On View · Summer 2026

A Curious Art Journey

Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario

June 20 – September 20, 2026

Explore the vibrant sculptural universe of artist and contemporary sculptor Ken Kelleher, internationally known as Anchorball. This massive outdoor exhibition transforms the garden into a vivid sculptural landscape where bold characters, imaginative narratives, and contemporary form merge with nature and blooms to create a world that feels full of wonder, yet deeply recognizable.

18

Physical Sculptures

6

AR Residents

4

Narrative Series

Up to 12 ft

Piece Height

The Show

The Canadian premiere of ANCHORBALL: A Curious Art Journey is coming to Royal Botanical Gardens this summer.

Explore the vibrant sculptural universe of artist and contemporary sculptor Ken Kelleher, internationally known as Anchorball. This massive outdoor exhibition transforms the garden into a vivid sculptural landscape where bold characters, imaginative narratives, and contemporary form merge with nature and blooms to create a world that feels full of wonder, yet deeply recognizable.

Featuring 18 monumental sculptures ranging up to 12 feet tall, the exhibition introduces visitors to an evolving fictional universe populated by playful and mythical characters. Visitors can also discover a hidden digital world using augmented reality, extending the experience beyond the visible landscape and inviting moments of surprise, play, and exploration throughout the garden.

Come experience a joyful fusion of nature and art designed for curiosity, fun, exploration, and imagination.

Plan Your Visit

Visit ANCHORBALL at Royal Botanical Gardens

Venus Aurora Floralis

Sisters of Prediction

Four sisters — one signal

They are not one being. They are sisters. They interrupt each other. Finish each other's thoughts. Then disagree with them.

Each reads a different layer of reality: potential, joy, persistence, renewal. Together, they predict where the next landing will occur.

They don't rule the city. They guide it. When they agree, the city follows.

Venus Aurora Floralis — The Verdant Oracle

Willy & Winky

The Threshold Twins

Gatekeepers of readiness

Willy anchors space. Winky reads space. Willy wants structure. Winky wants movement. They fight constantly.

Willy holds doors closed too long. Winky opens them too early. This creates: stairwells that loop, doors that only open when you're frustrated enough, thresholds that feel "off."

But when it matters — they synchronize perfectly. They are not gatekeepers of morality. They are gatekeepers of readiness.

Willy — The Threshold Twin

Series 01 · Venus Florealis

Bloom and figure, fused.

Botanical-divine forms that stand at the threshold of flower and figure — the goddess-residents of Low Orbit City. Each piece is built around a central bloom, with the gloss and body of a Luminal Pop character.

Four works · Up to 7 ft

Series 02 · Core Characters

The recurring cast.

The Anchorball Universe's signature figures — Willy, Winky, JellyMochi, Bunni B & Danny, Quantum Leap. Same identities you'll meet across editions and civic commissions, scaled to monumental for the touring chapter.

Five works · Up to 7 ft

Series 03 · Flower Series

Blooms at building scale.

Standalone botanical residents — Hue Shine, Kung Pao, Mystiflora, Petal Nova, Spire Blossom — at the upper end of the touring height range. Built to anchor a plaza, atrium, or garden axis.

Five works · 7–10 ft

Series 04 · Tulip Dancers

A four-stem ensemble.

The Tulip Dancers travel as a quartet — Blue, Orange, Purple, Red — a colour-keyed rhythm that can be installed as a cluster, a line, or scattered across a garden footprint.

Four works · Up to 7 ft

Series 05 · Augmented Layer

Six characters, hidden in plain sight.

The cloud-borne cast of Low Orbit City — DreamBloom, DreamWeaver, Moki, Tommy BearCloud, Txix, Yabba BearCloud — appear through your phone at QR markers placed across the garden.

Six AR characters · Phone-camera activation · Web-AR

Press & reviews

What the Critics Are Saying

Ken Kelleher has transported his spectacular, candy-coloured universe to Burlington — a pop art spectacle in full bloom.

CBC ArtsHillary LeBlanc, June 2026

The artist’s cartoonish style turns the gardens into another world.

CBC ArtsHillary LeBlanc

Something magical happens when art, nature and curious humans come together.

Oakville NewsBrenda Jefferies

Nature, art and some nifty tech create a magical journey at RBG.

Oakville NewsHeadline, June 2026

Set amongst the gardens at their peak, they provide a stunning complement to the natural world.

Oakville NewsBrenda Jefferies

ANCHORBALL is one of the most unique ways to explore one of the greater Toronto area’s most beautiful destinations.

EFOSAToronto

From the team behind the show

Why RBG Said Yes

Everyone on the team just loved the work so much they said, ‘Let’s skip straight to the big and weird stuff.’

Jeremy FreiburgerCultural Development Lead, Royal Botanical Gardens

Just all of it just sings RBG.

Jeremy FreiburgerCultural Development Lead, RBG

The best garden in the region, maybe in the country — it’s just such a no-brainer.

Jeremy FreiburgerCultural Development Lead, RBG

This is my first exhibition in Canada, in an incredibly beautiful formal garden space on its 85th anniversary. I love the contrast between the formal elements and the pop art pieces — the bright colors in the dense green and the color splashes of the flowers. The characters feel like they belong here.

Ken KelleherArtist · Anchorball

Something big and quirky and different for our audience.

Jeremy FreiburgerCultural Development Lead, RBG

Visitor voices · #RBGanchorball

Straight From the Gardens

Part art exhibition, part outdoor adventure, part digital scavenger hunt — one of the most unique experiences I’ve found in Ontario this summer.

@by.sarahmeiVisitor · via Instagram

Endless fun, beautiful memories, and an experience truly worth it for all ages.

@thetiltedumbrellaVisitor · via Instagram

Toured the latest exhibit and it did not disappoint.

@meetthecallaghans_Visitor · via Instagram

A whimsical universe filled with playful characters and oversized blooms — equally captivating for kids and adults.

@activeparentscaVisitor · via Instagram

One of my favourite spots to visit is always RBG — and now this.

@kate.ontarioVisitor · via Instagram

Colourful and joyful, for sure — a fun combination of art and nature.

@youngfreepressVisitor · via Instagram

One of the most unique ways to explore one of the GTA’s most beautiful locations.

@efosaonVisitor · via Instagram

A joyful reminder that public spaces can spark wonder, creativity, and conversation.

@save.thecbcvia Instagram

In the News

Anchorball at Royal Botanical Gardens

Recent press coverage of A Curious Art Journey — 18 monumental sculptures plus an integrated AR layer at Royal Botanical Gardens, June 20 – September 20, 2026.

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#RBGAnchorball

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RBG · 680 Plains Rd W · Burlington, ON