OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Ernesto Cabral de Luna as the recipient and Zain Bhanapatel as the runner-up for the 2024 Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography Residency Career Launcher!

 

Recipient:

Ernesto Cabral de Luna

Ernesto Cabral de Luna is a Mexican lens-based artist who works through experimental analog and digital processes to emphasize the multi-dimensionality and materiality of the image. Working with archives to alter perception through his image manipulations, he draws from his immigrant experience to explore themes of identity, representation, exile and diasporic communities. Ernesto recently completed his BFA in Photography at OCAD University.  A recipient of OCAD’s 2021 Wendy Coburn Art and Social Change Scholarship, he has exhibited at Ada Slaight, Xpace Cultural Centre, Riverdale Hub and Abbozzo Gallery.  Ernesto was selected for the Toronto Raptors’ 2022 Welcome Toronto Creators Program.

Website: www.abrokeniris.format.com
Instagram: @abrokeniris

 

Runner-Up:

Zain Bhanapatel

Zain is a Toronto-based multi-disciplinary artist working in a diverse array of mediums, including photography, printmaking, illustration, video, sculpture, and installation. Her practice is driven by a profound commitment to empowering untold narratives and a passion for weaving together stories that exemplify authenticity and resilience. Through cross-disciplinary approaches, she strives to provoke meaningful dialogue, inviting viewers to engage with shared experiences that bind us as a community.Zain’s art seeks to forge pathways towards a world that embraces diversity, honours complexity, and stands in pursuit of empowerment for all.

Website: www.zainmade.com
Instagram: @zainmade

 

Learn more about our Career Launchers at: https://careerlaunchers.format.com

Other Recent News

Partial x OCAD University Artist Showcase Fall 2025 Call for Artists

Partial and OCAD U’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers are excited to announce the return of our partnership which provides an exceptional career opportunity for OCAD U student artists and recent alumni. Selected artists will be given complimentary 2 year Pro Accounts ($240 value) on Partial and permanent inclusion as featured artists within the OCAD University Artist Showcase on Partial to display their works, and administrate artwork sales and rentals.

2026 Sankofa Square Black History Month Digital Exhibition Call for Artists

Sankofa Square and the Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers are excited to announce the return of the annual Black History Month Digital Exhibition Career Launcher providing an exhibition opportunity for artists from the OCAD U community to exhibit their work on the square’s digital screens. Artists are invited to submit artworks to be displayed across five (5) digital screens for the duration of Black History Month in February 2026.