Paul Kuhn Gallery is pleased to present SPIRITED BY LOSS, a solo exhibition by Montreal-based artist Robbin Deyo. Running from September 12 to October 10, 2026, the exhibition marks a poignant chapter in Deyo’s practice, bringing together three distinct and diverse bodies of work. Each series was born from the transformative experience of navigating personal grief following the loss of a dear friend and her father.
In this exhibition, Deyo bridges the gap between mechanical abstraction and the vulnerable terrain of human emotion. Known for her mesmerizing use of analogue pattern-making tools like the Spirograph, this exhibition reveals how repetition can serve as both a sanctuary for isolation and a site for profound reflection.
The exhibition is structured across three distinct series:
THE GATHERING (2010–2026): is a sculptural series that features unique, spherical wooden forms hand-turned on a lathe and painted. Evocative of biological spores, radiant chakras, or celestial starbursts, these elements were conceived while Deyo was confronting the realities of her own unexplained health challenges. Spanning over a decade and a half, the series captures the physical and temporal weight of navigating the unknown.
SPIRITED BY LOSS a digital print series that emerged directly from a period of isolation and reflection after Deyo spent time as a companion to a friend through terminal illness. Returning to her studio, Deyo immersed herself in the hypnotic creation of digital patterns—multiplying lines generated via a Super Spirograph and coloured in Photoshop. The resulting circular compositions pulse with a unique energetic resonance, inviting viewers into an intimate meditation on calmness, memory, and melancholy.
SHIRT OFF HIS BACK, is her newest ongoing series through which Deyo pays a tactile tribute to her father. Utilizing a collection of shirts she carefully preserved after his passing, Deyo translates the patterns and colours of his clothing into an exquisite series of woodblock prints. Acting as an unconventional, non-literal portrait, SHIRT OFF HIS BACK transforms everyday textiles into an enduring tribute to paternal loss
About Robbin Deyo
Robbin Deyo lives and works in Montreal. A graduate of the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design (BFA) and Concordia University (MFA), her work has been exhibited extensively across North America and Europe. Her major public art installations include Flux (2008) and the newly unveiled companion pieces Breathe I & II (2026) at the Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre in Edmonton. Her work is held in prestigious permanent collections, including the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec and the Francis J. Greenburger Collection in New York.