The title of this exhibition, Iconomorph, responds to the word ‘Iconostasis,’ which is an architectural feature of Orthodox churches – an icon-covered wall or screen that separates the nave from the sanctuary. The images of saints, then, mark the threshold between the worldly and the holy, drawing worshipers to place themselves in God’s story. 

While ‘stasis’ implies being held in place, unchanging, this exhibition highlights the practices of change within the lineages of iconography. The exhibition highlights two icon writers from distinct lineages, and two contemporary artists whose innovative work is directly inspired by traditioned icon practices.

Ksenia Sapunkova, from Toronto, is an icon writer in the Byzantine style. She presents several icons accompanied by ephemeral papers that give context to the sacred work: photographs of mentors, architectural plans, decorative stencils, and transfer paper sketches.

Symeon van Donkelaar, from Edmonton, contributes four icons of saints, on loan from St. John the Evangelist in Elora. His icons exhibit a simplicity and abstraction of style derived from the Coptic and Romanesque traditions.

James Gardner, of Montreal, is a contemporary painter fascinated by the power and history of icons. His paintings, though of this moment, feel as though they have suffered the distress of time. What makes an image endure through time, passing from one hand to another? 

Hrista Stefanova, also of Montreal, is a contemporary artist who assisted her father in painting church murals, ceilings, and icons. Her new work combines casting, installation, and drawing. Icons inform these contemporary works, as they concern liminal spaces and spiritual transformation.

Location: Redeemer Art Gallery at Redeemer University
Exhibition Dates: September 2 – October 23, 2025
Reception: Thursday, September 11, 5 – 7 p.m.

Online Artist Talk: Thursday, September 25, 7:30 p.m.
Google Meet Link: https://meet.google.com/dqi-icwk-brb
You may also join phone by dialling +1 587-977-6237 and entering this PIN: 745 789 763#

Artists: James Gardner, Ksenia Sapunkova, Hrista Stefanova, Symeon van Donkelaar