Abbozzo Gallery Welcomes a New Era with its Inaugural Exhibition Housewarming
An elevated view of Abbozzo Gallery’s ground level at the opening reception
After more than three decades at the heart of Canada’s contemporary art landscape, Abbozzo Gallery opens the doors to a bright and exciting new chapter. This fall, the gallery unveils its newly renovated home at 32 Sousa Mendes Street with Housewarming, a group exhibition that honours both the legacy and the evolving future of this institution. The exhibition marks not simply a relocation, but a renewal grounded in continuity, community, and quality art.
For over 20 years in Oakville and more than 12 years at 401 Richmond W, Abbozzo has cultivated a reputation for artistic integrity, discovery, and enduring relationships. Its quiet five-month transition into the Dundas West, Wallace-Emerson, and Dupont neighbourhoods signals not a departure from that history, but a natural expansion of it. The new lovely two-story building is both intimate and spacious, designed with optimal sightlines and bathed in colour and light, offering an architecture that mirrors the vitality of the artists whose work it holds.
Top-floor installation view at Abbozzo Gallery, at the opening reception
In conversation with Director Ineke Zigrossi, the excitement surrounding the move was unmistakable. She shared that the acquisition of the building itself felt deeply significant, a long-held vision brought into being. Set among other independent businesses and creative spaces, the gallery is positioned to grow as a cultural meeting place. In the months and years ahead, the space will host pop-up exhibitions, curated dinners, and lively vendor markets, extending Abbozzo’s role beyond exhibition-making into acts of gathering and exchange. Above all, Zigrossi spoke with profound enthusiasm about welcoming people into this new home and inviting them to experience the gallery in its renewed ways.
It is fitting, then, that the inaugural exhibition has been titled Housewarming. Conceived as a collective celebration, the show brings together a wide diversity of artists, both local and international, who have shaped Abbozzo’s history alongside new voices represented since the move. Rather than functioning as a retrospective, the exhibition unfolds in dialogue as each work bears witness to a sustained investment in artists across generations, while also signalling the directions yet to come.
Curating this pivotal exhibition is Associate Director Blake Zigrossi, who has worked for nearly a decade on the gallery’s curatorial committee. His vision carries forward into the near future, as he prepares the majority of Abbozzo’s solo exhibitions slated for 2026. These forthcoming shows promise a program that is both rigorous and adventurous, rooted in the gallery’s established values while embracing new aesthetic possibilities.
Abbozzo Gallery team, left to right: Olga Sobkovych, Ineke Zigrossi, Blake Zigrossi, and Quincy Shaw.
Integral to Abbozzo’s uncompromising standard of excellence is the broader team whose care is felt in every detail. Media and Exhibitions Manager Quincy Shaw and Gallery Assistant Olga Sobkovych contribute not only their professionalism but a genuine warmth that defines the gallery’s atmosphere. Together, they form a team marked by deep passion, generosity, and a shared commitment to sustaining a living, breathing art community.
The opening weekend embodied this spirit of welcome. Besides art loving guests the Saturday reception featured a special selection of community vendors, further enriching the gallery as a site of encounter and collective celebration.
Guests gathered to celebrate the opening night of Abbozzo Gallery’s new home.
After months of preparation throughout the summer and a quiet transition behind the scenes, Abbozzo now re-emerges with confidence and joy. The gallery extends its gratitude to the artists, collectors, and friends who supported this transition with patience and unwavering enthusiasm. Their presence, past and future, remains the foundation of everything Abbozzo continues to build.
Housewarming was a truly inspiring exhibition to attend as it was honestly displayed as an expression of belonging, a gesture of thanks, and an open invitation into a renewed artistic home. In a city that is forever reshaping itself, Abbozzo’s new space stands as a testament to endurance, vision, and the transformative power of sustained creative relationships.
Text and photo: Yehyun Lee
*Exhibition information: Housewarming, November 28 – December 6, 2025, Abbozzo Gallery, 32 Sousa Mendes Street, Toronto. Gallery hours: Tuesday – Friday: 11 am -6 pm, Saturday: 11 am – 5 pm.