Heaven // On Earth | Isabella De Tullio

11 hours ago

2 min read

Exhibition Sept 8 - 22, 2026

"I often think about faith, what it means to have faith, and the comforts that come with believing in something beyond ourselves. Faith is inherently uncertain and varies from person to person. Love and loss, on the other hand, are ubiquitous. Maybe believing in something is a way we can self-soothe through grief. Or maybe an afterlife does exist, and it is even more spectacular than anyone can imagine.

This body of work imagines a version of the afterlife where beliefs are realized, joy is honoured, and love is rewarded. Filtered through a lens limited by my humanity, this paradise is rich with earthly delight. Food, botanicals, light, and spirits all convene in limitless splendour. It is a state of peace and fulfillment where I imagine my late loved ones to be, and it is the place where I – regardless of any contrasting faith – hope to reunite with them in many, many years."

About the Artist

Isabella “Issy” De Tullio (she/they) is a queer multi-disciplinary artist based in Guelph, Ontario. Working across drawing, printmaking, painting, and beyond, Issy invites viewers to reconsider where we assign value and how we define worth. Much of Issy’s work is influenced by the legacy of their Italian grandparents, who are figures rich in culture, friendship, food, gardens, and willful creativity. Exploring tensions between what is intrinsic, inherited, and imposed, Issy offers radical love and queers frameworks built to be demanding and repressive. Using humble materials and layered storytelling, their work honours lives made abundant through resourcefulness, resilience, and reverence for simple blessings.

Issy's practice gestures towards connection across generations, cultures, and silences.

Featured Work

Paradisio, 2026

36” x 48”

Acrylic on Canvas

Pray for Me, 2026

27.5” x 20”

Acrylic on Canvas

Fierce is Fierce, 2026

12” x 16”

Acrylic on Board

Parallel, 2025