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

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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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

2026 Akin Career Launcher recipients Chimemelie Okafor and Veronika Bondarenko

Image of Chimemelie Okafor (left) and Veronika Bondarenko (right) OCAD University Grads and 2026 Akin Career Launcher Recipients.

We’re happy to announce OCAD University grads Chimemelie Okafor and Veronika Bondarenko as the recipients of the 2026 Akin Career Launcher!  

The Akin Career Launcher 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. The award has been given annually since 2016.

Two graduating students receive a $2,000 credit toward a studio membership at one of Akin’s locations across the GTA for the year, along with a $450 credit for use at Akin’s Remote Gallery, located at Richmond and Portland.

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Chimemelie Okafor is a Nigerian multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Toronto. She is currently studying Drawing and Painting at OCAD University. Working primarily with oil paint, she also explores drawing and collage. Her practice is rooted in storytelling, using colour, patterns, and surreal imagery to explore the complexity of the human experience through her own lens.

@chi.mejo

Veronika Bondarenko is a Toronto-based painter completing a BFA in Drawing and Painting at OCAD University (2026). Her practice explores colour, pattern, and organic structure through process-driven painting and drawing. Working through repetition, layering, and erasure, she develops dense abstract surfaces that reference natural growth systems, insects, seeds, and mythic imagery.

Her paintings unfold slowly through accumulation and revision, allowing forms to emerge rather than be predetermined. Through this sustained process, Bondarenko approaches painting as a temporal medium in which perception, atmosphere, and symbolic associations develop through engagement with material.

Alongside her studio practice, she teaches community art classes and is active in artist-run exhibitions and collaborative projects in Toronto.

@_veronikabondarenko

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To learn more and apply visit: careerlaunchers.format.com/2026-akin.

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.

"Between Breaths, Between Places" at Remote Gallery

From March 12-15, Akin proudly presented "Between Breaths, Between Places" at Remote Gallery, a group exhibition featuring 14 members of the Akin team. The show offered a glimpse into the collective energy of the artists behind the organization, not a fixed portrait of an institution, but a living constellation of practices, continually shaped by time, collaboration, and becoming.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the opening reception or visited the gallery throughout the exhibition. It always means a lot to share these moments with our community, we truly value the curiosity, passion and connection that you bring into our spaces. A big thank you to curator Renato Baldin, and to the rest of the Akin team members who generously shared their work and time.

Participating Artists:
Azadeh Pirazimian (@azadeh_pirazimian)
Bettina Westwood (@bettinawestwood)
Charlotte Van Ryn (@van_ryn)
Faisal Karadsheh (@pillontheloose)
Haley Meyer (@haleymeyerart)
Jen Pilles (@jenpilles.artist)
Liliana Botero (@destellosglassart)
Miles Ingrassia (@milesingrassia)
Mykah Czarina (@mykahcdc)
Oliver Pauk (@oliverpauk)
Özge Aytekin (@ozgeartto)
Renato Baldin (@renato.baldin)
Theresa Hopkins (@thopkinsart )
Torin Craig (@paisleyrobeforthegoldenglobe)

Thanks also to Collective Arts Brewing, the official beverage sponsor of the event.  

Image Description: a slideshow of photos of the exhibition, including artwork and visitors looking at the artwork and discussing it, and large groups during the opening night party. 

Whippersnapper 101 Workshops in collaboration with Akin!

Tuesdays in April @ 6-8:30 PM ET

Join Whippersnapper for a weekly workshop series for emerging artists, sharing practical skills and ethical frameworks for developing your artistic career with intention, integrity, and sustainability. How can artists navigate the cultural industry as workers, especially those of us without institutional access and resources? How do we collaborate rather than compete with each other? How do we use a screwdriver? How do we go about building the practices and relationships we need to materialize our creative and political visions?

Open to all. Free to attend. 

Presented in collaboration with Akin. 

We encourage participants to attend multiple workshops (101 cohort!) – but this is entirely optional. 

Tuesday April 7 (on Zoom)
Sustaining Your Arts Practice through Disability Justice 
Facilitated by Harmeet Rehal 

This workshop is a gentle exploratory space to learn how to embody our arts practices in more meaningful, accessible and more community rooted ways, that are informed by Disability Justice culture and tenets. While this workshop welcomes all, including artists new and familiar to disability justice, there will be a specific focus on how to sustain our practice, especially as Disabled or newly Disabled artists.

Tuesday April 14 (on Zoom)
Everything's on fire, and I'm chasing invoices!
Facilitated by Sahra Soudi 

A collaborative and practical survival guide for artists and cultural workers working both within and outside of institutions. This workshop invites participants to reflect on the things they’re most impassioned by, and use those values to develop guiding principles for resourcing their practices. Together, we’ll think about how these principles can act as a compass while navigating the challenges, tensions, and possibilities of creative labour.

Tuesday April 21 (Remote Gallery)
Reading/Learning/Studying Together
Facilitated by Zoe Imani Sharpe

This workshop looks broadly at how collective study (reading, listening, moving, talking, being in the same room) is crucial for artistic collaboration.

We’ll look at a few recent and historical examples of collaborative practice; including the work of Anna Martine Whitehead, DAWA (Diasporic African Women’s Art), Theory, A Sunday, and others. We’ll reflect on ways to practice collective research, sometimes in spaces not usually deemed “artistic.” What do we want to learn with and from one another? What can emerge, now, from what’s already been done?

Participants will also leave with a set of practical, relational questions to help navigate agreements/contracts, conflict, working styles and communication. Bring your own experiential knowledge and a spirit of generosity.

Tuesday April 28 (Remote Gallery)
DIY Basics: How to install your work
Facilitated by Lamis Haggag

This workshop will help you start building the skills you need to get through installing your work in an exhibition space and bring your work to life. We will discuss the role of an installer and how to work together to optimize your install time. We will also be sharing practical tools for visualising your work within a space especially when working with limited institutional access and resources.

Access information: Online workshops will be hosted over Zoom - participants will receive a Zoom link the week of the workshop. In-person workshops will be hosted at Remote Gallery. Detailed accessibility information for the space can be found here. Live captioning and ASL interpretation available on request. Please let us know about any additional access needs you have that might support your participation, and we will do our best to coordinate with you! 

If you have further questions about these workshops, or encounter any issues filling out this registration form, please contact Jody Chan at programming@whippersnapper.ca.

Remote Gallery, 568 Richmond St W

 

Grant Workshop - Group Session with Peter Kingstone

GRANT WRITING SESSION with Peter Kingstone
Date: Wednesday, April 8, 6pm - 8pm
Location: Remote Gallery, Gallery A, 568 Richmond St W
Free event — limited spots available

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As artists ourselves, we know how challenging grant writing can be. To help, we've invited Peter Kingstone, Akin member and Program Manager at the Toronto Arts Council, to facilitate a group work session specifically focused on the Visual Arts Creation Grant.

About the Visual Arts Creation Grant

The Toronto Arts Council Visual Arts Creation Grant supports individual visual artists in the creation of new work, including drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, mixed media, and installation. This grant has a rolling deadline, allowing applicants to apply throughout the year.

For more details and full eligibility, visit the TAC website.

If you haven’t already registered with the Toronto Arts Council, you’ll need to create an account through their grants portal to view and apply for the Visual Arts Creation Grant. You can register and access the application system here. 

Registration is free and only takes a few minutes. Make sure to complete this step early so you can review the grant requirements and start your application.

How the Session Works

This is a focused, hands-on session rather than a general information presentation. Participants are asked to prepare an in-progress draft project proposal—the core section of your grant application that describes what you plan to do and why.

To make the session as productive as possible, you must upload your in-progress grant application to the TAC portal at least one day before the session. This gives Peter time to review everyone’s drafts beforehand so he can come prepared with more thoughtful and specific feedback.

During the session, Peter will begin by explaining what makes a strong application for the Visual Arts Creation Grant. The group will then collaboratively read and offer feedback on one another’s drafts in a supportive environment. This is a great opportunity to co-work, ask questions, and strengthen your grant writing in a group setting.

Who Should Attend

• Visual artists applying or planning to apply to the TAC Visual Arts Creation Grant.
  
  

• Artists with or without prior grant writing experience.
  
  

• Those interested in peer collaboration and feedback.
  
  

• Attendance is limited to 12 participants to maintain a productive group size.

Accessibility

Remote Gallery is on street level with step-free access and the entrance doors are 37" wide. The doors are automated by a push button system. There is step-free access throughout the gallery space. There are two gender-neutral washrooms both with step-free access. The washroom doors are not automated, the door knobs are round, and the toilets are not raised. For more information about Remote Gallery, click here.

About Peter Kingstone

Peter Kingstone is a Toronto-based visual artist and curator, working primarily in video and photography. As an independent artist, Peter’s installation pieces have been shown across Canada and internationally, and he was awarded the Untitled Artist Award in 2005 for his installation The Strange Case of peter K. (1974–2004). Peter holds a degree in Philosophy/Cultural Studies from Trent University in Peterborough and a Master of Fine Art focusing on video and new media from York University in Toronto. Peter has presented at many conferences on storytelling and social engagement. He began in September 2012 as the Acting Visual/Media Arts Program Manager at Toronto Arts Council

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.