The exhibition is set in an alternate universe in which a mysterious vessel appeared above cities around the world. Taking a different form for everyone who saw it, the vessel began to answer one prayer per person every 24 hours.
Created by Pakistani-born, New York-based multidisciplinary artist Saks Afridi, SpaceMosque explores the story of what happened next.
As you can imagine, as the world's prayers are answered by the vessel, those in power fight to control it, but the ripple effects of individual wishes being granted en masse cannot be stopped. And then one day, the vessels left, wiping everyone's memory of the event and leaving behind scattered artifacts.
A man prayed to the vessel for flying sandals. Courtesy of Saks Afridi
Inviting visitors to unfold the mystery, Saks Afridi: SpaceMosque shares clues for you to piece together yourself through sculpture, sound, video, fictional news reports, architectural plans and recovered artifacts.
"By placing visitors inside an alternative history (a forgotten past), Saks creates space to examine how power can be used, concentrated and ultimately relinquished," said Marianne Fenton, exhibition curator at the Aga Khan Museum.
"We want to draw viewers into this imagined future that blurs speculation and evidence, where the sacred, the speculative, and the contemporary coexist."
'A.N.G.E.L.S. 1' artwork made in collaboration with Adam RodgersCourtesy of Saks Afridi
The Toronto presentation also includes new immersive elements developed by students in Toronto Metropolitan University's architectural science program. They helped create speculative designs imagining how answered prayers could be harnessed and built into infrastructure.
The result is an immersive exhibition that feels less like something you walk through and more like a mysterious, speculative world you can rediscover, while also exploring the philosophical questions that arise when collective prayers are answered.
Saks Afridi: SpaceMosque
'Sighting #1' - Vibrachrome print on Aluminum. 2018.30”x50” Courtesy of Saks Afridi
Price: Regular admission is $20. Free for visitors 25 and under. BMO Free Wednesdays offer free admission for everyone from 4 to 8 p.m.
When: October 24, 2026, to March 7, 2027
Address: Aga Khan Museum - 77 Wynford Dr., Toronto, ON. Visitors can take the Eglinton Crosstown LRT to arrive at Aga Khan Park and Museum Station.
Why You Need to Go: Explore an alternative universe to uncover a worldwide forgotten memory and discover the impacts of having everyone's prayers answered.
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