Meet the 2023 Participants

Blue M.B.K. is a multidisciplinary artist born in Turkiye and based in Toronto. Blue studied Film Design and Animation in Izmir DEU (2016-2019). Blue has worked with musicians all over the world. Her work on music videos has been recognized and spotlighted by Spotify.She has worked as an Animator for 2 years. Currently, Blue is sharpening her storytelling skills and discovering more creative ways to reflect her journey. 

@mervebetul.k

@blue_mbk

Braxton Wignall is an upbeat charismatic photographer born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario to Jamaican parents. He seeks to learn what makes people unique and what their story is in order to treat them with equity, and in ways that make them feel most comfortable and respected. He struggled heavily carving out an identity for himself and wasn’t sure if he wanted to be his own person, or fit in. Braxton became heavily involved advocating for education reform public speaking at OISE, York U, Columbia University, TDSB and even writing curriculum and being published as an author, all before entering university. He thought it was his calling to teach. However, in university he was gifted a camera. Braxton took this camera with him everywhere and began to fall in love with the messages he was interpreting from the images he was taking. Photography became a huge part of the way he expressed himself, and his reality. Braxton always felt the need to tell a story. The story of his life, or the stories of others. Through photography he brings stories to life leading with grace and love. He hopes that each photograph and story shared helps others view the world with as much empathy and love as him.  braxtonwignall

Cain Ibrahim is a Lebanese graphic designer living in Toronto, aspiring to create art that draws on the lived Toronto experience, including   immigration, intermingling of faiths and cultures, and appreciation for the often lesser appreciated parts of the city. Drawing on his Middle Eastern background, he also aims to create art that evokes a personal sense of Arabic romance, wonder, and mystery, whilst drawing from Sufism, Islamic calligraphy, and the natural Middle Easter World.

  @skinofthewhale

Chinelo Yasin (She/They) the young and ambitious artist, is known within the Toronto creative community for paving their own lane, and making themselves known within a room full of forceful competition. Making strides within Photography, DJ'ing, Film Production positions, and whatever else that peaks their interest, they take pride in developing themselves as a Cross-Disciplinary Artist. Last year alone, while juggling the completion of their Honours Degree in Social Science - Criminal Justice, Chinelo embarked in their musical and creative curiosity which landed them either working for, or alongside some very notable powerhouses within the city. Getting booked left and right early into their DJ era, they never ceased to neglect their passion for photography. Their digital footprint began and flourished on Instagram but some may have seen their work featured in Liminul Magazine, BULLY Magazine Online Exclusives, Lomography USA, BlogTo & cover art work for the Jamaican musical force known as BAMBII. As of now, Chinelo has published a photo book titled, 'The Metronome of Toronto' which visually captures some of the most electric nights of the Toronto music underground. Bound to be known as a renaissance individual as they continue to feed into their curiosity and follow the dopamine, the Zimbabwean born individual is eager to get deeper into their craft and utilize the foundations they continue to nurture and build from the prior year.  @chineloyasin LinkedIN: @chineloyasin Visco: @youllcy

Doug Rodas (he/him) is a graphic designer and illustrator originally from El Salvador and currently based in Toronto, Canada. He specializes in developing concepts and visual elements for collaborators who are pushing boundaries in the creative and cultural scene. His work often explores themes such as creativity, equality, diversity, and social inclusion. In 2018, he earned a BA in Graphic Design, and in 2022, he obtained a Diploma in Illustration. Doug has successfully completed projects for clients in the USA, Canada, UK, Norway, and Australia. Some of his notable clients include Coca-Cola, Wacom, and the Church-Wellesley BIA. Doug’s work has been featured in various exhibitions, and has received awards in El Salvador, Spain, and Argentina. To learn more about Doug and his work, visit his website at www.dougrodas.com.  @doughism LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dougrodas Behance: be.net/dougrodas 

ISA has always had a love for design and creation; with that she founded her brand, The Ugly Twin, in 2016. Whilst working on clothing design, she became increasingly curious about furniture design, spacial design, 3D modelling and 3D printing. She's self-taught and fuelled by her insatiable sense of curiosity.

: @kvbou

website: www.i3a.studio 

Jaidah-Leigh Wyatt (she/her) is a Canadian-Jamaican multidisciplinary artist currently studying film at York University. A writer first and foremost, she enjoys bringing her words to life through other mediums, whether that be film, photography or audio based projects. As a lover of animation, absurdism and psychological horror, she is no stranger to weird, unconventional, or undefinable art - and in fact strives to make works that fall into this particular niche. Her stories are intended to make people think differently about concepts that were once familiar to them, or teach them something new all together. She wants to hold a mirror up to her audience, and hope that they learn something about themselves and their environment. You can find her on  @jai_____duh.

Leah Flanagan is a Toronto-based multimedia designer and visual artist that combines the analog world with the digital one. Her goal is to bring her passion of collage into any project she explores. She earned a bachelor's degree of Multimedia and Communications at McMaster University. She has worked with large brands such as Adidas,Kobo, Subway, and the Immersive Van Gogh Experience in Toronto. Outside of work, Leah runs her art business, Flanzella, where she is a content creator and sells her originals and art prints of her handmade collage artworks. View her works at https://www.flanzella.com  @flanzella YouTube: @flanzella LinkedIN: leaholiviaflanagan

Mose Desmoulins is an award-winning graphic designer and artist based in Toronto, Ontario. His work confronts preconceptions; breaking apart what we know and reimagining it through a new lens. In his current artist residency with the University of Toronto and Doris McCarthy Gallery, he is exploring the modern appropriation of Indigenous culture by public schools, and professional sports teams in their names and mascots. His forthcoming exhibition represents a new approach to reclaiming and rewriting harmful cultural and historical narratives. Through art, he hopes to both honor these logos for their service, and fulfill his own cultural responsibility to take a wounded soldier off of the battlefield.

Rachel Galang is a queer Filipino-Trinidadian, interdisciplinary artist, and bowler born and based in Toronto. Nicknamed “Kulot” meaning curly in Tagalog for being the first grandchild born with an afro, she’s spent her entire life in bowling alleys throughout the GTA and in parts of the US. Carrying a notebook, ballpoint pen and sharpie to every league and tournament her parents dragged her to, lil’ Kulot would create imaginary worlds through scribbles and doodles before she knew how to read or write. She continues to explore and express herself via the arts as a storyteller, devoting her time to finding common threads that link just about any medium/discipline or experience together. She studied Art and Design Fundamentals at centennial college, where she began exploring a broad range of creative industries. Painting, life drawing, creative writing, collaging, the study of design principles, photography, and Adobe softwares like illustrator, premier pro, and photoshop stole her heart. Rachel is an Artist, Intuitive, Graphic Designer, Painter, Illustrator, Writer, Poet, and here to help bring visions and dreams to life in a visually appealing manner.   @artbygalang .