Constructed Realities at Galleria Tofani (Philadelphia) May 2026.

Constructed Realities was a group exhibition of artist books and book-adjacent objects at Galleria Tofani, a project space run by Abbey Lakey in South Philadelphia. It ran from May 15th - 31st, 2026. This survey featured an intergenerational group of artists working at the corners and intersections of books as an exploratory form. As objects, books offer a way to experience many realities. These experiences constantly fold and collapse into each other like the pages of a book. I thought there was a lot of potential to expand the way books are shown and talked as well as the context in which the artists within the show are exhibited.

Curated by Zane Schultz

Image Image

Artists Exhibited in Constructed Realities:

Abbey Lakey, Anne Minich, Cassandra Gunkel, Dana O’Malley, Devin Barto, Ditta Baron Hoeber, Dona Nelson, Emma McHold-Burke, Jacob Stevens, Joe Sasso, Jon Weary, Jordan Speicher-Willis, Julia Marsh, Kailey Mackenzie Franks, Kim Altomare, Lane Timothy Speidel, Larry Becker, Matt Sepielli, Natalie Conway, Pomona Za, Quentin Morris, Quinn Dowd, Tom McDonald, and Zane Schultz

Documentation by Margie Reisert (https://www.margaretreisert.com/)

Further Reading:

https://occasionalphilly.substack.com/p/constructed-realities-at-galleria (Review by Richard Torchia)

“On Books, Permeability, and Intergenerational Art Making: A Conversation Between Abbey Lakey and Zane Schultz” in SENSUS Issue 5.0 (https://sensusphilly.com/home)