“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

“Close Your Eyes, Heal in a Parallel World” solo exhibition by Akin Career Launcher Award Winner Firouzeh Saremi Far at Remote Gallery

“Close Your Eyes, Heal in a Parallel World” is a body of work exploring the relationship between the human spirit and the natural world. Rooted in moments of personal reflection, the series draws inspiration from the ephemeral transition before sunrise, when darkness surrenders to the soft, bluish light of dawn. This fleeting moment, filled with quiet promise and subtle transformation, becomes a portal: a threshold between stillness and movement, between hardship and renewal.

Standing in nature with my eyes closed, I feel its rhythms—the hush of rivers, the rustle of wind, the resilience of trees, the smell of damp earth and fallen leaves, the distant call of birds, the crackle of dry twigs beneath my feet, the flutter of wings just beyond my sight, and the purity of air—gently pulling me into alignment with something greater than myself. In this harmony of sound, scent, texture, and light, a sacred alignment begins to form within me. Nature, without effort or intention, invites me back to myself.

Through this work, I seek to capture the healing power that lies in these moments of connection. In a world increasingly marked by disconnection and pressure, I invite viewers to pause, to breathe, and to imagine a parallel world where nature offers refuge and restoration. Like a nurturing presence, nature embraces those who seek solace; not by erasing pain, but by holding space for transformation.”

- Firouzeh Saremi Far

'Close Your Eyes, Heal in a Parallel World'
Firouzeh Saremi Far
Sept. 20 & 21
Remote Gallery
568 Richmond St W

Opening Reception:
Sat., Sept. 20 5-8pm

Gallery Hours:
Sat., Sept. 20: 12 - 8pm
Sun., Sept. 21: 12 - 5pm

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Firouzeh Saremi Far is is a visual artist based in Toronto, Canada. Her artistic practice is an ongoing exploration of the intersections between human experience and environmental influences, reflecting different themes of identity, transformation, and resilience. Drawing inspiration from the emotional intensity of Expressionism and the limitless forms of Abstract Art, her works seek to invoke a dialogue on human matters. Her goal is to create art that not only occupies space but also serves as a catalyst for reflection and engagement, encouraging viewers to consider their connection to the world and the impact of their presence within it.

Firouzeh 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.

www.firouzehsaremifar.com | @firouzeh_saremifar

Akin at the St Clair Gardens BIA SummerFest - July 26 from 12-6pm

You’re invited to the St Clair Gardens BIA SummerFest on Saturday, July 26th from 12 PM to 6 PM! It will be a day of community and celebration packed with music, food, family fun, and a showcase of incredible local talent. 

You can stroll St Clair Ave West and browse the local vendors & sidewalk sales, including Akin Members Sam Silva Hill & Giovanna Galuppo in front of Akin St Clair (1747 St Clair Ave W) and then visit Don Panos Parkette (3 Prescott Avenue) for some live music, tasty food and refreshments, kid-friendly activities and more vendors including Akin Members Smriti Sharma & Liliana Botero. 

Don’t forget to stop by the Akin table in the parkette to say hello and learn about our studios, galleries and programming! 

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Featured Akin Members at Akin St Clair: 

Sam Silva Hill

Sam's practice is diverse and occurs across media - studio art, curation, and art educational practices are all implicated.  Her painting concepts exist within the queer, feminist framework, exploring the correlations found within mental health, physical health, femininity, and queer identities which she balances against the cartoonish elements in her illustrations and sculptures. 

@sam.silva.hill.artwork

Giovanna Galuppo

Giovanna is a multidisciplinary visual artist and designer based in Toronto. Originally from Venezuela, her work explores themes of memory, identity, social justice, and the human relationship with nature. She works primarily in painting, illustration, and mixed media, creating vibrant and expressive works that weave together figurative imagery, texture, and symbolism. Galuppo is the co-founder of Studios Galuppo, an online gallery space. Her recent work focuses on themes of healing, Indigenous solidarity, and environmental urgency.

@studiosgaluppo | @ggaluppoart | www.studiosgaluppo.com

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Featured Akin Members in the parkette: 

Smriti Sharma

Smriti is a Toronto-based potter creating small-batch, handmade ceramics at Akin St Clair. Their work blends form and function — each piece is made to be used, loved, and lived with every day.

@water_and_clay 

Liliana Botero

Liliana is a graphic designer and a glass artist who studied and trained in Colombia and the United States. In addition to being a silversmith artist, Liliana has been working with glass for more than 20 years and produces wearable pieces of art & artistic glass home décor items with passion & love with her company Destellos Glass Art using several glass techniques such as: Lampwork,  Fused Glass, Slump Glass, Mosaic, Stained Glass, Pâte de Verre, Kiln Forming and Carving, Sandblasting. 

@destellosglassartt | www.etsy.com/ca/shop/DestellosGlassArt

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Hope to see you there! Bring your family, friends, and neighbours! Let’s come together to celebrate summer, support local businesses, and make summer memories. 

Many thanks to the St Clair Gardens BIA and all of the event sponsors!