swell of spæc(i)es
September 10, 2025–January 11, 2026
Unity in Darkness
October 23, 2025–March 8, 2026
Sensory Oversoul
October 23, 2025–March 8, 2026
This fall, PHI launches its 2025–2026 cultural season with three major exhibitions and a renewed institutional vision. Since spring 2025, PHI has unified its various Old Montréal locations under a single identity and mission. This fall, visitors are invited to discover swell of spæc(i)es by Josèfa Ntjam, Unity in Darkness by Manuel Mathieu, and Sensory Oversoul by the collective Keiken.
These exhibitions each explore vital narratives tied to collective memory, speculative futures, and sensory transformation. From Josèfa Ntjam’s cosmic landscapes to Manuel Mathieu’s introspective abstraction and Keiken’s hybrid speculative worlds, PHI offers immersive art experiences for diverse audiences—from contemporary art enthusiasts to digital culture followers.
swell of spæc(i)es by Josèfa Ntjam
September 10, 2025 to January 11, 2026
Presented in partnership with MOMENTA Biennale d’art contemporain
In swell of spæc(i)es (2024), French artist Josèfa Ntjam imagines a contemporary cosmogony where plankton, ocean, and mythology intertwine. This immersive installation—featuring video, sculpture, and sound—revisits the Dogon creation myth to conjure a fluid world without borders or linear time. Each character is generated using AI and digital tools, composed of memories and hybrid species. A reading and reflection zone designed by the artist invites visitors to deepen their understanding of her research and practice. North American premiere.
Presented at 407 Saint-Pierre Street. Curator: Marie-Ann Yemsi, MOMENTA. Commissioned by LAS Art Foundation and originally presented at the 2024 Venice Biennale.
Unity in Darkness by Manuel Mathieu
October 23, 2025 to March 8, 2026
PHI presents Unity in Darkness, the most comprehensive solo exhibition to date by Montréal-based Haitian artist Manuel Mathieu. Through a deeply multidisciplinary practice—painting, drawing, video, sculpture, mosaic, and immersive olfactory installation—Mathieu explores themes of resilience, memory, spirituality, and interconnectedness.
The exhibition title references his recent video work: a single shot of a flame passed from match to match, symbolizing solidarity, resistance, and collective survival in the face of adversity. Unity in Darkness invites visitors on an introspective journey where individual gestures contribute to a shared global consciousness.
Presented at 451 Saint-Jean Street. Curator: Cheryl Sim, PHI.
Sensory Oversoul by Keiken
October 23, 2025 to March 8, 2026
London- and Berlin-based collective Keiken (meaning “experience” in Japanese) presents Spirit Systems of Soft Knowing (2024) and Morphogenic Angels: Chapter 1 (2023), in their North American premiere. These two installations explore themes of interconnectivity, materiality, and speculative futures.
Combined with a “world-building” room (process of constructing an imaginary world or setting), the works form a cohesive, multisensory environment that reflects Keiken’s critical engagement with human experience. The exhibition’s title, Sensory Oversoul, refers to the spiritual unity of all beings. In a “real” world where existence is increasingly threatened, the exhibition imagines future survival through connection, empathy, and transformation.
Presented at 465 Saint-Jean Street. Curator: Cheryl Sim, PHI.
Acknowledgments
We thank the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec for their support in the presentation of these three exhibitions.
About the artists
Josèfa Ntjam
Born in 1992 in Metz, France, Josèfa Ntjam lives and works in Saint-Étienne. She studied in Amiens (France) and Dakar (Senegal, Cheikh Anta Diop University), and graduated from the École nationale supérieure d’art de Paris-Cergy in 2017. Her works and performances have been presented in numerous museums and institutions internationally.
Manuel Mathieu
Born in 1986 in Haiti, Manuel Mathieu lives and works in Montréal. He holds a Master of Fine Arts from Goldsmiths, University of London, and has developed a transdisciplinary practice that has been presented internationally in major institutions and galleries. His work has earned both institutional and commercial recognition. In 2023, he was awarded Best Short Film at the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA).
Keiken
Based in London and Berlin, Keiken received the inaugural CHANEL Next Prize in 2021 and the Lumen Prize – BCS Award in 2024. The collective is currently in residence at Somerset House in London.
PHI
Founded and directed by Phoebe Greenberg in Montréal, PHI is a multidisciplinary cultural hub at the intersection of art, technology, and music. Focused on the future of art and its audiences, PHI champions radical ideas through collective experiences, social engagement, and audience interactivity. PHI offers a dynamic and diverse program that includes exhibitions, performances, installations, immersive experiences and artist-in-residence programs, fostering unexpected encounters between artists and audiences. Committed to creation, dissemination, and support for contemporary artistic practices, PHI stands as a leading cultural destination in the heart of Old Montréal.
