From ritual to research: New ROM exhibition explores the mind-altering power of psychedelics

TORONTO, April 29, 2026 – After decades on the margins, psychedelics are now seemingly everywhere – from research programs at major universities to news stories hailing these compounds as breakthrough therapeutic tools, or warning of drug-induced psychotic breaks.

With the resurgence of these powerful substances comes some big questions about their origins, impacts, and potential. From sacred traditions stewarded over millennia to current mental-health studies, psychedelics mean many things to many different people – and how we understand these perception-shifting compounds has critical implications for health and society today.

A timely new ROM-original exhibition, Psychedelics: Art. Culture. Science., goes deeper than the headlines to explore the historical, cross-cultural, and scientific importance of altered states of consciousness.

Opening June 6, 2026, and running until December 6, 2026, this interdisciplinary exhibition synthesizes dizzyingly dense brain science and complex histories into a fascinating, visually stunning exhibition that allows visitors to wander through the shifting landscapes of human consciousness, tracing how psychedelics have shaped our inner worlds across time – including the surprising Canadian roots of the very term “psychedelic” itself.

The initial concept for this ROM-original exhibition was developed collaboratively by Dr. Justin Jennings, ROM Senior Curator, Archaeology of the Americas, and Colin Fleming, ROM Executive Writer and Creative Communications Strategist. Together, they shaped the idea of exploring the deep historical roots and contemporary scientific research on psychedelics. As co-editors, they collaborated on the exhibition catalogue – building on Jennings’s archaeological fieldwork that revealed the first direct evidence of hallucinogen consumption by members of the Wari Empire, which ruled the Peruvian highlands from 600–1000 AD.

To create an exhibition focused on such a multifaceted topic that spans thousands of years of cultural and scientific history, ROM drew on the input and expertise of a group of more than 30 Canadian and international subject-matter experts and community advisors.

“By foregrounding diverse cultural practices and the latest research, Psychedelics: Art. Culture. Science. helps make sense of this topical and timely subject,” says Jennifer Wild, ROM Interim Co-Director & CEO. “The result is an exhibition as thought-provoking as it is immersive, layered with compelling works of art and culture alongside fascinating natural-history specimens.”

“This exhibition aims to expand understanding, inspire critical reflection, and prompt discussion,” says exhibition curator Justin Jennings. “While the topic of psychedelics is incredibly complex, there is much to learn from different traditions from around the world that can help us build a healthier and better-connected world ahead.”

Presented in phases that echo the journey of a psychedelic experience, the exhibition invites visitors to expand their minds by considering six key questions spanning the history, science, cultural impact, and future of psychedelics. It offers an insightful examination of their risks and benefits through immersive experiences, original artworks from across the ages, sacred objects, and natural specimens – including the flora and fauna that have been used as medicines for millennia, and their modern-day lab-made derivatives.

Showcasing 90 objects from across ROM’s collections as well as loaned items from global institutions and cultural communities from around the world – including paintings, posters, textiles, specimens, models, and archival materials – Psychedelics thoughtfully contextualizes this class of drugs, starting with an introduction to the four ‘classic’ psychedelics that act on the brain in a similar way: psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, and DMT. This section includes a reproduction of the 1956 letter from famed writer Aldous Huxley to Saskatchewan-based psychiatrist Humphrey Osmond, who first coined the term “psychedelic” – which translates to “mind-manifesting.” 

Next, visitors learn about how psychedelics work – in part through immersive elements that mimic the effects of these substances on the brain, including the way they can distort reality. The role of medical research in the reappearance of psychedelics in mainstream discourse is also highlighted, as universities, hospitals, and other institutions investigate the potential ability of these drugs to disrupt rigid, repetitive thought patterns. 

The exhibit showcases the rise in global studies on psychedelic therapy over the past two decades for conditions including depression, anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder. This includes the largest clinical trial of psilocybin (the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms”) for people with treatment-resistant depression at 22 sites in 10 countries, with Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) as the sole Canadian site.

“Psychedelics sit at a fascinating intersection of science, medicine, culture, and human experience,” says Dr. Ishrat Husain, Senior Scientist and Psychiatrist at CAMH, and a consultant on the exhibition. “What makes this moment so important is that modern research is allowing us to revisit these compounds with scientific rigor, humility, and a strong commitment to ethics and patient safety, while deepening our understanding of the mind and mental health problems like depression.”

While scientists are still uncovering how these compounds function, the exhibition highlights the many organisms in nature (from fungi to desert toads) that produce chemicals with psychedelic effects. Highlights include those that aid survival – deterring predators, suppressing competitors, or spreading spores. Psychedelics doesn’t shy away from taking a close look at the flipside, however: when humans ingest these compounds, the effects can vary widely, from medicinal to toxic – and can even be deadly.

Visitors will also encounter long-held practices involving psychedelic substances by examining objects that accompanied their use – including sacred belongings, artworks, and textiles from global Indigenous communities across time, such as the ancient Mayans and the Huichol peoples of Mexico today. Psychedelics remain important to diverse cultures around the world, many united by a desire to reach beyond ordinary consciousness. 

Learn about how communities today – including followers of the Santo Daime Church, and the Shipibo-Konibo indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon – have a deep connection to ayahuasca, consumed as a psychoactive tea to facilitate spiritual experiences, self-knowledge, and healing.

No overview of this topic would be complete without a spotlight on the 1960s – the period that immediately comes to mind when thinking of psychedelics. As such drugs went mainstream in this era of youthful rebellion against established norms, artistic innovation and countercultural energy flourished – showcased through groovy archival rock posters and album covers interspersed in the gallery with contemporary works inspired by the era.

One of the most intriguing elements of the exhibition – an immersive multimedia space – offers a unique vantage point for those who want to better understand the psychedelic experience, presenting sights and sounds that mirror the striking visuals and multi-stage journey of a psychedelic trip (moving from rise and peak to the comedown), complete with sharpened textures, repeating fractals, and complex audio soundscapes. Artworks displayed nearby – including Ontario artist and filmmaker Annie MacDonell’s large-scale 2023 work Ego Death Trip, which depicts a young woman lost in a psychedelic dream – also capture the sensations at play.

The exhibition ends where its concept began: by considering the dynamic – and evolving – future of psychedelics during their current resurgence. While viewing headlines and artworks that reflect both the promise and pitfalls of these substances (including an exuberant Technicolour dreamscape by American cartoonist Brian Blomerth, known for his illustrated “visual histories” of psychedelics and artwork for popular bands such as Fleet Foxes, Future Islands, and Tame Impala), visitors will have the chance to reflect and share their thoughts through a participatory activity on how their perception of the topic may have changed.

After decades of prohibition, these once unmentionable drugs are having a moment – Psychedelics: Art. Culture. Science. offers a unique primer on better understanding these compounds – informed by Indigenous, cultural, and scientific knowledge.

Note: ROM does not recommend or encourage the use of psychedelics or provide instructions for their use. Most psychedelics remain illegal in many countries around the world, including Canada.

ROM Members will have the first opportunity to see Psychedelics: Art. Culture. Science. during the Member Previews on Friday, June 5 from 10 am to 5:30 pm, and Saturday, June 6 from 10 am to 12 pm.