Inside Wonder: A Year Held in a Single Space
Inside Wonder at Romulus Folio gallery
April 1 – May 3, 2026
Opening Night Held on Friday, April 17, 2026
Inside Wonder opened on the evening of Friday, April 17, 2026, and concludes May 3rd, at a precise moment in the life of the gallery.
The exhibition emerged at the edge of one year of continuous programming at Romulus Folio Gallery, with the space operating as an open studio over time.
Inside Wonder brings together what has taken shape, been tested, and lived within the gallery with open studio over time, while opening forward into what comes next. The timing carried a quiet clarity. The exhibition held the fullness of what the gallery has become.
Photographed by Louisa Chu
On opening night, from the moment guests entered, the space was active with movement and exchange. Conversations formed across the room. People gathered around the central table. Others moved slowly between works, returning to paintings and sculptures, allowing each encounter to deepen. The gallery held a shared attentiveness and joy that extended throughout the evening. It was present in the way people stood with the work, in the duration of conversations, and in the sense of connection that moved through the space.
The exhibition was anchored in the work of Xinzhi (Dorris) Li. Her paintings hold a shifting field of colour and form, where sensation and memory move across the surface. Viewers spent time with these works, allowing each painting to unfold gradually through repeated encounters and embracing the opportunity to speak with Dorris about her work.
Xinzhi (Dorris) Li photographed by Yufan (Jo) Chen
Usha Newland’s works extends the exhibition through atmosphere. Her paintings carry a softness and luminosity that shape the spatial experience of the room. Colour moves across surfaces with a sense of suspension, creating a condition where viewers could settle into the work over time.
Usher Newlsand photographed by Yufan (Jo) Chen
Mark Alexander’s sculptural works are integrated throughout the space, bringing the language of architecture into direct relationship with painting. His pieces shape how people move through the gallery, where they pause, and how they gather. The exhibition became something to move through as much as something to observe.
Right Odi S Tsogtbaatar next to his piece and mother Agiimaa Tsogtbaatar
Left Scott Ross, Angelina Mirabito photographed by Yufan (Jo) Chen
Within this environment, Odi S Tsogtbaatar’s presence carried a distinct clarity. At eight years old, his work holds a direct and instinctive connection to material and gesture. His time in the gallery over the past year, observing, experimenting, and making, became part of the exhibition itself. Inspiring the very exhibition title, theme and exploration itself. On opening night, this connection came into focus through a moment shared by Odi’s family and friends, as they experienced his work within the exhibition context. It reflected something essential to the exhibition: that wonder moves across generations, and that the impulse to create remains immediate and present.
Inside Wonder extends beyond individual works through a series of spatial interventions. The impact wall, suspended spheres, and activated columns form a continuous spatial field, connecting painting, object, and architecture into a unified experience. The gallery is encountered as a space actively shaped through it. Curated by Angelina Mirabito, the exhibition explores the creation and experience of space as an extension of the artwork itself.
As the exhibition moves through its final days, the energy of the space continues with a quieter rhythm. Visitors have arrived with intention and spent extended time within the gallery. They have moved between works with familiarity, noticing details that revealed themselves gradually. The paintings continue to shift with light and presence. Surfaces hold depth. Colour carries emotion across the room. The sculptural elements continue to shape movement and connection. The space remains active and responsive as we prepare for an exhibition change over.
During the final Inside Wonder days, the reach of the exhibition became newly visible. Visitors from the United States arrived and shared that Romulus Folio Gallery was at the top of their itinerary. This moment reflected how the presence of the gallery has extended beyond its immediate context.
Photographed by Yufan (Jo) Chen
Across both the opening and these final days, a clear thread has emerged. This space has held a living program. Artists at different stages of their careers have shared work. Workshops have brought new people into creative practice. Residents have engaged with art as part of their everyday environment. A community has formed through this sustained presence.
From the outset, we were aware that access to this space was temporary. This clarity informed how we approached the year. We committed to fully realising what was possible within a finite window of time, building a program with depth, consistency, and intention, and making the most of what the space could hold.
Inside Wonder brings this into focus at a precise moment. It gathers a year of activity into a single spatial experience, while holding open what continues to unfold. The exhibition reflects what has been built here, and what remains possible when art, space, and community come into alignment.
Photographed by Yufan (Jo) Chen
At its core, this program has been shaped through sustained commitment and a clear curatorial direction. The gallery has evolved through ongoing collaboration between artists, designers, and audiences, forming a model grounded in authorship, continuity, and lived experience of space.
We also acknowledge The Gladstone, CBCo and Connie Mirabito and Ray Mirabito for their support of the opening evening, including the provision of refreshments.
photographed by Yufan (Jo) Chen
As Inside Wonder comes to a close, what remains is a clear articulation of what is possible when a program is realised with consistency and intent.
A year brought into presence. A space shaped through practice. A sense of wonder that continues forward.
photographed by Yufan (Jo) Chen
Written by Angelina Mirabito, PhD