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A Colossal report published in October 2026 examines Chicago artist Ann Toebbe’s mixed-media paintings, which reshape architectural interiors to explore the feelings and memories people associate with places. Some of her work is included in a group exhibition at Andrew Rafacz in Chicago through Oct. 31; the report does not give the exhibition’s title or full details.
A Colossal report published in October 2026 highlights Chicago artist Ann Toebbe’s mixed-media paintings, which use altered architectural interiors to explore how people attach feelings and memories to physical spaces. The report also says some of Toebbe’s work is included in a group exhibition at Andrew Rafacz in Chicago through October 31, though it does not identify the show by title or provide a full exhibition listing.
Toebbe’s works depict rooms, buildings and cross-sections of interiors with detailed furnishings and surfaces, but the layouts do not follow a single consistent perspective. The report describes her use of reverse and parallel perspective: in reverse perspective, objects can appear larger as they recede, while parallel perspective keeps objects the same size. The resulting compositions rearrange familiar architectural features into settings that can feel recognizable yet spatially unsettled.
Her process involves preliminary sketches and drawings, with reference photographs also informing the work. She then builds compositions on panel using materials that can include oil, gouache, paper collage and colored pencil. Works cited in the report include The Farm (Spring) (2023), Overgrowth (2026), Hardwood Floors (2020) and Family Room (Sister) (2017). The materials and dates vary by piece.
Toebbe says she alters walls and combines indoor and outdoor elements to make a layout fit her composition. She also describes using baseboards to divide or connect walls and floors, and sometimes arranging a scene as though it were “a flattened box.” The report presents these choices as part of an approach focused not simply on depicting a room, but on shaping the mood associated with it.
How Toebbe Makes Rooms Carry Memory
The paintings give visual form to a distinction between a physical location and the personal meaning people bring to it. A home can be understood as a set of rooms and surfaces, but also as a place marked by family history, everyday routines and emotion. Toebbe’s rearranged interiors foreground that second dimension without treating architecture as a neutral backdrop.
That approach gives viewers an entry point into work that is both representational and formally inventive. Familiar details—floors, lamps, walls and furnishings—anchor the scenes, while the changing viewpoints complicate how the spaces fit together. The Chicago exhibition offers a chance to see some of the work in person, but the source report does not specify which pieces are on display or how the show frames them.
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From Emotional Source to Altered Interior
Toebbe describes working from personal feeling and experience as a way to make a stronger image. In the Colossal report, writer Elisa Shoenberger connects that practice to the difference between “space” as a physical location and “place” as the meaning attached to it. Shoenberger’s distinction is commentary in the report, rather than a claim that the paintings have one fixed interpretation.
Toebbe’s process leaves room for changes after she begins a piece. She says she may start with an idea about materials, but that the decisions remain open as the work develops. She also describes changing methods to give herself a new formal problem to solve. The report’s examples range from oil and gouache paintings on panel to drawings made with colored pencil and pencil, showing that her work is not limited to one medium or period.
The exhibition detail is brief: the source says Toebbe has work in a group show at Andrew Rafacz in Chicago through October 31. It does not supply the show’s title, opening date, participating artists or access details, so those particulars cannot be confirmed from the material provided.
““I find that when I work from my emotions and experiences, I make a more powerful image.””
— Ann Toebbe
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Exhibition Details Not Supplied
The source does not identify the Andrew Rafacz group exhibition by name or confirm which Toebbe works are included. It also does not provide visitor information, such as hours, admission or whether the show’s closing date has changed. The report names several works and gives details for selected pieces, but it does not establish that those examples are all part of the current exhibition.
The article describes Toebbe’s methods and themes through her own statements and Shoenberger’s review. It does not offer a complete catalogue of the artist’s work or claim that every painting uses the same materials, perspective system or autobiographical source. Interpretations of the imagery should be understood as discussion of the practice, not as confirmed meanings assigned to each piece.
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Check the Chicago Show Before Visiting
The report lists the Andrew Rafacz group exhibition as running through October 31, 2026. Readers seeking to see the work should consult the gallery’s current information for the exhibition title, participating artists, opening hours and any changes to the schedule. The source material provides no later announcement or further exhibition dates for Toebbe’s work.
Colossal also directs readers to Toebbe’s Instagram for more of her work. No additional project, exhibition or publication is announced in the report, so the next confirmed public-facing detail is the listed end date of the Chicago group show.
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Key Questions
What is the report about?
It examines Ann Toebbe’s mixed-media paintings, which depict altered interiors and architectural spaces to explore the feelings and memories people associate with places.
Where can Toebbe’s work be seen in Chicago?
The report says some of her work is included in a group exhibition at Andrew Rafacz through October 31, 2026. It does not provide the show’s title or visitor details.
What materials does Toebbe use?
Depending on the work, she uses materials including oil, gouache, paper collage and colored pencil. The report identifies different media for individual works, so the materials vary from piece to piece.
How do her paintings change the perspective of a room?
The report describes Toebbe combining reverse and parallel perspective and manipulating walls, floors and indoor-outdoor arrangements. This can make familiar spaces appear joined or proportioned in unexpected ways.
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