Damo is a visual, graphical, and fine artist of Nigerian Heritage based in Toronto, Canada.

Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, he grew up in a multilingual and multicultural environment, which exposed him to a world of mixed cultures and traditions. Exploring the world of art became his escape and language through which he expressed his inner thoughts and brought imagination and images to life.

At the heart of Damo's artistic development was his mother, a dynamic African woman who instilled in him the values of love, empowerment, and integrity. Recognizing his unique talent, she nurtured his passion by exposing him to the beauty and pain of Africa and beyond. Through her support and vision, Damo discovered his autodidact nature and his true calling in fine art and painting.

His art pieces depict his values: African beauty, blackness, and the rich heritage of Africa, including an exploration of suffering. They also explore women's empowerment and graphical stories of fictional and nonfictional orientations. These edifices are murals, abstract in nature or pure representational pieces, each telling a unique story to the observing mind.





In the past I've struggled with imposter syndrome, which causes me to doubt my abilities and wonder why I'm given opportunities that seem to be based more on my race than my skills. I order to show the positive progress and history of black people, I chose a new angle from which to write this piece. In Nigeria's capital city of Lagos, the eyo masquerades (dancing masquerades are a cultural icon. They are revered as a reincarnated souls of the city's founding Yoruba ancestors. I put them on a set of talking drums played at the eyo festival to coax them into the open. I'm trying to convey that our ancestors are pleased with the development of the Black community and the steps we've taken to secure our freedom, from the Black Lives Matter movement to the Endsars protest.





Nicole Alexander is a self-taught visual artist currently residing in Ontario, Canada. Nicole’s paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolour reflect a unique Afro-Caribbean vibe. Having spent her childhood and youth in the two island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Nicole’s inspiration for her paintings stems from her love of Caribbean dance, poetry, calypso music and most importantly from the beauty of her culture and heritage. Like one of her favourite mentor artists, Elizabeth Catlett, who endured and fought through racial barriers to make a name for herself, Nicole stands by Catlett’s message of creating art for all people to enjoy.

Website: http://www.nicolealexander.ca/



As a first-generation Canadian and a woman of the Black diaspora, I seek to tell the truths and share the histories of my people and my heritage.

While my work is exploratory and experimental in nature, my work primarily explores the beauty in being Black. I aim to present faceless, Black figures so that the audience members can see themselves in my work. experience.

My driving force as an artist is to emphasize and highlight the excellence of Black people and to highlight joys, triumphs and most importantly our histories and our stories.

I am an interdisciplinary artist and entrepreneur working within a variety of mediums from acrylic to digital drawing to video art. I am a member of Beaux Arts Collective in Brampton and I have exhibited in several group shows across the GTA at Beaux Arts, Daniels Spectrum and MakeRoom.

Website: https://shopkdadesigns.com/





Hammed A. Babatunde Is a Toronto based artist. His work focus more on vibrant colours and texture to empower people the comes in contact with his paintings. Being a Nigerian descent, he has always gained inspiration and motivation from his surroundings which comprises of a lot of great individuals Who embodies “the strength in being black”, he , uses this inspiration to create modern art using abstract that captures emotions, ideas and thoughts.

It is important to him that people see love and positive energy in what he creates. He also create vibrant contemporary art which he found attracted people of all ages. His hard work towards spreading positive energy creates opportunities of working with different communities and the greater Toronto area like: Jane and Finch community in collaboration with Toronto Public Library for a back to school event, an event held in Jane and Finch Mall.

Instagram: @hammedix_art





Krystal Ball is a Jamaican-born fine artist and muralist based in Toronto. She began doing art at a very tender age which grew into a life-long passion which saw her winning multiple awards, including placing first in an international art competition held by the Pan-American Health Organization at the age of 10. Her work features the human form and uses bold colours to tell stories of the human experience.

Krystal attended Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia and studied Fine Arts. Krystal has shown at the BAND Gallery, PAMA, Bradley Museum and was featured in the Toronto Star.

Website: https://krystalballart.com/
Instagram: @krystalballartist





Rohan, Jamaica Canadian self taught artist who specialized in Portraits, Landscape and abstract paintings. Art is the mind paint brush, it colors any situation.





A practicing artist for over 30 years. Produced and sold over 8,000 works of art, that can now be found in both Private and Corporate Collections, Museums, Universities, Hospitals, Libraries and City Halls through out the world. Produced, curated and exhibited in over 300 solo and group exhibits, in the USA and Canada

Art Director of the Association of African-Canadian Artists, the largest Canadian, Art Organization dedicated to the support, development and sharing of original works of art, produced by artists of African-Canadian heritage.

Website: http://www.joanbutterfield.com/





My name is Segun Caezar, I am a Nigerian living in Toronto. I attended Centennial College to study Fine arts studio. I am a contemporary visual artist whose work combines the expressive potential of simple shapes with vibrant colours, and often the precision of realism. My vision is to break systemic barriers through representation and elevation of the African people’s vibrant narratives and show connections between Canadian and African experiences. Advancing global recognition of Africa’s historical influence on well-known art forms, lives at the core of my career as an artist.

Website: https://icaezar.com/collections/geometrics?
Instagram: @icaezar





Claire Carew was born in the country of Guyana, South America, of African and European ancestry. She has a Masters of Fine Arts from Instituto Allende/University of Guanajuato, Mexico, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Guelph, a Diploma in Education in Visual Art Specialties from McGill University, as well as various diplomas, awards and certificates from a variety of educational institutions in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Claire’s experiences with the rituals of shaman healers have helped her discover the lives of her historic ancestors and thereby enliven her art. The colours and subjects of Claire’s paintings and sculptures continue to evolve and be enriched by her exploration of indigenous cultures which inform the mystery of her creative process. As a result, her work is ethereal, guided by dream interpretations and the wisdom of “the ancient ones.”  Claire feels that her strongest body of work was completed in Mexico.

Website: https://www.clairecarew.com/





Amber Carroll is a self-taught artist, focused in Hamilton, ON. She is currently an undergraduate student at Western University and remains an active member of the Western community by contributing artworks to the university’s Public Arts Commission, the Western Gazette, as well as numerous publications.

Her works explore the nuanced and often unexpressed emotional experiences of marginalized groups. These artworks invite viewers to reflect upon the extent to which they allow themselves to be vulnerable and honour the validities of their struggles in a world of systemic suppression.





Chaka Chikodzi is a Zimbabwean-Canadian stone sculptor based in Kingston, Ontario, where he has lived with his family for the past ten years. He works with volcanic rock from Zimbabwe where he began sculpting as a teenager and has a studio in Kingston and in Mvurwi, Zimbabwe, where he works with a team of assistants.

Chaka’s work is inspired by the beauty and simplicity of the natural rock formations that are unique to Zimbabwe’s landscape. It is also inspired by stories of migration and our relationship to the landscapes that bear witness to our travels.

Working with Zimbabwean stone here in Canada, where he has lived for the past 23 years, he has become increasingly interested in the stone itself – in the story it tells about geological history and in the relationship that he has forged with it over years living between two continents.

Website: https://chakachikodzi.com/





Neville Clarke, born in Kingston Jamaica, immigrated to Canada in 1974 and lived in Orillia, Ontario.

In 1979 he studied Art Fundamentals at Sheridan College, then Fine Arts at the Ontario College of Arts from 1980-84, to include the Florence, Italy program.

Neville received membership to the Ontario Society of Artist and the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. He served on the board of directors for the CSPWC, then as president from (2001-2003). In 2001, he presented a collection of watercolour paintings to HRH, the Prince of Wales on behalf of the (CSPWC) 75th Anniversary at Canada House in London England.





Delio Delgado holds degrees from the National School of Visual Arts and Altos de Chavon School of Design in the Dominican Republic. His paintings, prints and installations have been exhibited in Canada and abroad. “The Poetry of Travel” was created as part of an exchange with Cuban artists and has since been shown in Hamilton, Toronto and Wichita, Kansas. His recent exhibition at You Me Gallery in Hamilton was reviewed by Regina Haggo, and by Carlos Francisco Elías.

Much of Delgado’s work addresses his experience of migrating from the Dominican Republic to Canada. He incorporates found and hand drawn imagery to create prints that explore notions of place and migration. Delgado’s formal compositional style is influenced by collage and numerical calculations. Recent paintings resonate with his physical and emotional struggle during the pandemic.





I am a Jamaican-Canadian who absolutely loves the Canadian landscape. I started painting regularly in 2004, after watching my wife paint landscapes and seascapes of the British Virgin Islands, where we lived. Since arriving in Canada 12 years ago, I have been captivated by the beauty of the Four Seasons. I have been working tirelessly to improve my ability to paint my impressions of this country’s awesome splendour using Acrylics on canvas, wood and watercolour paper.

As a consequence of this obsession with the landscape, I occasionally produce something that really satisfies me.

Some of my work has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of Burlington, Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre, Queen Elizabeth Park Community Cultural Centre in Oakville, Town of Oakville, Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, Sovereign House in Bronte and the Art Gallery of Guelph.

Instagram: @pauldias.art





Flesherton, Ontario artist Anna-Maria Dickinson, who was born a creative soul on the lovely Island of St. Vincent, describes herself as a "Child of the Tropics". Many of Anna-Maria’s pieces have been showcased in galleries, museums and cultural venues in and around Toronto, Canada and in the United States. She has participated in 3 juried exhibitions at the Royal Ontario Museum and was invited to paint 2 pianos for the “Play Me I Am Yours” project at the 2012 launching of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. Her pieces can be found in private collections throughout Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Caribbean.

Website: http://annamaria-dickinson.artistwebsites.com/





Miyakah’s process begins with an impulse; an itch aimed at making what is invisible, elusive and intangible within them visible, visual and well defined. Their work comes from their gifts and unique sight as a black Neurodiverse (ADHD and ASD) person; in that way, each brushstroke is both stimming and an affixation of their innate ability to perceive and internalize the subtle, complex energies around them. Miyakah’s work surprises and revels in what is bold, defiant, dynamic and formless; in many ways it can be said that their playground consists of the conveyance of sensation, chaos and emotion, all the while highlighting the pockets of order that float within it. Miyakah is primarily based in Toronto, Canada.

Website: https://www.miyakah.com/about/





Macaulay Eteli is a self-taught artist whose love for art was shaped by childhood games in his native country Nigeria. He started drawing on dirt, wooden slates, craft paperbags and any surface that was at his disposal. While growing up in Nembe, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, Macaulay also explored the use of clay dug up from the shoreline of the river in front of his residence. With the clay he fashioned ornaments and miniature sculptures.

Captivating yet never overpowering, this is the aura that Eteli's latest body of work conveys. His relaxed style beckons viewers to -- come closer and listen to a story. As you look his creation comes alive. His subtle style allows him to flow from traditional images to sceneries to abstracts. This ability shows depth and maturity in Eteli's exhibitions.

Website: http://eteliart.ca/





Fantu is an Ethiopian-born African, European and Canadian-trained artist. A scholarship from the Italian government allowed him to attend universities in Italy. Fantu also studied at Medicine Hat College in Canada on a Nova corporation scholarship and is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Alberta government for scholastic achievement and of the Our Image award in the established artists category. Over the course of his career, Fantu has exhibited in over 30 individual exhibitions and 20 group exhibitions. His work has been shown in the USA, Canada, Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. In addition, his work adorns the personal spaces of boxing champion Lennox Lewis, former Argo quarterback Rocket Ishmael, artist Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) and many more.





“Kim Foster Yardley, a first generation South African Canadian, is a visual artist working in her downtown Toronto studio.

I am based in Toronto, having moved from Cape Town, South Africa five years ago. As a painter working primarily in oil and acrylic, I make both figurative and abstract work.

Currently my focus is on figurative portraiture work dealing with identity, equity and mental health advocacy.

As an individual who was born into apartheid, my identity was defined by a political and social system. Drawing on this and my personal experiences as an immigrant, my mixed media practice, explores themes of identity, grief, racial trauma and ambiguity.

My intention with my work is to make sense of this lived experience; to express emotion unravelling; and disrupt misconceptions by expressing states of vulnerability and melancholy.”

Website: https://www.kimfosteryardley.com/
Instagram: @kimfosteryardleystudio





Georgia Fullerton is a professional visual artist, expressive arts therapist, and public speaker. She’s the founder of the Fullerton Fine Art Collection showcasing her original paintings and promotional products. Georgia is the creator of JustGeorgia®– Expressive Arts to Heal the Heart -- a business offering therapeutic arts-based workshops. A popular guest on local TV networks, Georgia is frequently asked to speak about her work, and her artistic process. Her dynamic abstract art explores the relationship between the real and imagined, and reveals her emotions, memories of her girlhood and Jamaican roots. Her paintings and prints are in private and public collections around the world.

Website: https://www.fullfineart.com/

Ian Grant has a collection of naturalistic photographs taken in some of the world’s most spectacular locales. Grenadian-Born, he has lived in Toronto for many years and from this vantage point he had the privilege of travelling to, and capturing images in Brazil, Italy, Aruba, Yugoslavia, Azores, Grenada, Honolulu, just to name a few.

As a self taught photographer, he enjoys liberating these unbelievably picturesque scenes, the colours, the moments, and the angles that are only in the cool heat of his imagination.

Much of Grant’s audience so far, have found that his warm, relaxed outdoor scenes and his distant lazy horizons, reminds them of the paradise in their secretly sculpted dreams.



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Jamaican-Canadian artist Wayne Hanson paints from a serene inner sanctuary, weaving vibrant hues that echo his inner light. His art has graced prestigious exhibitions like "From the Soul" at the Royal Ontario Museum and the "Beyond the Rhythm" tour spanning venues such as Oakville Town Hall to Mississauga Heritage Centre to the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa.

Hanson has also exhibited for “nuit blanche” in Toronto and for the Emancipation Arts Festival “Relatively Speaking” at Grey Roots Museum in Owen Sound.

Inspired by the universal light emanating from every soul, Hanson's artistic practice beckons viewers to harmonize with each painting, offering a tranquil communion and a profound sense of peace.





I am an interdisciplinary artist who uses work centred around performance and interaction to explore the intersection of social issues I have encountered as a black, mixed race, gender non-conforming person. Valuing mindfulness and connection through art, I utilise my body and image in creating work that questions otherness and explores our connections to one another on a global and domestic scale.





Trinidadian born Wayne Headley is a self-taught artist who has been honing his craft for over three decades. Wayne's growth and development continues as he experiments with a wide range of materials and styles.

Wayne draws his inspiration from many sources particularly from the vibrant mix of peoples and cultures that surround him. He is also inspired by his deep love and respect for the ultimate works of our awe inspiring Creator.

Wayne's awards have been used by many prestigious organizations. Following in the footsteps of his Jamaican grandfather, The Honorable Alvin T. Marriott, Wayne is driven to highest level of creativity and artistic expression.

Website: http://www.headleysculptures.com/





I grew up in a home that embodied art from the eyes of a scientist. Evenings included her bringing a medium to create with and material to create on from work. She believed Art like Sport is a language in its essence.I derive my passion and inspiration from her and though there are many years of not creating I’m blessed to have had a superhero such as her.. So who is the person behind the painting? My name is Walter Henry and my biography is in honour of my mother..Secondly I would like to thank Ms Chilly for pushing me through all my doubt with this submission



Jennylynd James is an artist, writer, vocalist, and food scientist all in one package... a true Renaissance woman. She is originally from Trinidad and Tobago. Jennylynd graduated with a Ph.D. in food science at McGill University, Canada and continued working in this field for over 15 years in the Florida, California, and in the Republic of Ireland. In Ireland, Jennylynd developed her own range of sauces and seasonings, and ran this business with ‘artistic flair’ for many years.She started painting while living in Ireland and continues to experiment with vivid colours in acrylic and oils. Jennylynd now lives in Bloor West Village, Toronto, Ontario.

Website: http://jennylyndjames.pixels.com



Ken John was born in Pakistan in 1967 and has been a resident of Hamilton, Ontario for over 50 years.

As a young man, he attended Cathedral High School in Hamilton and then went on to McMaster University where he obtained his Honours Art degree. Ken has been an Educator for the last 30 years and has enjoyed teaching art and working with young people.

Ken draws his inspiration from nature, patterns and colour. His recent collection focused on the simple beauty found in nature. His pieces are said to have a tropical, vibrant feel that also have a Native and East Indian flare.





A.Y. Johnson is a Nigerian artist based in Ontario, Canada. Her artistic queries surround themes of afro-centric social issues, black feminist dialogue, and exploration of her Yoruba heritage. Through barrier-free visualization, she encourages conversation on these topics as she further explores the contradictions of cultural identity and self representation, drawing the viewer into conversations about race, spirituality, and tradition.

Johnson graduated from the Ontario University of Arts and Design (OCAD U) in Toronto, Ontario with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and has extensive experience showing work in exhibitions across the greater Toronto area. She has also been commissioned to produce works in her local community.

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Sheryl Keen has been a creative since she could first hold pencil and paper. She is interested in bringing contemplative and interpretive works to the viewers’ experience.

Her work is mainly done in acrylics mixed media. These works have been shown in both solo and group exhibitions. Some of the places that she has shown her work include CIBC Black History Month Events, several of Toronto Public Libraries, private showings, Areej Gallery, and the Feminist Arts Conference at OCAD. Her last solo exhibition in 2018 took place at Station Gallery.

Sheryl Keen's themes include exploring the internal struggles that take place within a person that leads to outward change. She also looks at faces and masks and how we wear each as a survival mechanism.

Website: http://www.sherylkeen.com/



Queen Kukoyi (they/she), a Black, Gender-Queer, Nerodivergent, Mad Multidisciplinary Artist, whose practice encompasses Queer theory in a Meta-analytical Afrofuturistic convergence of art and technology, mindfulness, sound, and Noetic sciences through spoken word poetry, digital collage animations, AR, immersive experiences and installation work that touch on concepts surrounding the Afrofuturistic meditative space. Queen Kukoyi has been serving the community for 20+ years, combating structural violence against Black and Indigenous youth through youth service resources, arts education programs in schools, community centres and justice advocacy. Queen believes it is integral that exposure to creative practices and free skill-based opportunities enables us to vocalise our stories. Queen is also the Founding co-lead and collaborative member of Oddside Arts, a grassroots cultural arts not-for-profit and creative technology artist collective, merging art, technology and wellness through Black speculative design.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queenkukoyi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/queenkukoyi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jusicequ33n
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/queen-zakiyyah-kukoyi-20b13845/





Based in Toronto, Canada, Henrietta Olave is my alter ego.

Inspired by the strength, resilience, beauty and faith of my mother and grandmother, I use mixed mediums to create opulent images of Afrocentric womanhood. My aim is for little black girls to look at my paintings and see that their black is beautiful. In 2021, after waking from a dream of my own gallery exhibit, I picked up a paintbrush for the first time and fell deeply in love. The rest of the story is in process.

Instagram: @henriettaolave





Katrina Lindo has a passion for art, ever since she was six years old. Her art has made an impact on her life by expressing her emotions and by storytelling through her artworks. Katrina’s motivations to create, comes from society conflicts that involves religion, self, and topics that are controversial. Such as attitudes to mental health, LGBT+ community, political and more taboo subjects. With her art, she portrays awareness to connect in a way with the audience by storytelling. Education has helped her by, exploring different materials and ways to portray her art in a striking way.

Website: Katrina Lindo's Instagram Site



Charmaine Lurch is a conceptual artist whose work draws attention to human-environmental relationalities. Lurch’s paintings and sculptures are conversations on infrastructures and the spaces and places we inhabit. Working with a range of materials and reimagining our surroundings—from bees and taxi cabs to The Tempest and quiet moments of joy, Lurch subtly connects Black life and movement globally.

Her work has been exhibited at The Royal Ontario Museum; The Art Gallery of Ontario; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia; The Liu Institute in Vancouver; Nuit Blanche Toronto; The National Gallery of Jamaica; Riverbrink museum, Queenston Ontario; Massillon Museum in the USA; and Platform 3 in Tehran, Iran.

Website: https://charmainelurch.ca/



Lisa Meecham is a practicing artist with the Art Gallery of Burlington where she shares her passion for the art of Traditional Wool Rug Hooking through guild participation and community outreach. Rug hooking is a relaxing, yet productive activity that promotes tactile mobility and mindfulness, balanced with positive and engaging social interaction. Lisa draws from Canadian historical and cultural narratives to connect those new and seasoned to the craft. Her other mediums include woodworking and up-cycling reclaimed materials.



Lisa Meecham is a practicing artist with the Art Gallery of Burlington where she shares her passion for the art of Traditional Wool Rug Hooking through guild participation and community outreach. Rug hooking is a relaxing, yet productive activity that promotes tactile mobility and mindfulness, balanced with positive and engaging social interaction. Lisa draws from Canadian historical and cultural narratives to connect those new and seasoned to the craft. Her other mediums include woodworking and up-cycling reclaimed materials.

Rachel Meecham is a designer, artist, and undergraduate Commerce student at Dalhousie University. Her practicing mediums include ceramics, iPad sketching, and contemporary sticker design. An advocate for legal rights, she appreciates clean aesthetics that make clear statements.





Shantel Miller graduated from Boston University with an MFA in Painting. In 2021, she received the Dedalus Foundation Fellowship in Sculpture and Painting, the Ester B. Khan Award, and the Elizabeth Greenshields Award. Notable solo exhibitions include The Side Profile Series at Xpace Cultural Centre in Toronto and A Legacy Unfolding at the Varley Art Gallery in Markham. She has participated in numerous group shows, residencies, and art fairs in North America, including The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, the Nia Center for the Arts Artist-in-Residence Program, the Converging Liberations Residency at Mass MoCA, NADA Miami and Future Fair in NYC. Shantel recently received the Artadia Award and the Ujima Boston Project’s 2022-2024 Artist Fellowship.

Website: https://www.shantel-miller.format.com/
Instagram: @shantelmillerart





My art has become a way through which I visually analyze the state of the world past and present and how it affects the human race. My environment and culture intrigue and inspire my work.

I was born and raised in Owen Sound Ontario in the fifties just at the beginning of the American civil rights movement and before the phrase “black pride” was first spoken. My experiences growing up suffering from racism and poverty led me to become fascinated with my African roots. It drove me to try and understand why and how this separate yet together society existed.

Website: https://blissstudio.info/bio





Anique has been an artist since she could write. Her art has been through a few stages. From self portraits to environmentalism, to focusing on culture.

She has been drawing longer than she has been painting and would spend endless hours as a young teenager drawing her friends sleeping as well as recreating cartoons.

Although Anique loved the arts, she spent several years working outside of the arts, and finally dug into the artist/illustrator role fully.

Website: https://aniquesart.com/





Donete Ndunga is Congolese and Angolan but Canadian-born and raised. She has a passion for art and creativity. Donete uses art as a form of expression. She continues to explore many artistic mediums and techniques to improve her skill set.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donsartgallery_?....





Micah Nelson is the owner of Balance First Workshops, an arts and wellness business. She is a Mindful Art Facilitator, Elementary Teacher and Holistic Health Practitioner. Having both international and local teaching experience, Micah is committed to supporting individuals through holistic health classes and mindful art workshops which combine meditation and painting. She believes that empowerment through the arts is a powerful catalyst for transformative healing and self discovery at any age. Micah has facilitated workshops for many organizations such as the Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women's Empowerment, Sheridan College, McGill University and other corporate and educational institutions. With a firm rooting in the nonprofit world, Micah is a former board member for Trails Youth Initiatives, one of Canada's top and most impactful children's charities.

Website: https://www.balancefirstworkshops.com
Art Store: https://www.balancedarts.ca/
Facbook: Balance First Workshops
Instagram: @balance_first_workshops





Efemena Ogboru was born and raised in Abuja, Nigeria. In 2017 she moved to Canada to pursue a degree in Fine arts at the University of Manitoba. She is an interdisciplinary artist who works with acrylics, oil paint, collages and digital works. She specialises in portraits and focuses on skin texture and the different tones in the skin. She has always had a passion for drawing from a young age, having grown up around different types of artists. She learnt how to work with oil paint from a professional Nigerian oil painter in 2016 and in 2018 she started learning graphic design. She has participated in an exhibition to help raise funds for orphans in Uganda, she has also participated in the Art Olympia 2019 competition and she has been selling her paintings and prints for over 7 years. She enjoys experimenting with different media and will continue to explore different drawing and painting techniques in the future.

Website: https://efeskeptar.art/
Instagram: @efeskeptar





Born in Nigeria, Komi Olafimihan is a Visual artist from Ottawa, who employs the domains of Painting, Digital Illustration and Mural Art. He has an M.Arch from Carleton University and his work has gained critical recognition for his ability to engage image, metaphor, symbolism and cultural commentary to address notions of decolonization through the lens of Afrofuturism –-an artistic and cultural movement that explores African culture and its intersection with present and future technologies. He has received numerous awards and grants and in 2015, was a finalist in the Nigerian National Art Competition.

Komi Olaf lives and works in Toronto, Ontario where he operates Studio-olaf 11280597 CANADA INC.

Website: https://komiolaf.com/
Instagram: @Komiolaf





Jessey (Phade) Pacho is a renowned graffiti artist, recognized by the Canadian government for his artistic endeavours. He has dedicated his life to community, arts education and mural making. Overcoming Homelessness through his craft, Jessey has positioned himself as a leader in his industry and carved a niche market for his artistic abilities, using the experiences in his life to positively contribute to society. For ten years Jessey managed multiple teams of professional artists, using the various hip hop art forms to deliver programming in schools K-12 and learning environments, Indigenous, New Comer and Marginalized communities across Canada. Jessey has done many murals for schools nation wide, local businesses, private commissions, corporate & commercial clients. Jessey has been published both nationally and internationally. Mr. Pacho’s work builds community and breathes new life into spaces that could use a boost of both colour and commerce. While seeking bigger opportunities and the pursuit of greater heights in his craft, Jessey remains a student to time and a humble servant of the arts.





Rachel Natalie Rawlins is an artist, Montreal-born to Trinidadian parents. She studied Technical Illustration at Seneca College, which included the basics of animation, graphic design, web design and photography. Although she does some digital work, her first love is the pencil and paintbrush, and so she spends time practicing her craft, and developing and evolving her style. Her love of drawing and painting people comes from her passion to capture personalities, attitudes and emotions. Her art is also heavily influenced by music. Rachel is into a variety of musical genres, including soul, hip hop, jazz, soca and reggae and enjoys playing the piano. “Songs have colours and patterns, that influences the colours and tones I use in my work.”

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Clayton "Sketch One" Ffolkes is a Graphic Designer, Cartoonist, Painter and Tattoo Artist.

He has been drawing ever since he could hold a pencil on various different surfaces. His style is said to be Raw and Authentic, which sets him apart from most.

Sketch also loves to support the arts in whatever way he can... Art is life and he lives Art!

Instagram: @sketchoneartworks





Lennon is a black, biracial, queer and trans, neurodivergent, multidisciplinary creator who, like many artists, is someone that feels they have held the position of an outsider. Lennon learned early in life to find solace in their own imagination, creating worlds from concepts and ideas. No matter the medium their goal is to bridge the gap between inside and outside of their head as a way to connect to the world around them. Lennon enjoys creating objects, people, creatures, places, and energy through many different mediums ranging from pencil sketches, acrylic paintings, digital art and more.

Instagram: @rattlingteeth





My name is Malcolm Teferi Sow (b. 1998 - Montreal, CA). Currently basing my work across as many planes of the african diaspora across the world as i travel. This selection of my archive was shot from 2017-2019, a range of photographs taken in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (my hometown), and across West Africa - often in Benin, all the way to Ethiopia. Through this period and every period of my archive, the work is about my personal emancipation & discovery of the world. These trips marked my return back home to Africa after being raised in the imperial core my entire life & reconnecting with the revolutionary roots of my grandparents. My camera serves as the tool that allows me to explore & gain a deeper understanding & appreciation with what is around me the people I encounter. The impetus is to represent my people through my photographs. In also knowing, I will never fully be able to represent contemporary black life through & across our vast complexities and intersubjectivity that makes us who we are; but in a sense of visibility, i cherish playing the role of illumination.

Website: https://www.malcolmdiasow.com/about





Ghislan Timm (Jess-lin/Jiz-lan) (she/they) is an experimental filmmaker and visual artist based in Toronto. They are currently studying Integrated Media at OCAD U and have shown works both locally and internationally. They are influenced by their Afro-Caribbean heritage, Afro-futurism, sound, and cinema. Frequently they appropriate archival film and imagery to create collages and shape non-linear narratives that often reflect on their multicultural queer identity and mythologies and romanticization of home and home-coming.

Website: https://ghislantimm.format.com/





Audra is a free-spirited British-born Jamaican Canadian abstract and mixed media artist based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is a trained Sociocultural Anthropologist who believes that, as humans, Art is a manifestation of our curiosity about the material world and, as such, an essential part of what it means to be human. Audra's Art is a fusion of intuitive and tactile (abstract) art forms, which can be characterized by a dense network of crisscrossing (and squiggly) lines separating rectangles of multiple shapes. What truly sets her work apart is the use of different materials and textures such as sand, stone and Shin Noodle packaging, combined with earthy and celestial colours. Audra’s work has been shown in Toronto, Georgetown, Vancouver, Canada; Madrid Spain, Brussels Belgium, and Seoul South Korea.

Instagram: @art.by.audrat





Truth Is ... is a Black, Queer, mother, warrior, spoken word and visual artist. They have been on over a dozen national and regional poetry slam teams since 2006. They are Co-Artistic Director of not-for-profit arts organization Guelph Spoken Word and is a recipient of the 2018 National Poet of Honour distinction, the Min Sook Lee Labour Arts Awards and Guelph's Top 40 under 40. Truth Is ... is set to debut their long awaited "A Portrait of Palinoia" project; a celebration of the beauty, distinctiveness and magic of Black women through visual art and poetry in 2024.





My name is Moïse (Moses) Tshabola Yanga. I was born in Mbuji Mayi and grew up in the city of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2017, I graduated from the renowned Institut des Beaux-Arts with a DEC in multidisciplinary fine arts, a testament to my dedication and passion for the field. Following my graduation, I furthered my studies in a digital art program, excelling in every aspect and earning a certificate from La Cité Collégiale in Ottawa in 2019. The culmination of my academic journey came in 2024 when I obtained my bachelor's degree in visual arts, specializing in the profound and captivating field of painting. Alongside my academic pursuits, I had the privilege of participating in the esteemed Symposium Gatineau en couleurs, an event that brought together an impressive array of 74 participants. I was humbled and grateful to receive recognition for my exceptional artistic contribution, an affirmation of my talent and dedication.