‘Shall We, Lost in Uxbridge?’ by Lily Kim - August/September 2019

My inspiration comes from emotions in life. I filter it to capture one pure feeling before I paint. I stay in the feeling and start my imagination flow. I like the quote from Pablo Picasso, ‘Painting is a blind man’s profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen.’ 9 years of background in graphic design eventually became my art foundation and I started my artist journey as a second career since 2018. I open my emotional sensibility every day and create narratives behind each piece. I capture moments and precious memories in my life to create emotional connections through painting. I use acrylic and gouache with mixed media to create a dreamlike ambience in my artwork. All the small dots of my multi-cultural perspective and broad artistic background as a graphic designer, an author and a painter have eventually connected, allowing me to start my artist journey with my own unique visual voice.

I adore nature especially breezy air, wild flowers and sunsets.

I am a dreamer, and I make it to real.”

Lilly Kim (b. 1977, South Korea) has developed her art practice as a second career since 2018, based in Toronto, Canada. After completing a bachelor's degree in Chinese Language and Literature at Sungshin Women's University in Seoul, South Korea, she moved to Canada and completed an Ontario College Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design and an Ontario College Certificate in Visual Arts Fundamentals at the George Brown College in Toronto. Lilly's work received the Best of Show and 1st place in the Corporate Design category at the George Brown School of Design Award, and the Red Dot Design Award for Design concept in the education category, which exhibited in Singapore and New York in 2006. As an emerging artist, Lilly has shown with group exhibitions in Toronto, including Edition art print at 3/edition Toronto International Art Book Fair, Toronto Public Library Art Exhibits Northern District Branch, BRAVE Festival, the Artist Exhibition and Market at Harbourfront Centre, Big on Bloor Festival — JOUEZ as Participatory/Interactive Art Project. In July 2017, Lilly published a book titled ‘Diving into Imagination in Daily Lives’ in South Korea, which included short personal reflections accompanied by her illustrations, paintings and lettering designs. She is working on an upcoming exhibition in Seoul, South Korea (TBD) at the Gallery 4Walls, and is the current artist showing in the Akin Vitrine Galleries in Toronto, Canada as a member of Akin Collective.

Shall We, Lost in Uxbridge?
Acrylic, gouache on canvas
Dimensions variable
2019

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @artist_dreaming_tree
#Akinvitrine
@artist_dreaming_tree
www.lillykim.com

‘Grounded, In the Sky’ by Hana Elmasry - July/August 2019

“Through aesthetics of the sublime, I capture subjective universality: something everyone experiences except innately, according to their own lived involvement. I evoke emotion instead of display it, and aim to have the audience “feel” instead of gaze. Through abstraction, expressionism and slight cubist and gestural handwriting, I interpret emotion and perception. I use relevant texts that are academically peer reviewed; my background in cognitive science and behaviour as well as my experience within different cultures to capture these subjective qualities and yet universal understanding.

Since my work exhibits cognitive states an individual can experience, the material used is a dependant variable on subject. I am a multimedia artist that utilizes acrylic, oil, marker, sticks, concrete, grout, soil, sawdust, textile in order to induce a feeling rather than suggest its contemporary meaning.”

Grounded, In the Sky, 2019
Mixed media
Dimensions variable

Website: hemisry.wixsite.com/mysite
Instagram: @miserably__happy
#akinvitrine

‘Rocks and TV LIVE’ by Laura Kay Keeling - June/July 2019

“As an artist, I strive to explore and capture the magic that comes from everyday life. From the way the sunshine catches my eye, how the flowers look after it rains, a well groomed front lawn. I try to take moments that sometimes may be overlooked and give them a second chance to be admired. I am obsessed with landscape and how it changes in different regions, how nature’s colour palette is so vibrant and engaging and how we are so fortunate to have such beauty around us in so many different shapes and sizes. I love allowing the viewer to create their own narrative from a captured moment in time and hope my work evokes feelings from the viewer, whatever that may entail such that they can be engaged with the piece. With my 'HOT ROCKS' collage series, I feature interesting and beautiful images found in gemstone field guides which have been cut apart and put back together in a new way. Not only do I love photographing nature, I love allowing it to inspire me and guide my collages to become a new representation of things organically found in nature. My current digital collage series feature sourced imagery from National Geographic Magazines, old field guides and 35mm photos I have taken merged
together to create interesting, vibrant and engaging imagery.”

www.laurakaykeeling.com
Email: laurakay.keeling@gmail.com
Instagram: @laurakaykeeling & @lllllllllllllllllkk

Rocks and TV LIVE
Mixed media
Dimensions variable

‘You Are Your Own Shadow’ by Evan Kelemen - May/June 2019

As a visual artist, my identity is integral to my work. My identity is multi-faceted: Western Canadian living in Toronto; child of non English-speaking immigrants; animal-lover and much more. I am also Trans (FTM).

I have over 10 years of experience as a scenic painter in film and television. This has afforded me the ability to be a studio artist, creating my own work. I am primarily a self taught artist, though I have attended many classes over the years at Open Studio, TSA and other spaces. In addition to my primary media, paint, I also work in drawing, printmaking, miniatures, mixed-media and installation. Much of my work centres on the premise of constant change and rethinking one’s patterns, ideas, opinions and agendas. My artistic approach inhabits the realization, that the fear of shifting mindset remains deeply rooted in our collective consciousness. I believe we are all in constant flux and transition of one sort or another. Mine is but one of many possible transitions. I am always looking to delve into the uncomfortable position that no identity is sacred, that nothing is beyond questioning.

I made this installation piece as a way to talk about how being different is still very much pushed to the side and bullied in this society and culture specifically, but also in the wider world generally. It is the book I wished I could have read as a kid.

You Are Your Own Shadow is on exhibit in the Akin Vitrine Galleries beginning at 1485 Dupont for the month of May and 1747 St. Clair Avenue West in June.

You Are Your Own Shadow
Mixed Media
Dimensions variable
2019

To contact the artist:
evankelemen@me.com
Instagram: @evank_paints

'Wayfinder’ by Sara Pearson - April/May 2019

Using material as a narrative tool, Wayfinder is a layered installation of collage imagery. Shimmering mineral watercolour on terraskin paper (made from stone) the overscaled landscape references a desired destination: as we travel through life and forge our path, we set goals, build foundations and envision our future. The floor of the gallery is covered with handmade unfired clay pebbles- impermanent objects that suggest that sometimes/many times the ground shifts, falls away, and we must again find our footing and start in a new direction. Standing on this landslide is a Wayfinder, a sculptural form of ceramic and aluminum mirror, a navigational tool used as a beacon or a landmark to guide us along our new path.

Sara Pearson is a Toronto based artist whose work has centered on the merging of science (geological and gemmological) and a self-reflexive fine arts practice choosing materials and references that relate as elemental to the earth. Through abstracted painting of gemstone refraction and land formation, and sculptural methods of bronze casting, ceramics and assemblage, she has explored concepts such as human value systems, the sublime quality of nature and the journey of transformation. Sara holds a BFA from the Ontario College of Art and Design. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions with Patel Gallery, and has shown work in Ontario and British Columbia.

Wayfinder
Mineral watercolour on terraskin paper, ceramic, aluminum, and unfired clay.
Dimensions variable
2018

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @_sarapearson_
#Akinvitrine
www.sarapearsonart.com

'Fitting' by Verity Griscti - March/April 2019

Separation, alignment and cohesion. Individual agents adhering to three simple rules can create something complex, elegant and beautiful. flitting is an analogue exploration of the popular artificial life computer algorithm boids. Originally developed in 1986 by computer programmer Craig Reynolds boids is everywhere you’ve never bothered to look. It’s been used to study the flocking behaviour of Starlings and create the computer-generated bat swarms in Batman Returns. It’s the algorithm behind swarm robotics, where groups of small robots or drones are programmed to work in cohesion and it’s automatically programming dozens of internet radio stations at once. But before the algorithm puts all the DJ’s out of work starts dropping bombs on humans let’s
look at how pretty it can be.

Verity Griscti is an artist and jill-of-all digital trades based in Toronto. Her studio practice explores generative systems and seriality in both analogue and digital mediums. She’s built
numerous websites including the award-winning Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada and has participated in various exhibitions including Maker Festival, The Toronto
Outdoor Art Show, and EyeScream’s II & III, the visual arts component of the Scream Literary Festival. Verity received a BFA in Printmaking from OCADu in 2004.

www.veritygriscti.com
Instagram: @veritygriscti
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/verityfaithgriscti

flitting, 2019
acrylic paint on duralar polyester sheets
25” x 40”
Verity Griscti

'Forest & Lakes' by Jen Pilles - January/February 2019

Jen Pilles has been developing her plein-air practice for many years, finding inspiration in the Ontario countryside, and joy in the act of studying the landscape. These works on wood and paper were created in the following locations between 2014 - 2018: Algonquin Park, Bobcaygeon, Bracebridge, Brechin, Dwight, Huntsville, Oastler Lake Provincial Park, Tamworth, Toronto Island, and Warsaw Caves Conservation Area.

Jen Pilles is a freelance illustrator and plein-air artist from Welland, Ontario. She creates charming drawings and colourful illustrations using a combination of mediums including ink, gouache, watercolour and coloured pencil. She creates work for a variety of clients including publishers, public institutions, not-for-profit organizations, small businesses, and private clients. Jen holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts with Honours in Illustration from Sheridan College.

Jen has been practicing plein-air painting for over a decade and derives much of her inspiration from travelling and exploring the landscape. The work she creates out in nature informs and inspires her illustration practice. Feeling most at home out in the woods or floating in a lake, Jen is always on the lookout for new locations to draw and paint in the open air.

Forests & Lakes
Media: gouache, watercolour, pencil, ink
Dimensions variable
Dates: 2014 - 2018

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @jenpillestration
#Akinvitrine
www.jenpilles.com

'Piqued/Peaked' by Carmina Miana - December 2018/ January 2019

“A vision of an unrecognizable self, made of shredded glitch screens woven into coloured paper, kneeling to its past. The past is all a story. Every time it’s told it’s more real, more meaningful, but less your present life.”

Carmina Miana is Toronto-based illustrator. Her image making has involved embroidery, quilting, weaving, and resin. Utilizing material meaning, both historical and contextual, and puns wherever applicable, Carmina’s work engages identity, memory formation and the constant presence of failure. Carmina is a graduate of OCADU’s Illustration program, receiving a Bachelor’s of Design (Bdes). She is currently the Social Media Coordinator for the Toronto School of Art. She often collaborates with artists of varying disciplines as a way to skill share and expands her visual language.

Title: Piqued/Peaked
Dimensions: 30x38x50
Medium: Paper, resin

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @meanugh
#Akinvitrine
www.carminamiana.com

'Perfect Circle' by Rebecca Jane Houston - November/December 2018

Can I draw circles through past and current work? If I line it all up, an accumulation of stuff made over 5 years, is there a thread to draw them together? When I was in my MFA, I spent a lot of time trying to make perfect spheres on the wood lathe. It was a meditative process and more than that it was a claiming of space as a woman in a wood shop through my presence; by taking up space and time at the tools, and doing it in a feminist way that valued process over “expertise”, open experimentation over “mastery”. Of course I only see this in retrospect. In the vitrine you can see the collection of wood spheres made on the lathe in various stages of completion. In 2017, while working on a project making 100 slip cast bowls, something I hadn’t done before, I kept the trimmings by hanging them all over my studio where they dried and many crumbled. The ones left, that survived all the moving and firing and handling, are hanging here in the vitrine as well. Another set of circles, all warped and drooping. Each like a line drawing, but in three dimensions. I was partly successful in making these bowls, it was also somewhat disastrous. Finally, the two ceramic sculptures were made with casts of spheres in clay. This was just another experiment. They were to represent a bubbling up of feeling. I don’t know if it really happened but again I learned something and moved on to the next thing. I have gathered these three collections of circles together to see if there is a meaning that brings me back in circular ways through similar considerations. Or perhaps it’s just a random collection of things.

Instagram: @rebeccajanehouston

'NO ROOM' by Yamandu Sztainbok - October / November 2018

NO ROOM is the transcription of a page remembered from a dream, mistakenly bound in the cover of the Time-Life Library of Art: World of Breughel. The story was about carnivorous rooms which feed upon and assimilate the sedentary-type rooms to which we have become accustomed. Throughout the volume were interspersed twelve pages printed in an invisible ink, which, when exposed to air for twelve seconds would absorb the atmosphere of a room. Thus the dream itself contrived to squander chance for me to transcribe the other pages.

NO ROOM
Ink on paper
2018
dimensions available

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @y.smerdis
#Akinvitrine

'Twisted Fantasy' by Samantha O’Neill - September / October 2018

Samantha is a Fashion Designer who has combined her love for both Fashion and Art. Specializing in outerwear, she creates art based pieces rather than Ready to Wear. Samantha has been passionate about fashion since her childhood and studied Fashion Business at George Brown College.

‘Twisted Fantasy’ is inspired by the idea that there is a twisted relationship between light and dark. In this work, lightness is conveyed through the use of feminine silhouettes and flowers while darkness is conveyed through the use of dark colours, textures and a certain sense of undone-ness or incomplete-ness. It’s the idea that there is a sense of torture and uncertainty even in our wildest fantasies.

Twisted Fantasy
2018
dimensions available

To contact the artist:
samantha.oneill2@gmail.com
Instagram: @samantha.toronto_
#Akinvitrine

'Propositional Forms' by Rebekah Andrade - August / September 2018

Rebekah Andrade holds a BFA in Visual Arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design and is currently completing a Graphic Design certificate, remotely, through Parsons School of Design in New York City.

“Through re-imagined environments and composed structures, my work explores the many definitions of the ideal form. My interest lies in our ways of shifting and manipulating concrete and ambiguous elements within our inhabited environments. I draw inspiration from observing our motivations and behaviour. Furthermore, channeling it through my negotiation process within the methods and boundaries of subject and medium. The neutral space that I create in allows the evolution of geometric combinations, application of paint and construction of shapes. Within my minimalistic approach of transitioning layers, ambiguous lines and contrasting palette reside harmonious moments. As I rethink my surroundings opportunities arise, allowing the work to become expressive, organically responding to both medium and subject matter. It is fundamentally important that the work stimulates the viewer to reconsider our definitions of the world in which we live.” 

Propositional Forms
oil on canvas and ceramic
2018
dimensions available

To contact the artist:
website: andraderebekah.com

'Fighting Alone' by Andrew Kennedy - July / August 2018

Andrew Kennedy’s installation ‘Fighting Alone’ explores issues surrounding human agency, individual dignity, and political demoralization. What might be more important; the group someone belongs to, or their capacity as an individual? Whose job is it to ‘fix’ the problems of our society; is it the citizen or the politician? Can human beings who tend to find meaning in life through their realization as an individual, also find meaning in group responsibility? The viewer is encouraged to bring their own thoughts and beliefs when considering the installation. After all, there are no ‘hard truths’ when contemplating the ephemeral atmosphere surrounding the current human condition.

Andrew V. Kennedy was born in New York, NY, and currently lives and works in the greater Toronto area. He received a BFA in Illustration from Rhode Island School of Design, and an MFA in Painting from Brooklyn College. His work has always been centered around the dignity of the individual, and their life in society. Issues of politics, modernity, sociology, and our ‘inner lives’ can also be seen in his work. Kennedy’s exploration of these issues began with simple portraiture; but eventually grew to include the use of text. His work has been exhibited both in New York City, and Toronto, ON.

Fighting Alone
oil on canvas
2018
dimensions available

andrewvkennedy.com

'The Exfoliation' by Ghazaleh Avarzamani - June/July 2018

Our June/July Vitrine Gallery artist was Akin MOCA member, Ghazaleh Avarzamani. Through the notion of nature as a medium, her piece The Exfoliation, will explore both the geopolitical and intimate connotations of home — from exile, displacement, and refugeeism on a global scale, to the everyday and extraordinary realms of domestic life and hospitality.

Humans classify natural species by place; i.e., those that belong and those that do not belong to a certain location. Some plants or animals, which are “non-native” to a specific location and rapidly spread, are believed to cause severe damage to the local environment, economy or human health. These are often described as “aliens,” “invaders,” or “pests.” Increasingly, since the 1950s, both human and non-human migration discourses have used the figure of the “non-native” or the “alien” as a negative input for “native” contexts. The Exfoliation re-thinks the “alien” as an entity that actually constructs a new reality and brings valuable cultural hybridization. As a result, the idea of the pristine landscape and who defines it is questioned, as perceptions of “native,” “alien,” and “invasive” species profoundly change over time.

Ghazaleh Avarzamani’s selected exhibitions include Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium museum in Norway; Bocconi Gallery in Italy; Ab/Anbar Gallery in Iran; Asia House in the UK; Etemad Gallery in UAE; and Artmark gallery in Austria. She has been the recipient of Toronto Art Council in 2018, Ontario Art Council award in 2017 and the Red Mansion Art Prize in 2013. In 2016, She curated Jabberwocky, a group exhibition at Ab/Anbar Gallery in Tehran.

The Exfoliation
mixed media
2018
dimensions available


www.ghazalehavarzamani.com
 

'Becoming' by Kate Drwecka - May / June 2018

Her installation is based on her most recent project, Becoming: a 31 page printed horror comic, the first in a series of mini comics exploring horror’s ability to process real trauma through representation. The original pages measure roughly 16.75" x 21.25", and the final product is a mini-comic that is 5.5" x 8.5". This installation features some of the original pages, and a recreation of the iconic mirror and monster from the comic. 
 
Becoming is a story of repression, denial of self, and how that presents itself in our lives. Laila is a woman who lives alone with her past, haunted by a ghastly figure living in her mirror. The reflection calls to Laila's unacknowledged history, begging her to confront her denied history.  As Laila continues to refuse her past, the figure in the mirror grows stronger, to eventually manifest outside the mirror. 

Kate Drwecka is a freelance cartoonist/illustrator working and living in Toronto. She grew up in the cold climates of Canada, and studied at the School of Visual Arts in NY. As a small child, Kate wanted to grow up and become Freddie Mercury. She still does.

Currently Kate is working on a series about an all-girl supernatural detective agency, and a series of horror comics. Kate is an original member of the Akin Comic Club and has recently helped organize our the Akin Comic Day event, a one-day celebration of comic books, comic making and comic artists!

'Becoming'
mixed media
2018
dimensions variable

http://katedee.com/

'mother / rhythm' by Jill Smith - April / May 2018

Transforming space into narrative, mother / rhythm presents a series of bodily sculptures that come together to explore complex power-based relationships. This installation emphasizes materiality, scale, and gesture as elements that have the ability to relate to human forms and body movement. Primarily using clay and concrete, mother / rhythm demonstrates a compassionate, yet commanding relationship between ambiguous material bodies.
 
Jill Smith is an interdisciplinary artist based in Toronto, Ontario (b.1995) and recently completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honors Specialization in Studio Art) At Western University. Her most recent work explores the fragility and absurdity of the body and mind, as well as the connective possibilities of materiality. Smith has exhibited work in galleries across Ontario, such as the Artlab Gallery, Forest City Gallery, The Arts Project, Open Studio, and Earl Selkirk Gallery at ARTiculations, as well as Friends and Neighbours Gallery in Montreal, Quebec. She has recently participated in artist residency programs at Sparkbox Studio in Picton, ON (May 2017) and at AGA LAB in Amsterdam, NL (September 2017). Currently, she is a member of the AGO Youth Council, and has upcoming residencies with Graven Feather and Artscape Gibraltar.

'mother / rhythm'
mixed media
2018
dimensions available

www.jillpaulinesmith.ca

Our March 2018 artist was Akin Dupont member, Kayla Polan.

Calgary-born, Toronto based artist Kayla Polan is a multidisciplinary artist working across traditional and new media. She graduated from the Ontario College of Art & Design University with a BFA major in Drawing & Painting. She will be pursuing her MFA at the University of Waterloo in the fall. Her practice melds feminism and popular culture to investigate contemporary ideas about sexuality, fetishism, domesticity, queer identity, autobiography, and consumer culture through painting, sculpture, printmaking, and performance. She has received multiple awards for her work, including the Spark Box Studio Emerging Artist Award. Her work has been exhibited in several group exhibitions in Canada and Europe. 

Exploring themes of consensual BDSM practices, alternative relationship lifestyles, and fetishism, Kayla delves into ideas surrounding chastity in her installation Romance For Two: Key To My Heart or Unlockable Shackles? In this work she investigates how sexuality is bound with power and inequality in complicated ways. Chastity belts in BDSM may be used to prevent the wearer from engaging in sexual activity without the permission of the dominant, who acts as a key holder. In this romantic picnic scene, Kayla questions how philosophical issues of purity, morality, and innocence have shaped us.

'Romance for Two: Key To My Heart or Unlockable Shackles?' 
Mixed media (metal, resin, silicone, oil paint, fabric, sculpee) 
2018

To contact the artist:
www.kaylapolan.com
Instagram: @kaylapolan

Our December 2017/January 2018 exhibition was entitled “All Are Welcome” by Akin Dupont member, Bernadette Peets.

“I have been thinking a lot about how recent immigrants and in particular refugees who come to Canada feel about us, this country and in particular what their experience is of our landscapes. 

Is Canadian society the open, warm and friendly culture that we like to think it is for these newcomers? Is our pristine landscape available to them? Does it represent a refuge or is it viewed as threatening due to its vastness and unknown dangers?

I often use wild animals in my shadow boxes to represent the vulnerability of the human characters in the narrative. In this case, the deer with the bullseye carries the symbol of the 'hunted' while at the same time acting as a warning to these individuals. The orange screen across the front is meant to slightly obscure the scene so that the viewer must look even closer to be able to see it completely. The screen says "All Are Welcome" but also acts as a barrier or an enclosure reminiscent of a refugee camp. The scenes on the side walls remind us of the origins of the travellers and the reflective surface creates a way for all of the scenes and characters to merge.

I think that we still need to go some distance in our understanding of how these newcomers may be feeling in their new reality and how we might bridge the gap between viewing them as 'other' and more as part of our communities.” 

Bernadette was born in Toronto where she currently lives and works. Her studio is in the Akin Collective at 1485 Dupont Street. She graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1996 where she majored in Drawing, Painting and Art History. She lived in Florence Italy for two years (1987–88 & 1994–95) where she continued to study Art History and develop her craft as a painter.

She has explored many themes over the past 20 years of her art practice and while she has mainly used painting as her medium she has also included three dimensional installation work as well as other pictorial devices that include shadow boxes, photographs, drawing and printmaking.

Her subjects of interest have been rooted in her political, social and aesthetic ideals. Whether she is using her work as a platform for a discussion on topics as diverse as the female body image to issues relating to the Indigenous Nations in Canada, her approach is always connected to her strong sense of design, colour and technical precision.

Craft is important to her as an effective means of communication. She believes that having a high quality of execution in her work facilitates a more effective communication of her intent.

‘All Are Welcome' 
Mixed Media
Variable Dimensions

www.bernadettepeets.com
Instagram: @b_peets

Enrique Velez Gaudite is a storyteller. Using imagery and text, found and original, he aims to compare and contrast the power of media in its digital and analog forms. He works in marketing communications by day and on his practice beyond the 40 hours outside of the fluorescent box. His work questions sincerity in social media and problematics that come with economics, love, and other conventions.

Enrique is a current member of Akin’s Dupont Studios and his installation, 404 will be on exhibit for the month of August 2017.  

He's also the founder of a small press called Particular Instances of the Possible which specializes in publishing books, zines, artists' prints, and objects.

404, 2017
Mixed Media
dimensions variable

instagram: @enrique_snaps

New work from Akin Dupont member, Adria Mirabelli launched on March 1 in the Akin Vitrine Gallery. Her installation was intended to be a space of visual escape and an affirmation of the importance of self-care.

Light Bath
Hand cut vinyl, hardware, LED lights
dimensions variable

On view 24/7, time is an entity of interest inside a vitrine space. The vitrine offers a brief escape into another world- one whose welcome extends as long as the viewer chooses to stand in front of it. Winter can feel long and relentless and it is during these months that we often consider time with a heightened awareness. The days are shorter, and we desperately try to hold onto the light that leaves us. Cut from white vinyl, sprawling floral drawings fill the vitrine space with motifs of St. Johns wort, lavender flowers, wild roses, peonies and hemp leaves which are often regarded for their healing properties in combatting anxiety, depression and restlessness. The drawings are projected with soft beams of coloured light, which are controlled on site through Adria’s iPhone, changing in colour throughout the month.

Adria Mirabelli graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2015 with a major in Drawing and Painting and minor in Fibre. Having also studied at Parsons Paris, her work is influenced by craft and design processes. Her practice is driven by an experimental approach to mark-making whereby she integrates textile manipulation processes with drawing to create large scale works on silk, felt, vinyl and paper. Adria has created site specific installations at Gallery 1313, Xpace Cultural Centre, Artscape Youngplace, the Artist Project 2017 and was a resident at The Roundtable Residency in 2015. She lives and works in Toronto.

www.adriamirabelli.com
Instagram: @adriamirabelli

Our February installation featured work by Kyle Yip, a member of our Dupont Studios.

Multimedia artist Kyle Yip also known as Discrete, is a Toronto based artist, DJ, producer and label owner of Savvy Records. He is known not only for his first full-length album, 'The Midas Touch' which garnered him a nomination for 'Best Electronic Album of the Year' at the 2016 Canadian Juno Awards in Calgary, but also his remixes for international artists such as Brabe, Society of Silence and many more.

For his album, Kyle intertwined his love for jazz, disco and soul with a deep-house and techno tinged sensibility. This medley of inspirations were crucial to constructing a sound that is not only exuberant and enigmatic, but also nostalgic and thoughtful. A similar description could be given to his paintings which are equally as energetic yet considered through his use of colour and composition. Conceptually, his work explores the relationship between the concrete and the abstract. More specifically, the left and right hemispheres of the mind as well as physical and spiritual realm.

Pepto-Abysmal
48 x 36 inches
Acrylic on panel

Rebecca Jane Houston - January 2017

Our January exhibition was by Rebecca Jane Houston, a multi-disciplinary artist who works out of the Lansdowne Akin studios.

Her recent work has been with clay, making plaster casts of “Kee Klamps" and pipe in various clay bodies. This meditation on the form of temporary infrastructure is still in its experimental phase and is shown here in the Akin Vitrine as a work in progress. Rebecca often works for a long time with a particular material or form, and allowing repetition of a joint or object create its own abstract narrative. Sometimes, the process leads towards finished pieces if that seems appropriate, but not always.

Rebecca has worked in the community arts for many years, sits on the board of Mercer Union and is the proprietor and curator of The Northern Beaver Gallery, a vending machine art project.
 

'The Braids' by Nicole Krstin - December 2016

The Braids ran for the month of December 2016 in the Akin Vitrine Gallery. This new work from Akin member, Nicole Krstin is part of an ongoing series intended to foster dialogue, awareness and understanding about women’s health issues.

“The Braids is about navigating the seemingly otherworldly experience of trying to paint a clear picture of our medical profiles. It is about the need to be vigilant about understanding our bodies, our rights, and about asking questions in order to empower ourselves, rather than remaining in the dark about our health. Layers of paint are carefully cut by-hand to reveal imagery that represent healthy tissue, disease, information, misinformation — all of which is explored and or filtered-out in order to learn more about our bodies. The braids, which are interlaced and therefore stronger than the strands alone, represent the power of knowledge; revealing what is beneath the darkness.”

Nicole Krstin is a visual artist, currently focusing on film photography and painting. She is a “retired” graphic designer, holding a BA from the University of Toronto, with a Major in Anthropology and a Minor in English. Nicole describes herself as being known for incessant mouth breathing, an unrelenting admiration for cats, and saying weird things in-person and on social media. She is uni-coastal, splitting time between Toronto and Brooklyn.