On Jan. 21, the Toronto cultural community gathered at Onsite Gallery, OCAD University’s flagship professional art gallery, for the launch of two new exhibitions.
More than 200 people attended the opening reception Becoming (in the light of the miracle), a group exhibition of nine artists (including seven OCAD U alums) guest curated by Farah Yusuf, and Metabolic Loop, guest curated by the GAS Collective (Gizem Candan and Steffi Ng Sin Tung), the 2026 recipient of The Delaney Family Emerging Curator’s Prize.
Becoming (in the light of the miracle) explores a range of emergent phenomena, spanning deep time to artificial intelligence. The artworks draw inspiration from natural systems, neural networks and social structures, revealing how complexity emerges from simple, rule-based interactions to create a whole that is more than the sum of its parts.
“Although there have been amazing theories and discoveries in science, technology and philosophical thought, there is something within me that wants to resist explaining away the mystery of spirit through a purely rational or materialist lens,” said Yusuf, an independent curator whose practice explores themes of cultural identity, hybridity, language and technology. “Many of the artworks in the exhibition are pieces that captured my imagination many years ago. Now it’s particularly timely due to the prevalence of AI.”
Continuing with the exploratory themes, Metabolic Loop examines the in-betweenness of natural and artificial environments through the concept of metabolism.
The exhibition features immersive works by artists Alyssa Alikpala and Maria Simmons. Their artistic practices aim to highlight invisible processes, such as metabolism, as well as largely inaccessible natural environments, including peatlands, through technological means.
Metabolic Loop is made possible by the generous gift from Kiki Delaney and The Delaney Family that led to the creation of The Delaney Family Emerging Curator’s Prize.
This prize supports recent OCAD U Criticism & Curatorial Practice graduates in presenting a curatorial project at Onsite Gallery, with the goal of advancing their professional development.
As the 2026 recipients of the prize, Candan and Ng exemplify the vision, creativity and professional practice that this prize was designed to support.
“GAS Collective carefully and instinctively framed the gallery space as a site of interrogation, where their curatorial undertaking traced and activated the indiscernible slowness of existing and changing, nature-based livelihood creatively interpreted by the two artists they collaborated with,” said Rice.
Both exhibitions are on view until May 16. Onsite Gallery is hosting a series of tours, discussions and panel talks exploring the themes of these exhibitions as well as the artistic and curatorial practices.
The evening also celebrated a new mural on the gallery’s exterior façade – The Shared Flight (2025), created by artist Diego Santamaría (HIDROCK). Developed in collaboration with Mexico City-based NGO Culturans, the mural intertwines the stories, colours and roots of Canada and Mexico to imagine futures that are resilient, sustainable and human.
The exhibitions at Onsite Gallery are generously supported by the Delaney Family, the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario, and the Toronto Arts Council.
