Akin Members at The Artist Project 2025

The Artist Project is back from May 8–11, showcasing over 250 independent artists—and we’re thrilled to have five of our members participating, including two featured in the Untapped section!

A special shoutout to Leah Oates and all of our alumni members: Alyssa King, Ashley Snook, Carolina Reis, Chris Harms, Kath Zhou, Stephanie Avery, Tony Cruz, and Curt Gaudon.

Congratulations and best of luck to you all!

With love,
Akin

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Abby Gowland

Akin Richmond-Bathurst member Abby Gowland (@abbygowland_art) is an emerging Canadian Printmaker and Queen’s University BFAH graduate (2024). She creates intricate floral patterns using the traditional technique of drypoint with black ink and white paper. Gowland practices at Open Studios in Toronto and has exhibited across Canada.

Find her in the UNTAPPED section

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Janne Reuss

Akin Yonge-St Clair member Janne Reuss (@jannereuss) was born and raised in Mexico City and is currently based in Toronto, Canada. She has been a professional practicing artist for more than two decades, having lived, worked and exhibited her artwork in Mexico, United States, Germany, Italy and Canada. She studied Fine Arts at the Academy of Art & Design in Stuttgart, Germany and History of Art in Mexico City. Her preferred media are photography and collage, but she also paints, often cycling fluidly between the three. Through the metaphor of trees and branches she inquires how experiences of home and place are imprinted deep inside of her. She layers her photographs - often overpainting them - in order to recreate the intricate process of remembering. Janne’s work is held in private and public collections including the Donovan Art Collection at St. Michael’s College (Canada) and the Municipal Gallery of Ostfildern (Germany).

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Kris Cvetkovic

Akin Queen East member Kris Cvetkovic (@kriscartist) is an artist living and working in Toronto. His themes focus on organized chaos and interconnectedness found in both natural and urban patterns.

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Akin Richmond-Bathurst Meera Dinh (@m.sarts) is a Vietnamese artist based in Toronto who specializes in oil painting. Her work delves into the complexity of female identity, transforming personal and external experiences into dynamic compositions rich with intimacy, eroticism, and transformation. She completed her Honours BFA in Drawing and Painting at OCAD University in 2024.

Find her in the UNTAPPED section

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Miles Ingrassia

Akin Dupont member Miles Ingrassia (@milesingrassia) is a painter with a background in printmaking and has collaborated with other artists to produce limited-run fine art editions. His practice explores masculinity through the male figure, drawing from his experiences growing up in Hamilton, Ontario. Through a delicate interplay of violence and tenderness, his paintings investigate the complexities of contemporary masculinity, highlighting its contested position between inherited norms and evolving identities.

Akin Artists at The Artist Project, April 11 - 14

The anticipation builds as The Artist Project approaches! We're thrilled to announce the participation of six current Akin members alongside numerous alumni. Join them at the Better Living Centre in Exhibition Place from April 11-14, along with over 250 independent artists. Immerse yourself in an atmosphere crafted to spark meaningful dialogues and forge intimate connections with art. Delve into a vast array of artworks and large-scale installations, partake in curator-led art tours, and discover that perfect piece that speaks to your soul.

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Ashley Snook, Booth 437

Ashley Snook (Akin Dupont) is an award winning interdisciplinary artist, researcher and educator. She holds a PhD in Art and Visual Culture from Western University. Informed by biology, scientific research and socio-cultural dynamics, Snook explores the complexities of diverse living networks and the concept of animality. To Snook, exploring ones own unique position in animality has the potential to open perspective on human existence and relationships with one another, human-animal relationships, and relationality to the more-than-human world. It is a rebellious act against hegemonic forces that have enabled things like environmental degradation, capitalism, hate, overworking, and conformity. Her practice explores connections through differences, impermanence, composting, and imaginative reworlding, and therefore, animality is a constant theme of contemplation in Snooks work. Working predominantly in drawing, sculpture and installation, animality is imbued in everything she does. She is fascinated by the micro and macro relationships between human animals, nonhuman animals, bacteria, fungi, and vegetal/botanical life—this prompts her to blur distinctions as to what is human, animal, plant, living, or nonliving. Within these methods of creating, Snook looks to ways in which she can further engage her audience. This often looks like incorporating viewer participation, encouraging presentness, sensory awakening, for example, by incorporating smell, mood lighting, tactility, sound, and playfulness in her work.

View her entire Artist Project profile here

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Janne Reuss, Booth 100

Janne Reuss (Akin Yonge-St Clair) was born and raised in Mexico City and is currently based in Toronto, Canada. She has been a professional practicing artist for more than two decades, having lived, worked and exhibited her artwork in Mexico, United States, Germany, Italy and Canada. She studied Fine Arts at the Academy of Art & Design in Stuttgart, Germany. Her preferred media are photography and collage, but she also paints, often cycling fluidly between the three. A constant theme in Janne’s work is her interest in human nature and how memories and experiences are imprinted deep inside of us. Janne’s work is held in private and public collections including the Donovan Art Collection at St. Michael’s College (Canada) and the Municipal Gallery of Ostfildern (Germany).

View her entire Artist Project profile here

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Jen Arron, Booth I-02

Jen Arron works with globally sourced fibers in her studio-based practice. Weaving in a freestyle approach, her large-scale pieces reveal connections about time, texture, and materials. Jen’s process of discovery often reflects an ecosystem of life.

View her entire Artist Project profile here

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Lindsay Chambers, Booth 318

Lindsay Chambers (Akin Richmond-Bathurst) is a contemporary Canadian artist who currently lives and works in Toronto. Her work belongs to collections across Canada, as well as in the United States, UK, Dubai, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland and Japan. Her work explores the delicacies of the human condition through paintings based on crumpled paper sculptures. All reference material, including any pattern or text, is carefully executed by the hand of the Artist. Chambers’ painting objective is to explore materials, to manipulate paint and maintain the visibility of layers. At all times a viewer is reminded of the painting process through layers of paint, variation in directional brushwork, and texture. These works are not as concerned with realism, rather the fluidity of materials and the painting process.

View her entire Artist Project profile here

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Loren Kaplan, Vessels & Sticks Gallery, Booth 125

Loren Kaplan (Akin Dupont). In my work I integrate symbolic, visual, tactile and spiritual values – blending form, function and meaning. My work resonates with light, sound, pattern and texture and includes pieces that are created by coiling and hand-building as well as specialized ranges of thrown work. Once built, the surface of the vessels are carved, sculpted or engraved with intricate patterns and symbols that combine the geometric and organic. There are many diversities and extremes that I try and hold and balance within my life and work. Within them all, they hold the silence and meditation of the making, the time, the process and the attention to detail. I make vessels because containers are about potential. My focus is on the space-in-between; defined spaces of emptiness making room for something to be held.

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Miles Ingrassia, Booth 224

Miles Ingrassia (Akin Dupont) is a painter and printmaker based out of Toronto.

View his entire Artist Project profile here

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Alyssa King, Akin X Collision Gallery, Booth 517

Carolina Reis, Akin Logan, Booth 130

Chris Harms, Akin Dupont, Booth 439

Kristy Blackwell, Akin Sunnyside, Booth 332

Linds Miyo, Akin AUTO, Booth 925

Natalie Plociennik, Akin St. Clair, Booth 222

Ryan Jester, Akin Waterfront, Booth I-19

Kristen Stephen, Akin King, Booth 1011

Stephanie Avery, Akin AUTO, Booth 403

Zach Atticus, Akin Lansdowne, Booth 518

Zoey Zoric, Akin River, Booth I-17

Jonah Strub, Akin Dupont, Booth 316

Good Luck to all of the Artists!

Love,
Akin

Akin at The Artist Project - April 13 to 16

Get ready for the highly-anticipated return of The Artist Project at the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place, from April 13th to 16th! Featuring over 250 independent artists, including several Akin members, this event promises to be a celebration of creativity, inspiration, and connection.

The Opening Night Preview is on April 13th from 6-10pm, it will include a fashion show from  Fashion Art Toronto, Aura photography, Tarot Card reading, and a live DJ set. Experience a stimulating environment designed to ignite enriching conversations and foster a personal connection with art.

The Akin booth will be showcasing the talented works of members of the Akin Studio Program at Auto BLDG: Amada Estabillo, Jason Bomers, Tiana Robinson, Erin McCluskey, Emily MacClennan, Mel Hayes, Felicia Cirstea, Maren Boedeker, Hamid Mohammadi, Linds Miyo and Chico Togni. Find us at booth 1009 near the Untapped Emerging Artist section (featuring Akin’s very own, Sabrina Pinksen)!

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Another interesting exhibit will be the OCAD U Career Launcher Initiative, where Vladimir Kanic, the recipient of the Artist Project 2023 Career Launcher, will present Garden of Waves, as part of his ongoing body of work with algae for the 2023 fair.

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Image Description: Miles Ingrassia at the Artist Project 2022. Miles is standing in front of his paintings which are displayed on a white wall surrounding him. Miles has a tshirt on and a hat and glasses and is smiling slightly at the camera.

While you are there, don’t forget to look for Akin members and alumni at their very own booths and say hello! Akin members exhibiting include Miles Ingrassia (booth 122), Carolina Reis (booth 108), Jen Arron (booth I6), Natalie Plociennik (booth 236) and Zoe Bridgeman (booth 926) and many Akin alumni will be among the exhibiting artists as well!  

Click here to get your tickets. See you there!  

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Accessibility Information:

The Better Living Centre has step-free access to the building and is level throughout. A limited number of assisted devices are available onsite at the information desk for those who need them. Service animals are allowed into all areas of the event that are open to the public. The Artist Project is happy to offer a complimentary admission pass for the support person of a person with a disability.

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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

#BringingTheArtsToLife @CanadaCouncil 

The Artist Project opens this Thursday featuring work by many talented Akin artists!

This year The Artist Project contemporary art fair Feb 22-25 at the Better Living Centre and will feature work by over 250 incredible artists from Canada and abroad including some Akin Collective studio members!

Today only you could win two free passes to the early access preview party which is happening on Thursday! Follow us on Instagram and comment on the Artist Project post we put up today with which friend you'll bring along and at the end of the day we'll pull a name from a hat! 

Click here to visit the Instagram post and participate in the ticket giveaway competition. 

The Artist Project is a four day contemporary art fair. From collectors and curators, to gallerists and designers, visitors can explore and discover works of art from over 250 top contemporary artists from Canada and abroad. This is a unique opportunity to meet and buy art directly from artists. We encourage you to check out the fair this week and while you are there please visit our talented Akin artists and chat with them about their artwork! 

Kayla Polan of Akin Dupont - Booth U-6 (UNTAPPED Emerging Artist)

Monique Resnick of Akin Lansdowne - Booth U-15 (UNTAPPED Emerging Artist)

Nancy Bennett of Akin Sunrise - Booth 514

Laura Kay Keeling of Akin Dupont - Booth I-11

Nicole Krstin of Akin Dupont - Booth 812

Chris Harms of Akin Dupont - Booth 340

SHOW SCHEDULE:
Thursday February 22: Opening Night Party  7-10 PM
Friday February 23: 11 AM-10 PM
Saturday February 24: 11 AM-8 PM
Sunday February 25 11 AM-6 PM

Akin members selected as Artist Project 2018 UNTAPPED Emerging Artists

Akin would like to Congratulate Monique Resnick of Akin Lansdowne and Kayla Polan of Akin Dupont for being selected as UNTAPPED Emerging Artists at the 2018 Artist Project Contemporary Art Fair. Monique and Kayla were selected along with 18 other artists including former Akin member Raquel De Silva. The UNTAPPED Emerging Artists Competition is a juried competition that awards 20 emerging artists from all mediums an opportunity to exhibit at a professional-level art fair for free.

UNTAPPED Emerging Artists benefit from a dedicated feature space at The Artist Project. This program aims to provide a platform for young artists to launch their artwork to a public audience, make connections within the arts industry and gain experience in the contemporary art world.

About Kayla Polan
Calgary-born, Toronto based artist Kayla Polan is a multidisciplinary artist working across traditional and new media. She graduated with Distinction from the Ontario College of Art & Design University with a BFA major in Drawing & Painting. 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. www.kaylapolan.com

About Monique Resnick
Monique Resnick is a visual artist based in Toronto. Her approach to art involves viewing the subject matter from a literal 20, 000 ft. Specifically she uses Google Earth imagery to assess and depict the relationship between the land and those who occupy it. By taking this approach the viewer is able to evaluate the discrepancies fuelled by conspicuous consumption. From population density to the degree of resources required to manicure lawns, she forces the viewer to acknowledge that which they may not have otherwise been exposed to. A graduate of McGill University and OCAD U, Monique has exhibited in numerous juried shows throughout Ontario. She currently maintains a studio practice at Akin Collective. www.moniqueresnick.com

About The Artist Project
The Artist Project is a four day contemporary art fair happening at the Better Living Centre. From collectors and curators, to gallerists and designers, visitors can explore and discover works of art from over 250 top contemporary artists from Canada and abroad. This is a unique opportunity to meet and buy art directly from artists. www.theartistproject.com

SHOW SCHEDULE:
Thursday February 22: Opening Night Party  7-10 PM
Friday February 23: 11 AM-10 PM
Saturday February 24: 11 AM-8 PM
Sunday February 25 11 AM-6 PM

Akin Artists at The Artist Project - Feb 23-26

This year The Artist Project contemporary art fair is celebrating it's 10th year! The show runs Feb 23-26 at the Better Living Centre and will feature work by over 250 incredible artists from Canada and abroad including some Akin Collective studio members!

Laura Keeling of Akin Dupont was one of 20 artists selected from hundreds of applications to be featured as one of the UNTAPPED Emerging Artists. Find her in Booth U-9. Laura's work pulls inspiration from beautiful everyday moments shared through her photography and collage work. She is currently working on a 'HOT ROCKS' series of collages which are composed of gemstone cut outs from old field guides.

Adria Mirabelli of Akin Dupont will be in the Installation Zone, Booth I-09.  Adria's practice is driven by an experimental approach to mark-making whereby she integrates textile manipulation processes with drawing to create large-scale, site-specific works on silk, felt, vinyl and paper. Her process focuses on a cycle of collection, preservation, and distortion.

Mila Vukosavljevic of Akin Dufferin will be in Booth 509 . Mila's oil and acrylic work questions the ties between seemingly random human interactions. A flirtation between abstraction and figuration, these works portray the inherent connectivity of mankind.

Michael Vickers of Akin Lansdowne will be speaking in the Art Chats Seminar Series on a panel entitled 'The Art of The Fluid' alongside Salimah Ebrahim, and Reagan Zuzarte. The panel discussion will examine how the confluence of technology, physical space and commerce are blurring traditional divisions today. Check it out Saturday, Feb 25th, 11:30am-12:30pm at The Artist Project. Art Chats are complimentary with admission. Space is subject to availability.

Want a discount on tickets for The Artist Project?
Use this Discount Code: TAP10YRS or Click Here.

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Last chance to apply to The Artist Project

Visual artists of all mediums are invited to submit an application for the Artist Project 2017. Apply today and be a part of our 10th anniversary show. We look forward to the most exciting fair yet, celebrating 10 years of showcasing the top contemporary artists from Canada and abroad in this exclusive juried art fair.

Application deadline extended until Friday, September 23, 2016. Apply today!