Image: The Embrace (2021) by Mina Nowzari.
Students shine at Toronto Outdoor Art Fair
The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF) is Canada’s largest and longest-running contemporary outdoor art fair and has played a key role in launching the careers of Canadian artists since the 1960s by connecting them to over 130,000 art lovers year after year.
This summer, TOAF will feature the talents of numerous OCAD University artists, some of whom will be presenting work through the RBC Centre for Emerging Artists and Designers’ Career Launchers program, an initiative that provides students and recent graduates with real-world experiences in the creative industries.
You can see their work online from July 8 to 17 and in person at Nathan Philips Square from July 15 to 17. Read more about the recipients of this year’s Toronto Outdoor Art Fair Career Launcher opportunity below.
Adrian Baduria is a Filipino-Canadian based designer who, before attending OCAD University completed a fashion design program at George Brown College where he learned the anatomy of fashion construction and design. At OCAD U he expanded his knowledge in textile production. Since graduating in 2022 Baduria has established his own fashion brand KRNVL.
Beige Blum, a recent OCAD U graduate, is a biracial queer freelance artist with a passion for illustration, comics, zines and character design. She creates works digitally but has a love for print media, connecting both mediums through the creation of physical zines and risograph prints. Her illustration and comic work has been featured by THIS Magazine, CGMagazine Online and AFKMedia.
Jasmine Park is a Korean artist based in Toronto. Park translates reality into fun distortions. Experimenting with a range of media Park enjoys exploring a variety of methods for creative problem solving and is passionate about creating works that are meaningful.
Mina Nowzari is an artist working across a wide range of media including photography, mail art and site-specific interventions. Considering the boundary between public and private is a central focus of Nowzari's work. Her exploration includes documenting the objects in people's bags to performing private sphere activities in photo booths across Florence and Berlin. As of late, Nowzari has focused on mail art as her primary medium. By questioning the notion of access in the art world and embracing the serendipity of the postal system, she creates connections that traverse distance and time.
Nandy Heule is an emerging artist in her final year of printmaking at OCAD U. Her art is informed by a passion for wildflowers that are native to Canada, threats to habitats and land stewardship. Born and raised in the Netherlands, she now resides in Toronto.
Pilarica Fernandez is a jewellery designer based in Toronto. She discovered accessory design when she started making her own costume jewellery. Fernandez’s passion for design led her to study in the Material Art and Design program at OCAD University, which has allowed her to explore the art of silversmithing, metal printmaking and casting techniques.
Trinity Leon is a multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto and a current Advertising student at OCAD University. She specializes in textile design, marketing and UX/UI Design.
Yuna (LEI) Zhang is studying Material Art and Design at OCAD U. She brings traditional Chinese culture and arts into contemporary jewellery design. Her personal narratives and experiences are the inspiration behind her pieces. She expresses her aesthetics in organic curves, including bead works, spiral motifs and rounded elements. She wants to share her story with the wearer and viewer of her jewellery. Zhang studied Industrial Design and worked as a magazine editor in China before moving to Canada in 2016. Recently, she is experimenting with integrating textile techniques such as metal weaving into her jewellery practice.
Attendees are also encouraged to visit this year’s special GradEx booth, which will present the mixed media work of 2022 Material Art and Design medal winner Aleena Derohanian.
The works of many OCAD U graduates will also be featured in the fair, many of whom have participated in CEAD’s Career Launcher program in years previous:
Yiki Wong, BDes Material Art and Design (2021)
Rachael Grad, BFA Drawing and Painting (2022)
Raha Fard, BFA Drawing and Painting (current)
Yaw Tony, BDes Environmental Design (2013)
Rui Cao, BDes Illustration (2021)
Maureen O’Connor, Graphic Design (1993)
Sara Shoghi, MFA Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design (current)
Curtia Wright, BFA Drawing and Painting (2015)
Melody Juthamongkol, BDes Material Art and Design (2021)
Nomi Juhasz, BDes Material Art and Design (2020)
Olivia Mae Sinclair, MFA Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design (2021)
Tammy Chan, BDes Illustration (2020)
Erica Jochim, BFA Drawing and Painting (2021)
Melanie L Yan, BDes Illustration (2021)