A hopeful renewal for faithful Catholic art and culture will launch over three weekends in May as Theopolis unveils its inaugural exhibition, bringing together more than a dozen Catholic artists to help audiences rediscover the eternal human soul amid a culture that all too often forgets it exists.

Titled “The Drama of the Soul” as inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, the non-profit's inaugural exhibition will explore the themes of existence, nature and the problems of the human soul. Running on weekends from May 2 to 17 at the 183 Gallery in downtown Toronto, the exhibition will use various media — painting, iconography, photography, sculpting and mixed media — to create a true space of encounter between faithful and secular audiences alike. 

For Eden O’Brien, Theopolis’  co-founder and executive director, the first of the team’s tangible events to empower artists and audiences through art comes at a time as much culturally relevant as it is practically important. 

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“ I remember being struck by the inspiration of reading the story of the Apostle Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. In that passage, the Ethiopian is reading the book of Isaiah, and while he doesn't know what he's reading yet, it serves to prime his soul for baptism,” she said. 

“I was taken by that idea, that people can be exposed to media that they don't understand fully and still be moved spiritually by it.  Now, we are creating a space of encounter with people's own souls. Even amidst this materialistic age and the burgeoning AI, art still has the power to induce this contemplative posture in addition to being beautiful in and of itself.”  

O’Brien is joined by co-founder, VP of operations and long-time friend Monica Sifert. The two met over a decade ago as students at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College and have since jointly discussed Catholic arts and culture’s role for years.

The founders’ vision crystallized around Easter in 2025, with Theopolis born behind the idea of renewing faith through the arts through simultaneous artist community support and public events.

Beginning on May 2, various Ontario-based Catholic artists from places like Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener, Peterborough and Barry’s Bay will come together with the public to celebrate their works. While informed by the Catholic intellectual and artistic tradition, submissions for the exhibition were designed with the intention of engaging the theme of the human soul. 

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May 1 will also see the start of an exclusive pre-launch silent auction and private kickoff event take place, with the inaugural prize being the original model of renowned Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz’s Life. The piece will then be featured in the exhibition through May 17 before ultimately being given to the winning bidder. 

May 9’s event features a guest lecture by artist I.J. Makan and on May 16 a musical performance by Hugh Beresford.

All the while, the broader public launch of Theopolis, years in the making, aims to celebrate each artist and mobilize them as a community while offering future professional services, financial support and intellectual and spiritual formation. For Sifert and O’Brien, that balance has made for a launch that both artists and art lovers can uniquely connect with. 

“We’ve been thankful to get a lot of support as Theopolis starts to take off. Even beyond former teachers, friends and family, we’re hearing from people both as artists and patrons, excited to attend and saying that there is a real need for something like this,” Sifert said.

“ There have been several engines galvanizing this project, one being many years of thought, but also the purpose of filling a gap in the market in a way. We have discovered there are a lot of talented Catholic artists, and to help develop that vocation, our program is based on real feedback from them. At the same time, we can help people  understand Catholic arts and culture as something extremely relevant to all of our well-being and something still very of the times,” O’Brien said. 

The two also shared their future hopes for the initiative, including building up Ontario’s artist community, offering further public programming and working toward an eventual dedicated art space for collaborations. 

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“ We are looking forward to going forward and showing how the arts are not just a pastime hobby, but something that shapes the way we see, think about and engage in the world,” O’Brien said. 

For tickets, see eventbrite.ca.