loaded Fries.
Full schedule and artist bios on the TO Live event page.
Coming with a group? Say hi first.
Press, collectors, school groups, or anyone with a question about the work: email is the fastest way to reach me.