What to See at OCAD's GradEx Exhibit

D'Andrea Bowie

D'Andrea Bowie's moving islands are restless series inspired by her experience at OCAD U's artist residency on Toronto Islands. Her sculptures and installations are mystical - exploring themes of land and the importance of story. Bowie's own myth takes shape in her work, as seen in her detailed and intricate ceramic mural, "The Toads on Doughnut Island."

Yi Shuan Lee

Yi Shuan Lee's large-scale gestural paintings explore the experiences of being a first generation immigrant in North America, as he reflects back upon his ancestors' immigration process to Canada. His works translate into a massive mind map with an undeniable statement of the ill-treatment and neglected journeys of early Chinese immigrants. Lee sources historic imagery and text found in anti-immigration laws and Canadian newspapers.

Faryal Shehzad

Faryal Shehzad's autobiographical series, "Hush Now" explores the act of silencing women, particularly as it applies to the lives of South Asian immigrants. Fabrics such as lace act as a physical barrier in front of her self-portraits, making it impossible for the viewer to see the figure entirely, only what they choose to pick up on. Shehzad pulls from her experience of being silenced in countless ways; never being able to speak freely as a woman.

Brittany Dhamalie

Brittany Dhamalie, a designer, artist and content strategist created an ultramodern digital magazine that provides engaging content to its eReading community around the world. PHASE magazine is sleek and striking, sharing the latest in technology, visual creativity, social-politics and modern culture. Dhamalie's multiple disciplines and talents shine in this publication which has been published, edited and artistically directed by Dhamalie herself. It finds an impressive balance between design and art.

Crystal Tang

A textile designer, Crystal Tang uses her own personal experience of a breakup to express her understanding of eternal recurrence, a concept that all existence and energy in the universe will recur in the exact same form for an infinite number of times. Tang picked out phrases that had the most impact on her, each stitch in her work represents her effort to treasure the relationships she has, no matter how fragile. "Burden" captures the cycle of strangers to friends to lovers to strangers once again.

Aisling McKeown

Aisling McKeown uses beeswax, otherwise known as an encaustic painting technique, to capture the buzz, colours, and shapes of the city at night. McKeown use of such a soft and malleable painting material uniquely captures the geometry of the urban landscapes and iconic buildings throughout the city.

Sangmin Lee

Sangmin Lee's "From the Ground Up" series explores the limits of physical and linguistic systems that are used to describe physical structures. Lee's work is inspired by the constructed spaces he stands upon. Lee explains,"Where to question the verticality of the ground is to excavate the depths of that which keep our bodies upright."

Michael Vincent Veneracion

Michael Veneracion's "The Reclamation 16/17 Series" are medium to large-scale oil paintings that merge European palettes and his own street art painting techniques, creating a striking duality. A Filipino-Canadian raised in Scarborough, Veneracion's work shines a light on the reality of youth street culture and challenges the preconceived ideas of Euro-centric standards placed on himself and others in his community.