Thank you for joining our Remote Gallery Summer Market and Exhibition!

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Saturday, July 18, for the Remote Gallery Summer Market and Exhibition!

This event marked our second Akin Member Summer Market and was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the work of our talented members.

All photos from the event featured in this post were captured by our talented summer intern, Marilyn Braun (@braun_marilyn), a fourth-year photography student at Sheridan College.

Thanks again to all that participated:

• Drift & Grain

• Gabrielle Trach (@gabrielletrach)

• Georgia Jin Kelly (@georgia.j.k)

• Iskuhi Avagyan (@iskuhi_a)

• Jody Orsborn Medina (@jodyorsborn)

• John Williams Collins

• Katryna Shreyer (@katryna35mm)

• Mark Buck Art (www.markbuck.art) 

• Michelle Evelyn Lee (@mievelee)

• Sadaf Solei (@studiosolei)

• Samantha Jean Art (@samanthajeanart)

• Sandra de León Art (@sandradeleonart)

• Tintern Abbie (@tinternabbie)

• Vicky Vyas (@vickyvyasart)

Photos: Marilyn Braun (@braun_marilyn)

Remote Gallery Summer Art Market & Exhibition - Sat July 18 from 1-6pm

The summer art market is back at Remote Gallery.

Join us on Saturday, July 18 from 1–6pm for an afternoon of artwork, handmade goods, and conversations with artists from across the Akin community. Featuring 14 artists and makers working across ceramics, painting, illustration, textiles, crafts, and more, the market is an opportunity to discover new work and directly support local artists.

DATE: Saturday July 18
TIME: 1 - 6pm
LOCATION: Remote Gallery, 568 Richmond St W

Free to attend, everyone welcome! 

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Featuring 14 Artists + Makers!

Tap their image to discover more of their work on Instagram.

Drift & Grain

Gabrielle Trach | @gabrielletrach

Georgia Jin Kelly | @georgia.j.k

Iskuhi Avagyan | @iskuhi_a

Jody Orsborn Medina | @jodyorsborn

John Williams Collins

Katryna Shreyer | @katryna35mm

Mark Buck Art | www.markbuck.art

Michelle Evelyn Lee | @mievelee

Sadaf Solei | @studiosolei

Samantha Jean | @samanthajeanart

Sandra de León | @sandradeleonart

Tintern Abbie | @tinternabbie

Vicky Vyas | @vickyvyasart

Whether you've joined us before or are visiting for the first time, we'd love to see you there. Follow @akinprojects on Instagram over the coming weeks for artist highlights and event updates.

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Remote Gallery, 568 Richmond St W

 

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Accessibility Information

Remote Gallery is located at street level and has a step-free entrance, with step-free access throughout the gallery space and in both gender-neutral washrooms. The entrance doors are 37" wide and operated by a push button system.

The washroom doors are not automated and have round door knobs. Each washroom provides a 5' turning radius, and the toilets are not raised. For more details about accessibility at Remote Gallery click here.

Akin Members participating at TOAF in 2026

The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF) returns July 10–12, transforming Nathan Phillips Square into a vibrant showcase of creativity featuring more than 400 artists from across the country. Be sure to explore works by talented artists from the Akin community, including current members and alumni.

This year, we are also excited to announce the inaugural TOAF x Akin Space Award!

The TOAF x Akin Space Award is designed, in collaboration with the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF), to support emerging artists in Toronto by providing access to creative workspace and/or exhibition space.

The recipient will receive a $1,000 credit applicable toward:

• an Akin studio membership (shared or dedicated) at any Akin location

• a Remote Gallery rental

• or a combination of both

For more information about TOAF awards, visit the TOAF Awards Program.

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Participating Akin Members:

Madeleine Baird - Booth 158

Akin Richmond-Bathurst member, Madeleine (Maddy) Baird (b. 2002) is an emerging artist from Pembroke, ON, currently based in Toronto. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Art Honours at Queen’s University, graduating in 2024. Her practice consists of oil painting and serigraphy, with a focus on portraiture. Her work has been exhibited in Kingston, Toronto and Vienna. Madeleine was a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant in 2024.

Using directional brushstrokes and incorporating vivid colours into the skin, she creates a sense of vibrancy and life in the subjects she paints. Her practice is fueled by an interest in exploring themes of self-reflection, vulnerability, connection, and queer life experiences. Integrating narrative-based elements into her work allows her to engage with viewers by creating a sense of curiosity and exploration. By centering these concepts, she aspires to connect with viewers and hopes that those who are represented in her artwork can feel uplifted by this representation.

To view more of their work available at TOAF click here

@maddyartt

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Kelcy Timmons Chan - Booth 411

Akin Richmond-Bathurst member, Kelcy Timmons Chan (they/them) is a Cantonese Canadian American queer pop artist and mural painter based in Toronto. Through their lens as a biracial gender-fluid immigrant, Kelcy explores what it feels like to find belonging and have cultural pride. They examine how food is a universal love language. They amplify stories of family-owned restaurants and queer spaces highlighting how our places of belonging directly tie us to our history, the land we live on, and our communities.

With the artist’s signature motif, the little purple people, Kelcy whimsically exemplifies the presence of the LGBTQIA+ community everywhere, and in many of their pieces spotlights the intersection of their Asian heritage and queer identity.

By using little purple people, Kelcy creates intricate, bustling scenes representative of immigrant and queer spaces. They invite the viewer to consider how their experiences with their community and with food have contributed to what home and belonging feel like.

To view more of their work available at TOAF click here

@mixt.paints

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Olivier Forgues - Booth 162

Akin Richmond-Bathurst member Olivier Forgues is a Canadian painter. Originally from Montreal, he is now based in Toronto.

To view more of their work available at TOAF click here

@olivierforguesart

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Anna Tanner - Booth 7

Akin Richmond-Bathurst member Anna Stephen Tanner is an American-born oil painter and curator from Atlanta, GA, practicing in Toronto, ON. Drawn to themes of tension, her practice traces her upbringing amongst rigid southern American values to her experience as a femme lesbian. She depicts the commodification of the female form, reclaiming agency through her gaze. Her references come from vintage magazines, imagery from old Hollywood, early 2000s media, and imagery from rural America.

With her BFA in Criticism and Curatorial Practices from OCADU, her recent curatorial work includes "Power Play - A Girl Behind A Gun" at Girl Fraud Gallery, and her BFA thesis "GRIT", held at Remote Gallery. Her painting work has been shown internationally at (SCENE) Metrospace in Michigan, US, and in Toronto at Stackt Market, Ada Slaight Gallery, Remote Gallery, and OCADU at Gradex111.

To view more of their work available at TOAF click here

@annastephen.n

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Eli Moser - Booth 81

Akin Dupont member Eli Moser is a painter, ceramicist and neuroscientist. His work is fun, unsettling, and guaranteed to be a conversation starter. During his thesis he learned that there are some questions clinical research and psychology can't help you with. He is now trying his best answer them through figurative surrealism. Above all he takes being silly very seriously. He works in acrylic, graphite, ink, and watercolour on canvas, board, and anything else he can get his hands on.

To view more of their work available at TOAF click here

@elhamos

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Shayla Bond - Booth 153

Akin Dupont member Shayla Bond is a Canadian fibre artist whose work explores the intersection of textile, design, and domestic space. Rooted in the preservation of heritage craft techniques, her practice reconsiders quilting as both an artistic medium and a functional object within contemporary interiors. Through colour, texture, scale, and precise construction, Bond creates works that engage with the architecture of the home and the sensory experience of living with handmade objects, emphasizing a synergy between functionality and aesthetics.

To view more of their work available at TOAF click here

@byshaylabond

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MP Guillot - Booth 222

Akin Dupont member MP Guillot is a multidisciplinary artist from Québec, currently living and working in Toronto. Ceramics has become her playground to be in relationship with her creative intuition. She loves to dream up otherworldly forms, bake colour, and explore the secret language of objects. MP’s work lives in the space between knowing and letting go, where intuition meets experimentation. With a background that weaves through design, fashion, and photography, she brings a sense of childlike playfulness to everything she makes.

MP’s work is born from a dance between control and letting go, with a deep desire to let out what wants to move through her. She uses a blend of coiling and slab building techniques to create abstract sculptural works. MP approaches the surface like a painter to achieve a fluid and irreverent style. In contrast, since developing new glaze colours is a science that requires calculated experimentation, each glaze is built from raw materials in her studio, tested and earned.

MP is also a 2026 Jurors’ Pick!

To view more of their work available at TOAF click here

@mp__guillot

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Joy Zheng - Booth 37

Akin Davisville member Joy Zheng is a Toronto-based artist, creating vibrant, eclectic oil and acrylic paintings. She graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, where she began developing her style and thematic focus. Her inspiration often draws from the way perceptions of the world shift at various stages of life, exploring themes of introspection, and self-dialogue rooted in personal experience. Many of her works intentionally incorporate a childlike element, using vivid colour palettes, and deliberately chaotic, disproportionate compositions. Through this seemingly playful lens, Joy examines social constructs and the complexity of human emotions.

Woven into recent works are themes of religion, technology, generational patterns, and self identity with each piece acting as a scattered visual documentation of fragmented feelings. Joy’s work aspires to offer viewers a moment of contemplation and reflection, amidst their busy lives, as a form of reconnecting with each individual’s inner purpose.

To view more of their work available at TOAF click here

@joy.zheng.art

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Vitaly Medvedovsky - Booth 61

Akin Davisville member Vitaly Medvedovsky was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and moved to Canada in 1998. He completed the MFA Painting program at Concordia University (Montreal) in 2009, after receiving a BFA from the Ontario College of Art and Design (Toronto) in 2004. Vitaly’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Stuttgart and Berlin. He has received numerous awards, including the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, the Plaskett Award, the Ontario Arts Council Emerging Artist Grant, as well as the Canada Council project grant.

My paintings and drawings depict imaginary spaces that intertwine autobiographical elements with references to history, science fiction and mythology, as a way of exploring the themes of memory, fantasy and the passage of time. I am particularly interested in the way one's current state can distort our perception of the past, and influence our visions of the future. My ultimate goal is to create works that exist in a space outside of time - an imagined world that lies somewhere between a past that never actually happened and a future that never quite panned out as hoped. Instead of constructing a closed-off narrative with a particular message, I'm trying to create moments of uncertainty, whereby the different elements in the drawing or painting, while existing within the same space, don't necessarily always fit logically together, be it in terms of scale, chronology, or even basic physics. These gaps in meaning create a kind of opening that allows the viewer to access the work and interpret it on their own terms.

To view more of their work available at TOAF click here

@vitaly_medvedovsky

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Larissa Mattwich - Exclusively Online

Larissa a member at Akin Queen East. Since childhood, she has longed for a sister. Her series Sisterhood explores the deep connections between women that extend beyond blood ties. With age, she has come to recognize the strength and support these friendships provide. Shared experiences—gardening, working together, laughter, joy, and standing by one another through loss and challenge—create bonds and intimacy distinct from romantic relationships, often offering support that helps navigate life with partners.

She works primarily with acrylics on mylar. Fluid acrylics animate the playful quality of her paintings. Loose brushstrokes, lines, and drips take on a life of their own and contribute to the unfolding narrative.

To view more of their work available at TOAF click here

@larissamattwichart

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Akin Alumni participating at TOAF:

Melika Saeeda (2025 Space Award Winner)
Jamileh Salek

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Carlos Olavarrieta at Akin Vitrine Gallery

A new exhibition has arrived at the Akin Vitrine Gallery for the month of June! Be sure to swing by 1747 St Clair Ave, where the vitrine is viewable 24/7 from the street, to check out Carlos Olavarrieta’s new exhibition, Sunset Shapes. 

Carlos is an artist who produces non objective oil paintings rooted in rhythmic patterns and created in an unplanned manner.  His newest oil on canvas, Sunset Shapes, will be on display from June 3rd to 27th. 

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”I work in oil paints on canvas. My paintings are non-representational, abstract with soft lines, and vibrant colours.  Originally rooted in an interest in patterns and rhythms, my paintings have moved away from a rigid approach or intent. The paintings are determined by discovering an unknown image. The result is that the finished paintings are a manifestation of playfully painting. I do not want the process to feel like work, and I believe that overworking the painting can close the initial creative energy. Discovering an unknown image is achieved by approaching the blank canvas with no previous sketches or ideas in mind. Out of the resulting chaos, shapes and colour command space, and are brought into focus with minimal painting. As a result, the paintings present new images with an unpolished quality. Thus, the paintings are creative play revealed as an image. “ —Carlos Olavarrieta 

We caught up with Carlos to learn more about his work, inspirations and process.

Akin: “What are you curious about right now?” 

Carlos Olavarrieta:  “Different brushes.”

Akin: “Do you have studio routines or rituals? What gets you in a creative mood?” 

CO: “Approaching the canvas with no idea or sketch.”

Akin: “What inspires you?”

CO: “Music.”

Akin: “What does your Akin studio mean to you?”

CO: “A creative community.”

Akin: “What advice would you tell your younger self about creating art? What have you learned?”

CO: “The process takes time.” 

Learn more about Carlos’ work or reach out: 
@artistcarloso 
colavarr@hotmail.com
artinteriors.ca/artists/carlos-olavarrieta

Thanks for joining us at Akin Davisville’s Open Studio

Thank you to everyone who joined us on May 23rd at Akin Davisville for our Open Studio as part of the City of Toronto’s Doors Open Festival. Despite the rainy weather, the event had a great turnout, and was a huge success! We had a lovely time meeting those who came out to see the studio and support our artists. The artists at Akin Davisville worked hard to pull this event together, giving art demonstrations, live portrait drawings, collage workshops, and displaying gorgeous artwork. A huge thank you to everyone who came by and special thanks to our talented artists and our fantastic volunteers. 

Here are some photos from the weekend. Enjoy!

Thank you to our volunteer @artful.sphere for many of the photos.

Akin in the Country: Salmon River Studios Artist Residencies

Akin Dupont member Shayla Bond (@byshaylabond)

We’re excited to announce that Akin Dupont member Shayla Bond has been selected as the recipient of the inaugural Salmon River Studios Community Impact Residency (Akin Founding Artist Special). This special residency, taking place in the summer of 2026, offers dedicated time and space for an Akin member to devote time to artistic research and creation in a rural studio setting at Salmon River Studios in the countryside of Tamworth, Ontario.

Shayla’s proposed residency project explores natural dyeing, memory, grief, and place through textile-based research. During the residency, she will work with responsibly sourced plant materials from the surrounding landscape to create a journal of colour, process, and observation rooted in the environment itself. Shayla will also facilitate a guided “colour walk”, open to the Tamworth community, introducing natural dye materials, exploring the relationship between landscape and textile.

Congratulations Shayla, and we’re thrilled to see this opportunity support the continued development of her practice!

About Salmon River Studios

Located in Tamworth, Ontario, Salmon River Studios is a new rural arts residency and eco-art initiative centered around creative research, environmental connection, and community engagement. The site includes a 2000+ sqft heritage barn studio, glamping accommodations, trails, river access, and shared gathering spaces designed to support focused artistic work in a restorative natural setting.

We’re grateful to be partnering with Salmon River Studios during their inaugural season to help create residency opportunities for artists within the Akin community.

Exclusive Seasonal Studio Residency Opportunity for the Akin community

In addition to the Community Impact Residency, Salmon River Studios is also offering the Akin community (you!) exclusive early access to book Seasonal Studio Residencies for Summer and Fall 2026. This includes 30% off residency bookings, and exclusive access to reserve residency dates before bookings open to the general public. 

These residencies are designed for artists seeking dedicated studio time in a quiet rural environment and are available for independent creative retreats, research periods, collaborative projects, and family-inclusive stays. We encourage artists  interested in focused time away for their practice to explore the opportunity.

The full residency call and booking details are included here: www.salmonriverstudios.com/akin-artist-residency

Photo Installation by Janne Reuss coming to Akin Vitrine Gallery for CONTACT Photography Festival

Artist and Akin Yonge-St Clair member Janne Reuss and her installation Urban Sky. Photo taken at Remote Gallery.

‘Urban Sky’ by Janne Reuss,
in association with CONTACT Photography Festival 

Date: May 23 - 31, 2026, viewable from the street 24/7

Location: Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St Clair Ave W 

We’re thrilled to welcome Akin Member Janne Reuss’ (@jannereuss) photo exhibition, ‘Urban Sky’, to the Akin Vitrine Gallery at the end of May. ‘Urban Sky’ is  a conceptual installation as part of CONTACT Photography Festival 2026. The venue was chosen intentionally, since the work addresses how urban spaces confine and limit our vital space in nature. The vitrine will be illuminated at night, so the work will be visible from the street 24/7 during exhibition time. 

In preparation for this exciting exhibition, we caught up with Janne to learn more about the installation and her artistic process.

Janne Reuss, Urban Sky, Install

Akin: “Tell us more about Urban Sky.” 

Janne Reuss: “Urban Sky is part of a larger body of work titled ‘Replanted’, in which I ask the question: What happens to a tree when it is transplanted from its original habitat? Using the tree as a metaphor, this series explores themes of displacement, identity, and belonging. Nature—and the remarkable resilience of plants that survive and adapt in harsh environments—serves as my primary source of inspiration.

This conceptual installation brings together two layered photographs. One is a monochromatic image of a concrete wall scattered with dried leaves; the other is a vibrant, colorful image of a green tree set against a blue sky with clouds. The juxtaposition of these opposing images creates a visual and conceptual dialogue between the artificial and the natural, life and death, absence and presence.

The acrylic structure evokes both a planter and modern architecture. It functions simultaneously as a container, a window, and a barrier. Rolled and confined within this structure, the photograph becomes a sculptural body—compressed, held, and shaped by its enclosure.

The resulting poetic tension reflects the ways urban environments fractures our relationship with nature: limiting access to green and private spaces, confining growth, and reducing our experience of the natural world to fragments—often no more than a reflection of the sky caught in a window.” 

Janne Reuss, Urban Sky

Akin: “What are you curious about right now?” 

JR: “I'm curious to learn more and dive deeper into the world of plants, trees and roots. I'm also experimenting in creating more installations with new materials, so very curious about what I will find out in the process.”

Akin: “Do you have studio routines or rituals? What gets you in a creative mood?”

JR: “A typical ritual is to clean up or organize something before starting to work creatively; it is a way to create space and start from a sense of calm. I like to start my process slowly by creating a peaceful and focused mindset. Music helps me to get inward and connect to what I want to express.” 

Akin: “What inspires you? Why?”

JR: “The source of my inspiration is multilayered like my art process. But the most important ones are experiences and memories. Beside this internal source I find my material when I'm travelling or wandering through the city or nature with my camera. Poetry has been a companion for many years as well.”

Akin: “What does your Akin studio mean to you?”

JR: “My Akin Studio means so much! I have a quiet space to work concentrated, experiment, and invite colleagues, collectors and buyers to see my work. I have been renting studios with Akin since June 2019 and have found incredible meaningful support from the amazing Akin Team. It is wonderful to feel part of an art community that is respectful, welcoming, inclusive and likeminded.”

Akin: “What advice would you tell your younger self about creating art? What have you learned?” 

JR: “You will find your greatest power in being a creative soul. Don't ever let anyone or anything dim your light.”

Learn more about Janne Reuss’ work:

Contact Photography Festival, Urban Sky by Janne Reuss

@jannereuss

www.artjanne.com

Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St Clair Ave W 

 

New Spring Exhibition by Golbahar Hassanbadi arrives at the Akin Vitrine Gallery

Iranian-Canadian artist and Akin member, Golbahar Hassanbadi’s new installation, “This Space Is Where I Stand” at the Akin Vitrine will change over time.

This spring, Akin Vitrine Gallery is excited to announce a new installation, This Space Is Where I Stand by Golbahar Hassanbadi. Running from April 1st until May 22nd, 2026, the installation is viewable 24/7 from the street at Akin St Clair, 1747 St Clair Ave West. Read on to find out more about the exhibition and the artist. 

Golbahar Hassanbadi is an Iranian-Canadian visual artist working across drawing, sculpting, installation, and material-based practices. She holds the BA in painting and drawing. Her work often uses materials to hold tension, fragility, constriction, and repetition, while embodying conceptual meaning. At the time of applying for this exhibition, she intended to present her most recent body of work, an ongoing series of interconnected rings, neck pieces, and chains, exploring repetition and complexity.

Golbahar in her Akin Yonge-St Clair studio

However, following the events of this past January and the ongoing war and bombings in Iran, the meaning of that work has shifted for her. The relationship between life, memory, and art no longer feels stable.

Rather than presenting those works, she chooses to hold this space differently. The installation begins in near-emptiness, consisting only of the text that will evolve over time, with elements gradually added throughout the exhibition, emerging from her lived experience during these difficult days.

This gesture is an attempt to remain honest, to resist presenting something that no longer feels true. 

To those who pass by: this is where she stands.

“My Vitrine exhibition, This Space Is Where I Stand, explores presence, absence, and transformation. The installation begins almost empty, with only the text, and will evolve over time as I add elements inspired by my lived experience during these days. This minimal, white cubic space gives me the opportunity to align the installation with the unfolding process and the changes happening in the work as I engage with it.”

-Golbahar Hassanbadi 

Golbahar’s Akin Yonge-St Clair studio

Akin: “What are you curious about right now?”

Golbahar Hassanbadi: “I have long used art to navigate concepts such as loss, suffering, and repetition. But lately, the weight of reality has shifted everything. I am now seeking to discover new significance in these concepts through the gravity of what I have experienced.”

Akin: “Do you have studio routines or rituals?”

GH: “My studio is a quiet and secure space that allows me to simply observe and 'be present.' It provides a setting where I can engage with my questions, thoughts and ideas, deciding whether to give them a physical form or to let them remain as they are.”

Golbahar’s work in progress

Akin: “What inspires you?”

GH: “I am inspired by my lived experiences and the many dimensions of life that I encounter. I seek out other people’s stories and the challenges they face in different stages of life, finding their reflection in the mirror of my own existence. This connection is what inspires my work”

Akin: “What does your Akin studio mean to you?”

GH: “My Akin studio is a space where I can slow down, experiment, and focus deeply on my work. As an immigrant woman and artist, it has given me the opportunity to reclaim my own space in Canada alongside like-minded people who value art and critical thinking. Being surrounded by other artists creates a sense of community and exchange that fuels my practice. I was drawn to Akin because of its supportive environment and its commitment to providing accessible studio spaces; the diversity and the culture of respect within this community are deeply valuable to me. The security and peace I find here are qualities I am consistently grateful for.”

Akin: “What advice would you tell your younger self about creating art? What have you learned?”

GH: “Advice? Honestly, I don’t see myself as someone to give advice, but I’d like to say sincerely: don’t give up. In today's world, simply choosing the path of art to think and express your thoughts is a heroic act. Keep going, and be patient with yourself and your process.”

Find more of Golbahar’s work on her instagram @goliha

Join us at the Remote Gallery Winter Art Market & Exhibition!

Just in time for the holiday season, we’re excited to invite you to the Remote Gallery Winter Art Market & Exhibition. Come support local artists and grab the perfect handmade gifts for your loved ones. Akin artists from across the city will be selling ceramics, paintings, jewellry, illustrations, crafts and more!

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DATE: Sunday December 7, 2025

TIME: 1 - 6pm

LOCATION: Remote Gallery, 568 Richmond St W

Free to attend, everyone welcome!

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Featuring 15 Artists and Makers:

Amos Marsters @aquariustheghost

Atelier Cassis @cassisechoes

Beyond Arts www.beyondarts.ca

Pauline Douady @pauline_douady

Eddie Chong

EvanK @evank_paints

I Spin Clay @ispinclay

ink & anchor studio @inkandanchor_

Studios Galuppo @StudiosGaluppo

Katryna Shreyer @katryna35mm

Tai’s Art @jayutai

Leila Refahi @leilarefahi.art

Studio Lü @studio.lu.yyz 

Jessica O’Lear @jessica_olear

Olivier Forgues @olivierforguesart

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We can’t wait to see you there. Follow @akinprojects on Instagram for artist highlights and event updates!

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Accessibility information: Remote Gallery is located at street level and has a step-free entrance, with step-free access throughout the gallery space and in both gender-neutral washrooms. The entrance doors are 37" wide and operated by a push button system.

The washroom doors are not automated and have round door knobs. Each washroom provides a 5' turning radius, and the toilets are not raised. For more details about accessibility at Remote Gallery click here.

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Remote Gallery, 568 Richmond St W

 

Two of Toronto’s biggest craft shows are featuring Akin members this year!

December is a big month for craft lovers in Toronto! Two of Toronto’s biggest craft shows, City of Craft and the One of a Kind show, and will be happening, and Akin Members are taking part. To celebrate, we’re highlighting these four amazing artists. 

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City of Craft 

City of Craft is one of the city’s most beloved holiday markets, with over 60 vendors from across Ontario and beyond.   

December 5-7th, Sensory sensitive hour 11am-12pm  

The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen Street West

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——— Check out the Akin Members Participating in The City of Craft ———

Amita Sen Gupta from Akin Niagara 

Amita will be selling prints and cards of “My Neighborhood Memento” series, which includes a variety of greeting cards and high quality prints of original oil painted Toronto neighbourhood building mementos that are architecturally cherished and imbue the lives, stories, and history of our city.

Amita Sen Gupta is a Toronto based artist behind ‘My Neighbourhood Memento’. Her oil paintings of old historic and neighbourhood buildings have been exhibited at Gallery 1313, Preservation House, and local fairs & markets. To Amita these architectural buildings have lives, stories and history that are revered. “In our ever changing city one never knows when a place becomes another, vacant, or removed”. Her drawing and painting of a historic house in Parkdale, Toronto, titled “Yuletide In Muddy York” was awarded and selected by ‘Parkdale Liberty Economic Development Centre’ for a Toronto Holiday Ornament in 2007 and her painting is part of their collection. Some of her neighbourhood prints can be purchased at Soho Art Framing in Toronto.

Connect with Amita:
@my_neighborhood_memento
amitasengupta.com/neighborhood-series

Detail of Skyline Restaurant painting, Amita sitting in her Akin Niagara studio and detail of Revue Cinema painting.

Prints, detail of The Abbott painting and Cards from “My Neighbourhood Memento”.

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Bettina Westwood Ceramics, from Akin Dupont 

Bettina Westwood creates both wheel thrown domestic items and sculpture from her Akin Dupont studio. Inspired by the meeting of form and colour, she makes carefully considered objects meant to bring happiness. Bettina will be bringing a selection of mugs with two-tone slip colours—some adorned with flowers—as well as tumblers with wool sleeves, vases, pedestal bowls, and smaller gifts such as bud vases and ornaments. A self-taught ceramicist, Bettina has developed and continues to refine her craft with the support and encouragement of the ceramics community. She shares her home with her two perfect cats, Loralie and Flannery.

Connect with Bettina:
@bettinawestwood
bettinawestwood.com

Photo of Bettina at Akin Dupont, Tumblers with Wool Sleeves and Bettina’s Akin Dupont Studio.

Flowers painted with slip, Pedestal Bowls and Two-toned Mugs.

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One of A Kind Show 

The One of A Kind Show is Canada’s largest Craft Show. The One of A Kind Christmas Show includes a wide variety of Canadian made high quality items, from Fashion, Art, Flavours, and Toys, to Jewellery, Home Decor, Stationery and so much more. 

November 27-Dec 7th 

Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place 

100 Princes' Blvd, Toronto

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——— Check out the Akin Members Participating in One of a Kind ———

Alison Cooley, from Akin St Clair

Booth B-28 - (Full Show) November 27-Dec 7

imp in a sweater is Alison Cooley. She specializes in ceramics that harness her interest in illustration and surface decoration, resulting in unique objects that play with imagery from multiple modes of genre storytelling (including science fiction, horror, and fantasy).

Connect with Alison:
@impinasweater
impinasweater.com

A portrait of Allison (by Sam Mazilli), space themed Mug and her Akin St Clair Studio.

Bud vases, a unicorn Plate and Vases with detailed handles and all coming to One of a Kind.

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MP Guillot, from Akin Dupont 

Booth S-45 - (6 Days) Dec 2-7

MP Guillot is a multidisciplinary artist from Québec, based in Toronto. Her work is influenced by what is often overlooked－an entire world of delightfulness that is right under our nose, waiting to be noticed. She finds herself exhilarated by the trashy things beautifully thrown on the streets and everything that finds itself where it shouldn’t be. She is drawn to what lies on the edges of ugly and pretty, that which ignites a feeling of uncertainty where one can only rely on their senses and intuition to decide if something is beautiful. MP believes the best way to find the essence of who we are is to practice discovering what vibrates within us, without social conditioning influencing our preferences.

Ceramics has become MP’s playground to be in relationship with her creative intuition.

She loves to dream up otherworldly forms, bake colour, and explore the secret language of objects. Her work lives in the space between knowing and letting go—where intuition meets experimentation. With a background that weaves through design, fashion, and photography, she brings a sense of childlike playfulness to everything she makes.

Connect with MP:
@mp__guillot
www.mpguillot.com

Portrait of MP beside one of her “Wonky Vases”, a Wonky Vase in “Twist” and MP’s Akin Dupont Studio.

A variety of MP’s painterly Cups and Mugs coming to One of a Kind.

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The holiday season is a time to celebrate all the fantastic local artists and artisans in Toronto, so spread the love by shopping local! Happy shopping!

Thank you for attending the Akin Autumn Gallery Crawl!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Akin Autumn Gallery Crawl this past weekend! It was such a beautiful day to explore art in Toronto together. We’re very grateful to everyone who joined us and to the galleries for opening their doors and sharing their spaces with the Akin community. The exhibitions were absolutely beautiful and each gallery tour was packed with inspiring detail.

A huge thank you to Patel Brown (@patelbrowngallery), Gallery TPW (@gallerytpw), Gallery 1888 (@gallery1888_), Towards Gallery (@towards.info), and Blouin Division (@blouindivision).

We’re looking forward to hosting more gallery crawls like this in the future - stay tuned! In the meantime here are some photos from the day, enjoy!

Image Descriptions: Images show a series of moments from the Akin Gallery Crawl, featuring groups of people walking in a long row down the street, gathering outside of the galleries, exploring inside the galleries, viewing artwork, and enjoying the day together.

Thank You for being part of Akin Richmond-Bathurst's Open Studio

Collaborative creative experience hosted by Dimitra Aristea (@di.composing). Photo by Yue (Jessie) Yang (@y.jiexij)

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Saturday at Akin Richmond-Bathurst for our Open Studio as part of Ontario Culture Days. Our members worked hard to create an exciting day of  live painting demonstrations, creative collaborations, a variety of artwork for sale and beautiful displays of art. A huge thank you to everyone who came by and special thanks to our talented artists, our volunteers and our staff. 

Here are some photos from the event. Enjoy!

Left: Akin Member Vicky Vyas posing with the Akin banner (@vickyvyasinsta).

Middle: Olivier Forgues painting in his studio (@olivierforguesart). Photo credit: Vera Truong (@thecreativehybrid).

Right: Akin Studio Manager Theresa Hopkins posing at the Akin welcome table (@thopkinsart).

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Left: Emily Simek working in her studio (@emilysimekart).

Middle: Dimitra Aristea posing in her studio (@di.composing).

Right: Amos Marsters posing in front of their studio (@amosmarsters).

All photos taken by Vera Truong (@thecreativehybrid).

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Left: Pauline Douady in their studio (@pauline_douady).

Middle: Lotus Che studio (@lotusleafxyz).

Right: Sarah Conway offering pastel portrait commissions in their studio (@sarahterra.art). Photo credit: Vera Truong (@thecreativehybrid)

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Left: Quinn Hopkins presenting work on a projector (@noodinstudio).

Middle: Collaborative creative experience hosted by Dimitra Aristea (@di.composing).

Right: Andres Dominguez live painting demonstration (@andresdominguez.artist).

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Image Descriptions: Photos from the open studio showing various Akin Richmond-Bathurst artists in their studios posing or working on artwork, visitors participating in collaborative drawing and painting at a large table covered in paper and art materials, an Akin member posing in front of the Akin banner, and an Akin staff sitting at a welcome table. 

Akin Autumn Newsletter - Programming, community highlights and more!

Studio member, Emily Joyce (@emilyjoyceartwork), stands while teaching a free collage workshop at the Davisville Open House in May 2025.

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Autumn has arrived! Akin’s programming calendar is packed with exciting events. So grab your coziest layers and come out to enjoy all of the art our wonderful community has to offer this season.

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Artist Mayah Boateng (@mayaherykah)

Akin Richmond-Bathurst Open Studio
September 27th, 12-5pm
579 Richmond Street West

The Akin Richmond-Bathurst Open Studio is taking place as a part of Ontario Culture Days, a province-wide celebration of art and culture. During this event we will open our studio doors to the public to get a behind-the-scenes look at the incredible work and community inside. Guests are invited to tour the studios, meet the artists, and learn about their creative practices through informal talks, demos, and in-studio displays.

Learn more about the open studio here.

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Akin Monthly Crit Night
Wednesday October 8th, 7:30pm 
Remote Gallery, 568 Richmond St W

The Crit Night is a monthly event designed for Akin members and members of the public to connect, share creative work, and receive valuable feedback within a supportive community. Come join this lively discussion and get constructive feedback on your works in progress with special guest host, artist and curator Renato Baldin.

Learn more and register here.

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Opening soon: ‘Searing Pain’,
an exhibition by Haley Meyer
October 2-5th
Opening Reception: October 2nd, 6-9pm
Remote Gallery, 568 Richmond St W

Searing Pain is Haley Meyers’ (@haleymeyerart) first solo show. It explores the relationship between transitional places and memory loss, using fleeting images taken while in transit to reflect how memories slip, fade, and blur over time. Haley is a winner of the Akin Career Launcher Award.

Learn more about the exhibition here.

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Akin Autumn 2025 Gallery Crawl
in Bloordale
October 11th, 1pm
Gallery Crawl starts at Patel Brown Gallery, 21 Wade Ave

Akin invites you to an afternoon of guided tours through some of Toronto’s most interesting galleries and artist-run centres. Explore the current exhibitions and learn about the artists and their work. This event is free and open to all. Bring a friend, the more the merrier!  

Route: First stop @patelbrowngallery, second stop @gallerytpw, third stop @gallery1888_, fourth stop @towards.info and final stop at @blouindivision

Learn more about the gallery crawl here.

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Sophia Kim W (@sophiakimw.art) poses at Akin Yonge-St Clair with her artwork.

Final Days to View: Sophia Kim W’s exhibition in the Akin Vitrine Gallery 
On now until September 30th
Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St Clair Ave W, viewable 24/7 from the street 

Be sure to swing by the Akin Vitrine Gallery for your last chance to check out Sophia Kim W’s intricate sci-fi/fantasy inspired paintings! Stay tuned for more details for the next upcoming Akin Vitrine Gallery exhibition, Leila Refahi’s ‘Cool Zone’, from October-November.

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Gallery B (Artist: Naghmeh Ghasemzadeh)

Book your next event at Remote Gallery

Remote Gallery is open for bookings for the autumn and winter months. Perfect for a solo or group show, workshops, pop-ups, markets, and more! Email gallery@akincollective.com to inquire. More information here.

Gallery A

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Currently Available Studios 

September has been a busy month for our studios! Akin Dupont and Akin Queen East are almost at full capacity. While there are a few great spaces at Akin Niagara, they are going fast. Currently, we have studios available in every location. Check out our website for an updated list of what’s Currently Available, and email info@akincollective.com to inquire about membership.

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Akin Sterling: Coming Soon

We’re excited to share that a new Akin studio is coming to Sterling Road! Akin Sterling is right across the street from our former location, the Akin Studio Program at Auto BLDG. Stay tuned for more details and please email info@akincollective.com if you are interested in becoming a member!

“Searing Pain” solo exhibition by Akin Career Launcher Award Winner Haley Meyer at Remote Gallery

Searing Pain, Haley Meyers’ first solo show, explores the relationship between transitional places and memory loss, using fleeting images taken while in transit to reflect how memories slip, fade, and blur over time. 

“Pain describes emotional and physical discomfort caused by an illness. Searing refers to the intensity of this pain; how sharply it can cut through your life, burning and impossible to ignore. In this case, Searing Pain represents the experience of living with memory loss caused by a long-term illness. It is not a singular moment, but a continuous ailment that replaces life's experiences with half-rendered, half-imposed versions of reality. 

The interior of a moving car, the windshield catching fractured lights, and the blurred landscapes of a passing world. These fleeting moments mimic the experience of living with memory loss; indistinct and unreachable memories that vanish as quickly as they appeared. Through painting, I confront this Searing Pain. Working from digital photographs taken from the passenger seat of a moving car, I preserve fading experiences, extending their lives through slow and deliberate reconstruction. Each painting houses a different memory; they are mnemonic tools used to hold what my memory cannot. Painting becomes an active resistance to memory loss, a means of holding onto what is on the verge of disappearing.”

- Haley Meyer

'Searing Pain'
Haley Meyer
October 2-5
Remote Gallery
568 Richmond St W

Opening Reception:
October 2nd, 6-9pm

Gallery Hours:
Friday October 3rd: 12-6 PM
Saturday October 4th: 12-6 PM
Sunday October 5th: 1-5 PM

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Haley Meyer is an oil painter & printmaker based in Toronto. Her first solo show, Searing Pain, will be held at Remote Gallery from October 2nd to 5th, 2025. Haley has received three Career Launcher opportunities in association with OCAD University and was awarded the Arts & Letters Club of Toronto Foundation Ina Gilbert Visual Arts Award. She is a recent graduate from OCAD University’s Drawing & Painting program with a minor in Printmaking & Publications. 

Haley is a recipient of the Akin Career Launcher Award. The Akin Career Launcher Award is a career-support opportunity for graduating students in Drawing & Painting, Integrated Media, Indigenous Visual Studies, Cross-Disciplinary Art: Life Studies, and Sculpture & Installation at OCAD University. Offered in partnership with Akin, the award is facilitated by OCAD U’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers.

haley-meyer.format.com | @haleymeyerart