Koffler Arts

Koffler Arts is a multi-disciplinary platform for contemporary visual art, performance, and literary events, that situates the contemporary Jewish experience within broader social, historical, and cultural conversations on identity, memory, and place. Through feature exhibitions, live performances, publications, public programs, and educational initiatives, Koffler Arts supports the creation and promotion of new and existing works by Canadian and international artists.

Plague Crystals | Natalia Romik | June 25 – September 9

We welcome Polish artist, architect, and researcher Natalia Romik to Koffler Arts to present her exhibition Plague Crystals.

This summer exhibition is the newest chapter in Dr. Romik’s travelling project exploring sources of anxiety in a world threatened by multiple crises. Before Koffler Arts, previous iterations were presented in Passau and Berlin in Germany, and Będzin in Poland.

Drawing on the biblical story in the Book of Exodus, Romik identifies and symbolically contains material embodiments of contemporary plagues: climate catastrophe, social injustice, political malaise, and other forms of collective vulnerability. Some objects will be selected by the artist; others will be nominated by the communities with whom she will collaborate.

The artist encloses these symbolic representations within exquisite crystal vessels. Together, the Plague Crystals form a growing archive of lived vulnerability across places and generations. By giving physical form to contemporary perils, the project asks how they might be confronted and contained.

Despite its sombre theme, the installation is not governed by despair. The crystal vessels sparkle with optimistic hope rooted in the continuous efforts of people working together to contain these threats. Echoing the Lurianic Kabbalistic image of shattered vessels tentatively rejoined, these semi-transparent structures are symbolic architectures of care and persistence: small gestures of communal repair.

At Koffler Arts, Plague Crystals brings this existing constellation together for the first time, expanded through collaboration with participants in Toronto who will nominate objects to enclose within newly assembled crystalline structures: fragile, translucent, and unexpectedly resilient.

Exhibition Tour: Plague Crystals with Josh Heuman | July 9, 2026 at 6:30 – 7 pm

Koffler Gallery, 1st Floor | Free Admission

Image Credit: Shay Markowitz

Join us for a lively 30-minute exhibition tour of Plague Crystals | Natalia Romik, led by Josh Heuman, Head of Artistic Engagement, Koffler Arts. Learn more about the artist’s multilayered concepts that underpin the work and re-use of traditional and unique materials.

Josh Heuman is Head of Artistic Engagement at Koffler Arts where he is focused on developing a wide array of public programs for audiences of all ages. He has held previous positions in education, exhibitions, and administration at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Salt Lake Art Center; Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art at Utah State University; and Joslyn Art Museum. Heuman has delivered guest lectures and participated in panel discussions at numerous galleries/museums and postsecondary institutions. He earned a BA in Visual Art and MA in Art History at York University.

Don’t Look Back |  Don’t Look Back: 65 Years of the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair | June 25 – July 19, 2026

Koffler301 (180 Shaw St, 3rd floor)

Image Credit: Shay Markowitz

Don’t Look Back, curated by David Liss, is a special group exhibition celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, the long-running open-access hub for art, culture, commerce, and social interaction held in the city’s most prominent public square.

The exhibition brings together artists from the GTA and beyond, who have participated in the Fair in recent years. The selection is, of course, subjective and represents only a snapshot of artists at various stages of practice, and working across a diverse range of media. As a whole, the exhibition reflects the vibrancy and spirit of one of Toronto’s most significant and exciting cultural events.

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