Installed at the platform stage in Art Toronto 2026 is Athanor.
Sadaf Ahsan, via “The seven coolest things to see at Art Toronto this year” in Toronto Life, writes:
“Alchemy may be a thoroughly debunked centuries-old practice, but Toronto-based painter Sarah Tompkins is finding new meaning in its language of transformation. Her enormous painting Athanor takes its title from a self-feeding furnace used by medieval alchemists attempting to conjure the philosopher’s stone, a mythical substance they believed could transform ordinary metals into gold. For Tompkins, the furnace becomes a metaphor for the artistic process itself: an ongoing cycle of construction, destruction, revision and discovery. The three-by-six-metre canvas is an ambitious example of her abstract style, which frequently explores uncertainty, desire, and the relationship between physical experiences and the unknown. Its scale makes it a must-see, offering visitors a chance to encounter contemporary painting on what feels like an architectural level.”
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Athanor, 2026
oil and acrylic on canvas
120″ x 240″
Installation image from Sarah Tompkins: Bad Alchemy, Olga Korper Gallery, 2026.