Karen Miranda Abel: Once A Sea (where stone turns water into clouds)

Presented by Akb Architects as part of the 2026 DesignTO Festival

Karen Miranda Abel, installation detail of the exhibition Once A Sea (where stone turns water into clouds), carved Carrara marble (salvaged), flameworked glass, 2026. Image courtesy of the artist.

Karen Miranda Abel: Once A Sea (where stone turns water into clouds)

January 23 – Ongoing in 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, January 30, 2026, 6 – 9pm | RSVP
Akb Architects, Toronto

A deep time sculptural exploration of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere through the elements of earth and sky

In celebration of the 16th Annual DesignTO Festival, Akb Architects presents Once A Sea (where stone turns water into clouds), an exhibition of new work by artist Karen Miranda Abel, on view in the Akb studio gallery.

The exhibition is a sculptural exploration of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere—a geological force that has shaped Ontario’s landscape for millennia. Hollow glass sculptures, paired with forms in stone and bronze, hold water collected from escarpment waterfalls, capturing the quiet traces of time and place while honouring the intrinsic value and complexity of this ancient landform.

Karen Miranda Abel, installation detail of the exhibition Once A Sea (where stone turns water into clouds), onyx (salvaged), water from an escarpment waterfall (spring-fed stream), flameworked glass, cast bronze, 2026. Image courtesy of the artist.

Akb is pleased to present an artist whose work offers a compelling perspective on shared concerns. The architecture studio’s interest in crafting ephemeral architectural experiences that invite reflection and connection to the land finds a natural parallel in the poetic, interdisciplinary environmental art practice Abel continues to explore.

A reception will be hosted at Atelier Akb on Friday, January 30, 2026, 6 – 9pm.

Karen Miranda Abel, Niagara Escarpment waterfalls, top (L–R): Sherman and Canterbury falls, 2026; bottom: Tew Falls, 2016. Images courtesy of the artist.

About the Artist

Karen Miranda Abel is a Canadian interdisciplinary artist from Toronto. Abel’s atmospheric water sculptures and site-sensitive installations are quiet gestures as part of an overarching contemplation of the intrinsic value of the natural world and geologic deep time. Abel’s work is supported by the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. Her artistic practice evolved alongside a career in ecology and conservation, including the protection of Niagara Escarpment lands, complemented by a Master in Environmental Studies in Environmental Art Practice, Cultural Production, and Fine Art from York University. Abel received the 2019 DesignTO Best in Festival Award: New Work and was selected as the 2017–2018 World Heritage Artist in Residence at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Australia. Abel’s work has been exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions in Australia and Italy. Abel began work on her current exhibition, Once A Sea (where stone turns water into clouds), ten years ago in 2016, when she travelled to several waterfalls in the southern Ontario section of the Escarpment.

Instagram @karenmirandaabel

About Akb Architects

Founded in 2004, Akb is the Toronto-based residential architecture studio of Robert Kastelic and Kelly Buffey, architects dedicated to the practice and art of building. The quest to capture the poetic and ineffable qualities of space manifests in Akb’s design process, which prioritizes a clarity of vision, attention to detail, and a rigorous commitment to conceptual intent. The work of the studio benefits from Robert and Kelly’s extensive training in both architecture and interior design; a comprehensive strategy results in buildings of exceptional resolution and an uncommon level of refinement. Meticulous research, precedent studies, and the deployment of current sustainability strategies enable the studio to fuse the practical and the abstract in an architecture that is creative, inspired, and enduring.

Akb Architects
182D St Helens Avenue
Toronto, ON M6H 4A1
www.akb.ca
communications@akb.ca

Instagram @akbarchitects
Facebook @atelierkastelicbuffey

Gallery Hours
Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm (closed on holidays)
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 11am – 5pm (artist present)

Accessibility
The venue is wheelchair accessible with parking.

About the DesignTO Festival

DesignTO is a charitable arts organization celebrating design’s role in creating a sustainable, just, and joyful future. From January 23 to February 1, 2026, the DesignTO Festival features 100+ free events across Toronto, showcasing hundreds of artists and designers.

Presented by Akb Architects as part of the 2026 DesignTO Festival.

The artist gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Ontario.