2025 Space Award recipients Melika Saeeda, Leila-Refahi and Azadeh Pirazimian!

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Space Award Akin Art studios

Image of Space Award Recipients, Akin, Toronto Arts Foundation and Neighbourhood Arts Network logos.

 

We’re excited to announce the 2025 Space Award recipients: Melika Saeeda, Leila-Refahi and Azadeh Pirazimian!  

The Space Award focuses on providing creation, performance, and/or exhibition spaces to newcomer professional artists who are past recipients of the Newcomer Arts Award. This award not only provides funding and space essential for professional artists to grow their practice, but also supports artists in growing their professional network.

The Space Award focuses on providing creation, performance, and/or exhibition spaces to newcomer professional artists who are past recipients of the Newcomer Arts Award. This award not only provides funding and space essential for professional artists to grow their practice, but also supports artists in growing their professional network.   

Recipients receive:

  • $500 cash to support their arts practice

  • $2,000 in Akin credit to be used for studio or exhibition space

    The Space Award is made possible with the support of RBC.

Melika 2025 Space Award Akin Art StudiosToronto
 

Melika Saeeda was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and graduated with an MFA in Graphic Design from Tehran Art University. Over the past 10 years, she has illustrated more than 30 children’s books in Turkey and Iran. Many of Melika’s illustrations have also appeared in Iranian children’s magazines and books, and her artwork has been exhibited at book fairs in Iran, Canada, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, and Turkey. Her art is about telling stories that draw on her experiences as an Iranian artist. She is inspired by traditional Iranian methods of depiction, such as the narratives in Persian miniatures – tiny, ornate paintings that tell traditional stories.

This visual tradition has inspired her own art practice and representational choices, which she explores through drawing, painting, lithography, and murals. “I am excited to join community arts initiatives here in Canada, now that I feel free to express myself in ways I could not before,” Melika notes, adding she wants to draw on those traditional depiction methods and their narrative potential “to tell new stories that depict the full range of human diversity and that reflect on social justice while celebrating the freedom. Rather than simply commenting on life in Iran, however, I want to explore how these stories can be retold, made contemporary, and shared in a new culture.

@melikasaeeda

Lelia 2025 Space Award Akin Art StudiosToronto
 

Leila-Refahi works with painting, installation, and digital media to create participatory art experiences. Her work mainly focuses on environmental issues, climate change and endangered animals. Leila received her Master’s degree in Art Education from Concordia University in 2021 and has a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Painting from the Art and Architecture University in Tehran, Iran.

In her research and educational projects, she inquires about socially engaged art and its impact on raising and transforming environmental knowledge in communities. Leila has presented six solo exhibitions and participated in more than 60 national and international group exhibitions and festivals. She also ran participatory projects, in which she engaged audiences in the artwork process by asking them to create and precede the artwork, cooperating, and finally becoming artists of the work. The interactions between participants, the artist, and the artwork are the most significant part of her practice.

@leilarefahi.art

Azadeh 2025 Space Award Akin Art StudiosToronto
 

Azadeh Pirazimian is a multidisciplinary artist, art educator based in Toronto and former lecturer in Iran. With a passion for exploring themes of self-expression, communication, daily resistance, through diverse media, including drawing, painting, photography, performance, and sculpture. Her methodology has been consistent throughout her career, resulting in her own distinctive visual language.

Over the years, Azadeh has showcased her works at multiple exhibitions in Iran, Canada, and the Netherlands. Her art in Canada has received recognition through the Newcomer Artists Mentorship Grant and RBC Space Awards.

Azadeh holds a bachelor's degree in painting and a master's in visual communication. In the fall of 2023, Azadeh will pursue her MFA at University of Waterloo, where she can develop her artistic skills further.

azadehpirazimian.com

For more information about this award please visit: https://torontoartsfoundation.org/awards/newcomer-space-award

If you're interested in partnering with Akin on a Career Launcher at your institution organization, please reach out to us at info@akincollective.com.

Meet the 2024 Career Launcher Award Winners in their Akin studios

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Image Description: Headshots of Shannon Sandwell and Meera Dinh. The text “2024 Akin Career Launcher Award Recipients”, the Akin and OCADU logos appear on the left hand side above a pink and blue background.

 

As our 2024 OCADU Career Launcher Award winners settle into their Akin studios, we caught up with them to learn a little more about them, and to see what they are working on. 

The Career Launcher award is a collaboration between OCADU and Akin, which gives two graduating OCAD students $2,000 towards Akin studio membership and $450 for a booking at Akin’s Remote Gallery.  This year's recipients of the award are Meera Dinh, who has moved into Akin Richmond-Bathurst, and Shannon Sandwell, settled into Akin Niagara. 

Shannon Sandwell 

Shannon Sandwell is a Canadian figurative painter based in Toronto. Their work focuses on community and connection intertwined with popular and sub-cultural imagery. Using a collage style of painting Shannon’s work creates narratives that exist out of regular time and space to emphasize platonic intimacy and the human desire to be close with one another.

 

Shannon Sandwell sits on a rolling chair in their studio. They have short blonde hair, tattoos and are wearing a white t-shirt and gray shorts with sandals. Behind them, large bright figurative paintings hang on the wall.

 


“I paint large-scale figurative works with acrylic. Collaging references from life and my communities with references from pop/subcultures to create new moments of connection that exist out of time and space while utilizing scale to defamiliarize these moments of platonic intimacy. The scale and cropping of the images in my paintings disorient the viewer- forcing them to engage and seek the connections within the compositions. This act of seeking allows the viewer to feel connected to the anonymous community before them. The collaging of images will enable me to work in complex compositions, steering away from the monolithic individual. I am searching for ways to bring visual sovereignty and joy to figurative work and seeking out ways in which humans seek connection with one another to survive.”

 

Several paintings of Shannons sit against the wall and hang above.

 

“I have been working on a collection of paintings for an upcoming show! It is smaller than most of my work, but I have enjoyed having the space to work on multiple 4' by 3' canvases simultaneously. The studio space to jump from painting to painting has been very helpful.”

 

Shannon Sandwell sits on a rolling chair in their studio. They have short blonde hair, tattoos and are wearing a white t-shirt and gray shorts with sandals. Behind them, large bright figurative paintings hang on the wall.

 

“I am very neurotic about using a fresh palette. I use only the primaries plus white and mixed while painting. This requires me to constantly reset and start fresh after my palette has gotten wild. Another ritual for my work is documenting community when I find myself in it. Constantly using my phone to take reference photos on the go. I am also asking consent of those in my communities that I end up photographing for paint reference.”

Find more of Shannon’s work here

Meera Dinh 

Meera Dinh 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.

“My work explores the deep connection between the soul and the psychological challenges that come with being in a female body. I’m fascinated by how these forces shape identity and the constant struggle to understand my own nature. My oil paintings focus on capturing that in-between space—the line between the conscious and subconscious mind—by blending personal symbols, memories, and a touch of the erotic.

 

Meera Dinh sits on a chair inside her studio. Meera has long black hair and is wearing blue jeans and a black and brown floral tank top. Beside her is a large easel holding a circular canvas. Behind her are drawings posted to the walls. The large window in her studio looks out to a cityscape. Books rest on the windowsill.

 

I often pull from my subconscious, letting spontaneous ideas and images surface, which I then transform into visual stories. My work involves a lot of introspection as I explore themes like societal expectations, emotional vulnerability, and the absurdities we all face in life. Each painting feels like a moment of confrontation but also liberation, a chance to express emotions I’ve been holding onto.

Stylistically, I love combining figurative realism with surreal elements, allowing me to play with the boundaries between control and chaos. I use oil paints to build layers that reflect the complexity of these ideas. Lately, I’ve been incorporating themes of female identity merging with animal forms to symbolize primal instincts and transformation.

At the core, my art is very personal. It’s a space where I can reveal my own vulnerabilities and challenge societal norms, inviting viewers into an intimate conversation about identity and self-expression.” 

 

Meera Dinh sits on a chair inside her studio. Meera has long black hair and is wearing blue jeans and a black and brown floral tank top. Beside her is a large easel holding a circular canvas. Behind her are drawings posted to the walls. The large window in her studio looks out to a cityscape. Books rest on the windowsill.

 

“Since moving into my Akin Richmond-Bathurst studio, I feel incredibly fortunate to have found such an inspiring space. Located in the heart of Toronto’s most artistic area, the studio is everything I could have hoped for as a painter—housed in a charming brick building with serene views and surrounded by a vibrant community of talented artists. This environment has pushed my practice forward, allowing me to learn from others and grow in ways I hadn’t anticipated. It feels like the ultimate artist’s dream space, a sanctuary where creativity thrives.

This studio has given me the solid foundation to continue my artistic journey beyond graduation. It’s more than just a workspace; receiving this space has been a life-changing award. It’s given me the confidence that I’m on the right path and reminds me to keep going, no matter the challenges. The opportunity to work here has been a significant turning point, motivating me to push my work further and explore new directions.

I’m currently preparing for a group show at Remote Gallery with Ellie Hsu and Ariadna Mavila de la Rosa. Our exhibition, which will take place either later this year or early next year, explores the theme of female identity merging with animal forms. It’s a deeply personal project for me, and the space has given me the room to fully explore these ideas through oil painting, my primary medium. It has allowed me to experiment with new techniques and materials, bringing these concepts to life in ways I hadn’t imagined.

In addition to the upcoming show, I’ve also been applying for exhibitions and residencies. Thanks to this studio, I can develop new works and expand my portfolio in ways that will sustain my practice for years to come.”

 

Meera Dinh sits on a chair inside her studio. Meera has long black hair and is wearing blue jeans and a black and brown floral tank top. Beside her is a large easel holding a circular canvas. Behind her are drawings posted to the walls. The large window in her studio looks out to a cityscape. Books rest on the windowsill.

 


“My creative process often begins in brief moments of detachment, where I drift away from the present reality. During these times, vivid and symbolic images emerge deep within my subconscious—like seeing myself on a steak plate or catching a distorted reflection of myself in the mud at a TTC subway station. These metaphorical visions communicate with me in ways I don’t fully understand, but I can sense their emotional weight.

When these images surface, I instinctively sketch them in my notebook without overthinking, almost like a child doodling. After this initial sketching, I take photos of myself as a reference for the paintings, using my own body to capture the forms and poses I want to explore further. At this stage, I feel the intensity of the images, though their meaning is still elusive. From there, I move into painting, which allows me to spend long periods with these images, slowly unravelling their deeper significance. Immersing myself in the painting process—often for hours—I engage with the forms I’ve created until their meaning becomes clearer. Along the way, I also research the themes and symbols that arise, drawing from journaling, music, poetry, philosophy, and literature that delve into the space between conscious thought and intuition. Inspiration often strikes when I’m in this liminal space, exploring and observing the images as they evolve. Through this process, my art starts to reveal naked truths I often hide behind the everyday roles and performances of life. In many ways, my art understands me better than I understand myself, and through it, I discover deeper layers of my identity.

Additionally, my cats, Bob and Moxie, are a huge motivation source for me. I always keep their picture in my studio; whenever I feel down or exhausted, looking at them lifts my spirits and reminds me to keep going.” 

Find more of Meera’s work here