Connextions
An annual public art installation featuring artists with strong ties to Oakville.
Celebrating local pride though art
Reflecting Oakville's vibrant community, the launch of each Connextions exhibition coincides with Culture Days, a national festival of arts and culture.
Following the Public Art Procedure, a public art call is posted annually for new artist applications. Cultural Services leads the selection process with a jury of local artists and arts professionals.
Current locations, works and artist bios
Building on the success of previous years, we are currently showcasing the talents of a fresh cohort of artists with their colourful vinyl window murals in our facilities.
Many works from previous years also continue to be displayed at sites across the town.
Roses and Bees and Peonies and Bees, watercolour paintings printed on vinyl, 2025 by Hyedie Hashimoto for Connextions 2025
Location: Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre
Hyedie Hashimoto is a Toronto-based artist known for her delicate and expressive watercolour work. She studied Fine Art at OCAD University and has exhibited her paintings across Ontario in both solo and group shows.
She often explores themes of nature, memory, and environmental stewardship, with a focus on local flora and fauna. In addition to her studio work, Hyedie has led community art projects and workshops that encourage creative engagement with the natural world. She has lived and worked in the Greater Toronto Area for over two decades.
The artist offers this about her practice:
“Roses and Bees and Peonies and Bees are a part of the Dreamscapes watercolour series, a collection… that celebrate[s] the quiet beauty of regional plant life and the essential role of pollinators. Through ethereal colour washes and layered compositions, the artwork highlights the delicate interplay between blossoms and insects. White silhouettes of bees and other pollinators drift across the surface, drawing attention to the ecological relationships that sustain our environment.”
This series invites viewers to reflect on the often-overlooked connections between species and the fragile systems that support biodiversity. Elevating these natural interactions into dreamlike visual narratives, Roses and Bees and Peonies and Bees encourages a deeper appreciation for the rhythms of the natural world and the importance of protecting it.
Visit Hyedie Hashimoto’s website
Traffic signal cabinet box wrap by Maryna Salagub for Connextions 2024
Location: Bronte Road and Ontario Street
Maryna Salagub’s traffic signal cabinet box wrap features an abstract watercolour design of colourful oars, celebrating Oakville’s diverse community and natural beauty. As a local artist deeply involved in Oakville’s cultural life, Maryna’s design aims to inspire healthy living and environmental protection. The vibrant colours — navy, turquoise, red, and yellow — invite viewers to pause and immerse themselves in the intersection of urban and natural landscapes. Through her artwork, Maryna seeks to create a moment of joy and inspiration for everyone, enhancing community spaces and fostering a sense of belonging.
Visit Maryna Salagub’s website
Rainbow Connection, photo-collage, 2020 by Erin McGean for Connextions 2023
Location: Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre
Erin McGean studied Fine Art at York University in Toronto and although originally trained in painting and drawing she has been producing analogue and digital collages for over 15 years. Along with teaching high school art and collage workshops for adults, Erin has exhibited in Canadian galleries and sold her work to private and corporate collectors. She is also a frequent contributor to Elle Canada and was selected to exhibit at Fashion Art Toronto in 2019 and 2020. She has recently had her art published in Kolaj Magazine and Create and Resident Magazine. Erin has lived in Oakville for over 18 years.
The artist offers this about her practice:
"Rainbow Connection is a series of six vibrant collages that celebrate diversity and inclusivity within the local community. Through the use of vivid colours and abstract compositions, each collage weaves together people of different ethnicities with textures and patterns, creating a visual metaphor for the beauty of diversity within our community.
The rainbow scheme used throughout the series not only speaks to the LGBTQ community but also represents the spectrum of human experiences and identities. The series aims to promote understanding and acceptance of all people, regardless of their background, and to celebrate the unique qualities that each individual brings to the community.
Ultimately, Rainbow Connection is a visual celebration of the power of diversity and the importance of inclusivity. It serves as a reminder that our differences are what make us unique and beautiful, and that we should embrace and celebrate them. Through this series, I hope to inspire a sense of unity, acceptance, and love within the local community and beyond."
Untitled, 2022 by Kayla Whitney for Connextions 2022
Location: Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre
Kayla Whitney is a graduate of OCAD University in Drawing and Painting. She is also known as Koe Design, a passion project turned dream career with a focus on creating public art, engaging with communities to beautify neighbourhoods, and creating safe, inviting and inspiring places all over the greater Toronto Hamilton area. Public projects include the cities of Toronto, Hamilton and Collingwood as well as work for The Globe and Mail, Holt Renfrew, The YWCA, and many others. Her goal as a publicly engaged artist is to facilitate a safe, supportive and encouraging space for other artists, community members and the general public where they can come fully into their own unique potential.
The artist offers about her practice:
"I am especially interested in creating community focused art. I love to create work that is for everyone; work that makes everyone feel good, represented, beautiful, at home, safe and welcome. I’m interested in art as a way to express shared experiences of positivity and learning as they exist within community. I think we are one another’s greatest source of connection and inspiration and, to me, art is the perfect space for us to take time and notice this, to reflect on what we give to our communities, and what they in turn give us back.
We all live within and amongst connection but to see it is to grasp it, this most essential and important truth. Community and beauty are synonymous to me and in my work I try and bring this out, to watch objects, colour, faces, actions, environments, ideas and spirit all become one as this is the way I experience the world, and I think the way most people experience the world. I believe it’s important to take the time to notice this, it helps us to live with a little more awareness and a lot more appreciation."
Nature’s Collection, digital illustrations, 2025 by Andrea Manica, for Connextions 2025
Location: Trafalgar Park Community Centre
Andrea Manica is a freelance muralist, illustrator, and visual artist based in Hamilton, Ontario since 2022. She earned her Bachelor of Design in Illustration from OCAD University in Toronto in 2013. Since then, she has painted large-scale murals across Ontario and internationally. Her practice has expanded to include digital artworks designed for public art installations. Her work is often featured in hospitals, community spaces, and outdoor environments.
Andrea’s creative practice is deeply influenced by themes of emotion, spirituality, belonging, and the human connection to nature. As a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, her identity and values are reflected in the inclusive and healing nature of her work.
The artist offers this about her practice:
“Nature’s Collection is a series of three digital artworks inspired by a mural I created for Bluewater Health Hospital in Sarnia in 2022. The original mural was designed to uplift the hospital environment and foster emotional and spiritual healing through vibrant colours and imagery drawn from the natural world. This series continues that intention by highlighting simple yet powerful elements of nature — flowers, butterflies, and organic forms — presented in a playful and accessible way.
By isolating and celebrating these small wonders, Nature’s Collection invites viewers to slow down and reconnect with the beauty that surrounds us every day. I believe that integrating art into public spaces contributes to our collective well-being and reminds us of the joy found in life’s quiet details."
Untitled Portal 08 and Untitled Portal 10, photography and digital collage, 2025 by Laura Kay Keeling for Connextions 2025
Location: Trafalgar Park Community Centre
Laura Kay Keeling is a Hamilton-based visual artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans analog photography, video, digital collage, and installation. Entirely self-taught, she has cultivated a process-driven approach that explores the relationship between the natural and human worlds – how they coexist, diverge, and influence one another. Her work often reflects themes of memory, care, and ecological connection, drawing from an evolving personal archive of foraged and cultivated plant materials. Since 2018, Laura has been collecting petals, clippings, and other organic elements, which she scans, photographs, presses, and reuses in her compositions.
In addition to her studio practice, Laura is an active arts administrator. Her work has appeared in feature films, music videos, commercial apparel, and publications such as The Walrus Magazine.
The artist offers this about her practice:
"Untitled Portal 08 and Untitled Portal 10 are part of Untitled Portals, Variations, an ongoing collage series... These works merge analog and digital processes, incorporating natural elements captured on 35mm film and digital photography, scanned with both flatbed and 3D scanners, and digitally manipulated before being reimagined in physical form. Through layered compositions and a hybrid workflow, the series reflects on the reciprocity of care between humans and ecosystems. It invites viewers to consider how we maintain meaningful connections to the natural world in an increasingly digital and isolating society. By creating immersive portals that blend tactile and virtual experiences, the work encourages moments of pause, joy, and reflection – reminding us of the beauty and importance of engaging with our surroundings."
Visit Laura Kay Keeling’s website
The Olive Pickers traffic signal cabinet box wrap by Alisha Lucia Davidson for Connextions 2024
Location: Rebecca Road at Brock Street
The Olive Pickers is a tribute to community, agricultural workers, and heritage. The artwork depicts women harvesting olives in a grove, inspired by the artist's Italian roots and family ties to the Oakville area. Growing up in British Columbia, the artist's visits to her Italian relatives in the Greater Toronto Area were filled with stories of family traditions like the olive harvest, a communal activity where neighbours would come together. The women in the scene represent a collective spirit, their identities intentionally left fluid so the image resonates with diverse backgrounds and harvests. The use of rich greens in the background reflects abundance and prosperity, honouring the agricultural workers who contribute to Oakville’s lush landscape.
Woven: Raccoon and Woven: Owl, digital illustration, photo-digital, 2025 by Bau and Cos Studio for Connextions 2025
Location: Oakville Centre for Performing Arts
Bau and Cos Studio is an art, architecture, and design firm based in the Greater Toronto Area, founded by artists Andres Ulises Bautista and Novka Cosovic. With roots in Nicaragua and Serbia, the duo brings a rich tapestry of cultural perspectives to their collaborative practice. Drawing from their global travels and diverse backgrounds, Bau and Cos Studio creates public artworks that are both contextually grounded and visually engaging. Their work aims to spark curiosity and foster meaningful connections between viewers and their surroundings.
The artists offer this about their practice:
“Woven is a digital art series inspired by the traditional ćilim rug – a flat tapestry weaving technique found across Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. The word ćilim, derived from Turkish and Persian origins meaning spread, reflects the transcultural nature of this textile tradition. Historically, ćilim motifs conveyed emotions and stories through symbols like the evil eye, ram’s horn, and fertility icons, rendered in naturally dyed hues of burgundy, blue, orange, red, and black.
In Woven, we reinterpret this ancient storytelling method by creating a contemporary visual language rooted in local wildlife. Our illustrations of the owl and raccoon incorporate ćilim-inspired patterns to bridge old-world embroidery with modern digital design. This series celebrates the enduring power of craft as a vessel for cultural memory and invites viewers to explore the beauty of symbolic expression through a playful, cross-cultural lens.”
Visit Bau and Cos Studio’s website
Traffic signal cabinet box wrap by Lindsay van Ekelenburg for Connextions 2024
Location: Cornwall Road at Oakville GO entrance
Lindsay van Ekelenburg’s traffic signal cabinet wrap captures the nostalgic essence of her childhood in Muskoka through her fantastical depiction of wildlife. Featuring a heron, a majestic bird native to Oakville and the Greater Halton area, the piece reflects the beauty and grace of this local species.
Lindsay’s art combines delicate watercolour and acrylic techniques with a touch of digital painting to evoke a sense of discovering a fleeting moment on the waterfront. The backdrop is a vibrant display of cattails against a blue sky, with the heron’s feathers shimmering in hues of gold, brown, and purple, reminiscent of sunlight dancing on them.
Having lived in Oakville while studying at Sheridan College, Lindsay finds joy in the area’s nature, which reminds her of the wilderness she loved growing up in Muskoka.
Visit Lindsay van Ekelenburg’s website
Bloom, 2020 by Lucas DeClavasio for Connextions 2022
Location: Oakville Trafalgar Community Centre
Lucas DeClavasio has been a photographer for half of his life, discovering his inclination for double exposures through the use of broken and plastic cameras. Many of the cameras used, being from secondhand antique markets, didn’t work well, but that was the appeal. Sometimes there would be extreme light leaks or the film wouldn't wind to the next frame. He enjoyed being surprised by the results.
For a long while, Lucas took a hiatus from photography, and it was the pandemic that got him back into it. He needed a creative outlet. The overarching goal is to embrace the chaos around us, reconnect with our surroundings, and hopefully discover a peaceful rhythm.
Bloom is part of an ongoing series called Chaos & Decay. The artist offers about the work:
"It's about the attempt to discover peace and harmony amidst the randomness in our everyday lives. I aim to find the delicate balance between aggression and tranquility in the same image, while tying together nature and the human form. Our connection with nature is universal and undeniable. The more conscious we are of this, the easier we can focus on improving and maintaining our physical and mental health, which resonates deeply with the need for community and access to recreation. This photograph relates to the recreation centre setting because of the nearby 16 Mile Creek, the community gardens, and the existing bird sculpture above the space. I also see participating in community activities on physical and social levels as healthy choices for your mind and body."
Heart of the Land, digital illustration by Jeannette Ladd for Connextions 2025
Location: Glen Abbey Community Centre
Jeannette Ladd is an Anishinaabe-kwe from Saugeen First Nation, located along the shores of Lake Huron. Her roots run deep in the land and culture that continue to shape her identity and artistic voice. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Toronto, where she studied how people live and interact with space. After nearly a decade working in architecture in the Town of Oakville, Jeannette transitioned to a full-time art practice that blends design principles with Indigenous storytelling.
Her work honours traditional teachings and natural elements, weaving vibrant imagery with contemporary techniques. Through painting and visual expression, she uplifts Indigenous perspectives and fosters meaningful connections between people and place.
The artist offers this about her practice:
"This piece is inspired by the natural beauty of Oakville, where forest, meadow, river, and lake converge. It celebrates love, renewal, and our relationship with the land and one another. Flowing waters from Sixteen Mile Creek connect to Lake Ontario, carrying memory and life through nibi (water), a sacred element in Anishinaabe culture.
Two waaboozook (rabbits) sit beneath the sun and moon, holding space with quiet presence. These gentle helpers remind us to move with awareness, lead with love, and honour the soft power of gentleness. Strawberries and flowers – sacred medicines – symbolize love and the good life, while fish swim below, connecting all beings through shared breath and story.
This artwork reflects the deep interconnection between land, water, and spirit. It invites viewers to pause, reflect, and remember that gentleness, love, and connection to the land are powerful medicines – always present and always within reach."
Traffic signal cabinet box wrap by Samuel Choisy for Connextions 2024
Location: Third Line and Upper Middle Road (closer to Sobeys)
Samuel Choisy’s traffic signal cabinet box wrap offers a kaleidoscopic vision of abstract landscapes, created through his unique photographic process. Using long exposures, Samuel captures the motion of coloured paper cut-outs against painted backgrounds, blending photography with abstract painting. His personal connection to Oakville, where he moved after meeting his partner, adds sentimental value to the piece. Through this artwork, Samuel reflects on his journey as an artist and his deep ties to the Oakville community, presenting a vibrant and dynamic visual experience.
Summer Connextion Oakville, photo-digital, 2019/2023 by Alex Neumann for Connextions 2023
Location: Glen Abbey Community Centre
A first generation Canadian, born in Montréal, now living in Toronto, Alex’s camera-based art has been exhibited in Canada as well as in Europe. He has been associated with artist run galleries both in Montreal and Toronto - Véhicule Art (Montréal) Inc., Toronto Photographers’ Workshop/Photography Gallery, Harbourfront (founding member, chairman of Exhibition Committee) and Gallery 44. More recently, he worked as a web development coordinator at York University. Past work included freelance photography, and teaching photography at University of Toronto/Sheridan, Dundas Valley School of Art, and Toronto Board of Education. His daughter, her husband and their children live, work and go to school in Oakville.
The artist offers about his practice:
"The idea I am working with in these images is the propensity of humans to create symbols and attach meaning and affiliation to them, primarily the star-like patterns that represent several spiritual faiths and cultures. There are also other influences, household crafts such as embroidery, lace, samplers as well as the phenomena of pareidolia. And of course, the kaleidoscope and paper snowflakes. I wish to have these images inspire people to see and interact with their surroundings with a new vision.
These images start as photographs of nature, taken during one of my walks, then are manipulated by a computer software. There are countless possible images that can result from a single photograph. Like DNA, we are all different but at the same time, alike."
Wild in the City (Oakville), digitized linocut illustration, 2025 by Sue Todd for Connextions 2025
Location: River Oaks Community Centre
Sue Todd is an award-winning illustrator based in Toronto, with over two decades of experience creating artwork for advertising, publishing, public art, and festivals. Her distinctive style blends traditional hand-carved linocut techniques with digital line art, resulting in bold, expressive illustrations in both black-and-white and colour.
Sue’s work has appeared in children’s books, tarot game cards, and editorial projects, and she is currently developing her own stories for children as both author and illustrator. Her creative practice is driven by a love of storytelling and a passion for visual exploration. Whether working by hand or digitally, Sue brings a sense of playfulness and depth to each piece she creates.
The artist offers this about her practice:
“Wild in the City captures the spirit of Oakville -- a place where natural beauty and urban life intertwine. The artwork reflects the town’s unique balance of wild and tame elements, evoking a magical space where peaceful reflection and active engagement coexist.
Though I live in Toronto, I feel a strong connection to Oakville through friends and family who have lived there. I often cycle along the lakeshore trails to Old Oakville, and I’m continually inspired by how the town integrates its built environment with the surrounding landscape.
To me, Oakville feels like a home away from home. This piece celebrates that feeling -- of belonging, of harmony, and of the quiet wonder found in places where nature and community meet.”
Traffic signal cabinet box wrap by Chris Perez for Connextions 2024
Location: Oak Park Boulevard at Parkhaven Boulevard
Chris Perez is a mural artist whose work celebrates the local community and environment by incorporating familiar shapes and forms inspired by nature. His recent mural in downtown Oakville reflects the variety of personal experiences and surroundings he encountered during his time in the area.
Drawing from Oakville’s waterfront and local businesses, his colour palette features vibrant blues and bright tones. Through his use of cutout illustrative elements, Perez creates artwork that is approachable, friendly, and easily recognizable, making public art accessible to all.
Neighbours of Nature, illustration, 2025 by Sara Shogi for Connextions 2025
Location: Iroquois Ridge Community Centre
Sara Shoghi is a Toronto-based muralist and digital artist with a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Art, Media, and Design from OCAD University. Her creative practice blends illustration with traditional and digital media, exploring the dynamic intersection of 2D and 3D forms.
Sara aims to create inclusive, visually engaging experiences that connect people to place through her art. Inspired by personal narratives and social themes, Sara’s work is rooted in community engagement and designed to spark reflection and dialogue in public spaces. Her murals and digital installations have appeared across Ontario, bringing vibrant colour and thoughtful storytelling to urban environments.
The artist offers this about her practice:
“Neighbours of Nature is a multi-part series that celebrates the spirit of Oakville by weaving together its rich natural environment, local wildlife, and cultural vibrancy. The first collection features familiar urban animals – raccoons, squirrels, and birds – surrounded by lush floral patterns, reflecting the town’s everyday encounters with nature and its quiet coexistence with the wild. The second collection captures scenic moments from across Ontario, including rolling hills, lakeside parks, and city skylines, evoking a shared sense of place and seasonal beauty.
Through Neighbours of Nature, I hope to invite viewers into a visual dialogue about belonging, beauty, and the quiet magic of everyday life.”
Lucky Koi traffic signal cabinet box wrap by Kimberley Chin for Connextions 2024
Location: Eighth Line at Glenashton Drive
This vibrant design, titled Lucky Koi, is inspired by the powerful symbolism of koi fish and their association with perseverance, courage, and prosperity. Set against a flowing graphic background evoking water and waves, the koi swim with grace, symbolizing resilience and strength in overcoming obstacles. Drawing on the rich cultural meanings of koi in Chinese tradition – representing family, harmony, and wealth – this artwork celebrates abundance and determination.
The inspiration for this piece is deeply personal, drawing from the artist’s family home in Oakville, where a koi pond has been a tranquil gathering spot for many years. It serves as a symbol not only of the artist’s family’s journey as immigrants but also of the shared resilience and strength found within the Oakville community.
Visit Kimberley Chin's website
Untitled, 2022 by Natalie Very B. for Connextions 2022
Location: Iroquois Ridge Community Centre
This mural is based on the five main colours and six words of Culture Days: connection, celebration, creativity, collaboration, collective care, and inclusivity.
Natalie Very B. is an award-winning Polish-Canadian illustrator and muralist. Having grown up in a country with a strong patriarchal regime and a social system based on inequality, she strives to make public art that promotes feminist values, self-acceptance, and anti-oppressive practices. As an immigrant who for many years did not feel like she belonged anywhere at all, she found solace in painting colourful landscapes inspired by the soothing quality of nature in Canada, her second home.
Natalie painted her first mural at the OCADU building in 2015 and has continued with working large scale ever since. Her experience in painting on a variety of exterior and interior surfaces includes concrete, brick, metal, wood, and glass. She has worked with the City of Toronto, City of Hamilton, City of Innisfil, City of Midland, Arts Etobicoke, East End Arts, Lakeshore Arts, North York Art Council, Museums of Mississauga, and Stonegate Community Health Centre; all in addition to her work with numerous Toronto BIAs and dozens of private clients.
Natalie offers about her work:
“The artwork exemplifies our unique, yet often overlooked, connection to Mother Nature and reminds us that we ought to take care of the land that we call home. The mural aims to inspire passersby to tend to the natural environment as much as we tend to human rights, all while embracing one another from a place of dignity and respect.”
Community Trees, digital illustration, 2025 by Pam Lostracco for Connextions 2025
Location: Sixteen Mile Community Centre
Pam Lostracco is a Toronto-based mural designer and OCAD University alumna whose work blends graphic design with a deep reverence for nature. Her practice centres on integrating organic forms and natural colours to foster connection and well-being in urban spaces.
Pam’s murals, both painted and printed, have been featured in public and private settings across Canada, the United States, and Morocco, including exhibitions at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, and Toronto Pearson International Airport. Through her art, Pam raises awareness of local species and shares the restorative power she finds in the natural world.
The artist offers this about her practice:
Community Trees celebrates the Kentucky Coffeetree, a native species growing near Sixteen Mile Community Centre in Oakville. I discovered this tree while exploring Oakville’s Tree Inventory Map, which inspired the concept and its connection to the local landscape. My mural designs integrate into the urban environment using patterns and colours drawn from the surroundings to foster a sense of belonging.
“The composition began with a photograph I took onsite, capturing the Coffeetree’s leaves backlit by the sun. Cropped close, the image highlights leaf shapes and encourages curiosity about local ecology. Branches stretch toward a warm glow, with light and shadow forming an abstract, energetic pattern. Royal blues echo the building’s tiles and sky, while vibrant yellow-orange and red accents add contrast and vitality.
Through Community Trees, I hope to share the sense of well-being I find in nature and bring that feeling into the spaces where we live, work, and play.”
Strawberry Harvest, traffic signal cabinet box wrap by Lily Rickels for Connextions 2024
Location: Sixth Line at Threshing Mill Boulevard
Strawberry Harvest by Halton-based artist Lily Rickels celebrates Oakville’s rich heritage of strawberry growing and basket making, dating back to the mid-1800s.
The bold colour palette of this artwork symbolizes abundance and togetherness, reflecting the connection to the land shared across generations. Inspired by quilting motifs, the design was created to evoke a sense of community and cherished moments, like the artist's personal memories of making jam with her mother. The piece is a vibrant tribute to Oakville’s past and its enduring bonds.
Vinyl Window Murals – 2025
Past Connextions artwork still on display
Past exhibits
Minor Alterations: Oakville, painted picnic tables by Heather J.A. Thomson for Connextions 2021
Location: This exhibit is no longer available. It was displayed at Shell Park, 3307 Lakeshore Road West.
This installation of six painted picnic tables at Shell Park invited the public to learn more about sustainable changes and contribute to an online sustainable habits resource. Each table featured graphics corresponding to a specific change residents can make in their daily lives.
Environmentalism and climate change are important issues to Thomson. Her practice combines a passion for history and desire to use a visual language.
The artist explains:
“Society places responsibility on institutions, companies and governments to make large scale policy changes and expects for us to wait for them to do so. I believe we have power. Our decisions, our lifestyles and our habits influence our world. Minor Alterations: Oakville provides actionable changes that everyone can participate in.
"Conversations about the past can inspire us to reflect on the present, question our values and challenge us to adopt historical methodologies for a more sustainable future.”
Heather J. A. Thomson received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Guelph in 2017 and was awarded the 2017-2018 Don Phillips Scholarship at Open Studio, Toronto. She is a former art instructor for the Town of Oakville and currently teaches printmaking at Open Studio. She lives in Oakville.
Hydrangea Hosta Black Eyed Susan from Flower Carpets Tapetes Floridos, photography, 2019 by Danny Custodio for Connextions 2023
Location: Trafalgar Park Community Centre
Danny Custodio is a photo-based artist born in Toronto and now living in St. Catharines. His artistic work is about exploring community traditions, from immigrant manual labour to faith-based practices. Through the lens of a first-generation Canadian, he adapts and recreates cultural traditions beyond their original population. His work is a unique glimpse into the personal and artistic processes of incorporating family connection and cultural heritage into a life in Canada.
The artist offers about his work:
"Each year during religious festivals, citizens on the island of Sao Miguel, Azores, line the streets with carpets made of flowers for people to walk on during processions. The whole neighbourhood works together to blanket the cobblestone streets with wood chips, and seasonal plants found within the region. Wooden frames are built or inherited and are unique to each home. Flowers that are commonly used are hydrangeas, calla lilies, roses, and daisies.
"As the son of Portuguese immigrants from Sao Miguel I have always been fascinated by this tradition. During a visit to the Azores as a small child, I remember helping my aunt and uncle create their section of flower carpet that spanned from one end of their house or the other. The smell of the freshly picked flower petals and greenery was intoxicating and intensified once they were tread upon.
"Growing up in Toronto, in Little Portugal, gave me a strong sense of belonging within the Portuguese community. Since moving to St. Catharines, I’ve felt disconnected from my heritage. As a way to reconnect I’ve created my own flower carpets. After many months of research, I have been creating the wooden frames using designs and motifs passed down to me by my family. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins have shared with me their traditions to incorporate into my contemporary context.
"I have been collecting plant life from my own garden and the Niagara Region to continue this tradition by creating my own personal interpretation of this familial art making... I have also included plant life commonly found within the suburban landscape. Coincidentally, the hydrangea is the national flower of the Azores and very commonly used in suburban gardens yet not native to the Niagara Region. Once I've assembled the wooden frames and flowers and plants, I photograph them in my studio and digitally assemble the long paths of the flower carpets.
"I want the viewer to take away a sense of cultural history, family, and pride while tapping into a feeling of nostalgia that connects traditions from one’s past to their present."
Untitled, 2022 by Yeram Kwak for Connextions 2022
Location: Trafalgar Park Community Centre
Artist Yeram Kwak (she/they) is a digital illustrator from Oakville, who is constantly inspired by the bold lines and shapes made by playing with brushes. Using scribbles as a starting point, they focus on expressing emotion and using a variety of shapes to accentuate the vast experiences of diverse communities. Recognized by American Illustration, Applied Arts, and World Illustration Awards, Yeram shares an immersive experience with the audience that one can enjoy exploring.
The artist offers about their work:
Community requires connection with one another, and nurturing relationships. Through repetition of bright colours and shapes, the diptych on this community centre expresses the positive ongoing relationships of people with one another and its surrounding nature. Connecting the activities found in the community centre through circular motifs, the left image creates a rhythmic tie of the diverse community found in the neighbourhood.
The right image reflects this rhythm and alludes the shapes as acorns – the connection between one another becomes a growing seed. While acknowledging the vast nature surrounding the environment of the town, the artwork portrays the communication and collaboration of the community and how it takes all to start growing a tree.
Stronger Together, upcycled plastic bag textile, by Melanie Billark for Connextions 2021
Location: This exhibit is no longer available. It was displayed at Westwood Park, 170 Wilson Street.
Responding to the existing Westwood Park pavilion/gazebo, artist Melanie Billark collected and upcycled single-use plastic shopping bags into a new textile that she wove through the existing structure. Bags were donated from surrounding communities and individuals. Each bag was deconstructed, tied, and sewn together to create a new fibre-based textile. For the artist, the weaving intertwines the contributions made by community members and individuals, and is a message of hope, demonstrating that by working together, positive solutions and a stronger community and future is possible. The intention is to repurpose this new plastic textile for other projects following this installation.
The artist offers this about their work:
"With Canada’s single-use plastic ban coming into effect this year [2021], there will be piles of plastic items that will not be properly recycled. And in light of the world-wide pandemic, curb-side shopping and deliveries increased, and has made it difficult for individuals to shop sustainably. The increased use of these plastics has risen due to the way we were forced to shop and consume in the last year. Instead of all of these bags going into the landfill, I wanted to create a solution and a way to upcycle these bags in order to create a new life for them."
Melanie questions our impact and relationship with the natural environment and conveys these contemplations through sculpture, site-specific installations, and performance-based work. Her practice sheds light on social and political issues that affect and surround principles of ecology, saying “I attempt to bring awareness to ecological issues by bringing them into the public sphere. I often create works that activate public spaces and encourage public engagement, while conveying a message of hope and rewilding.”
Melanie Billark is a Toronto based multi-disciplinary artist. She received an advanced Diploma in Crafts and Design from Sheridan College (Oakville Campus) in 2011, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture and Installation from Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) University in 2016. Billark taught several art classes at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre for many years. She has exhibited her work across the GTA and the US. She has received a number of awards for her work including the Climate Arts Award in 2019 and The Ontario Association of Landscape Architects (OALA) Ground Award in 2017.
Untitled from Botanical Light, photography, 2023 by April Hickox for Connextions 2023
Location: This exhibit is no longer available. It was displayed at Oakville Museum.
As a lens-based artist and a dedicated environmentalist, this work reflected April Hickox's interest in our relationship to wilderness in urban culture, land stewardship, and sustainability. She has been producing work in the landscape that questions what is ‘wild’ and how we need to re-negotiate out relationship with our environment.
An active community leader and associate professor at Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) University in Tkaronto/Toronto, she is the Founding Director of Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography, Tenth Muse Studio, and a founding member of Artscape, the founder of Women’s Photography Residency, now in its third year at Gibraltar Point Art Centre on the Toronto Islands. Exhibiting extensively with notable exhibitions including Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Surrey Art Gallery, Harbourfront Centre, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Oakville Galleries, and Tom Thompson Memorial Art Gallery. Recently a survey exhibit of her work was curated by Crystal Mowry for the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery. Recently her work Observance was presented as a 45-channel video installation in downtown Toronto and her video Avion was included in Nuit Blanche 2023.
Hickox was born at the Oakville Trafalgar Hospital, grew up in Lorne Park, and moved to Toronto Island for university. All these locations have heightened her awareness of ways to build community that support the renewal and care of our green spaces
The artist offers about her practice:
"With this work I am reimagining photographically the history of botanical drawings done by women like Marianne North in the Victorian area. At the time women were not able to paint on site because of social pressure and they were thought to be too frail to travel. North’s mother knew her daughter Marianne was talented and how much she wanted to do plein air painting so before she died, she told Marianne she had to take care of her father. This allowed her to travel all over the world with her father, the head botanist of Kew Gardens, as he collected plants specimens for Queen’s Garden in London, England."
Hidden Complexity: Circulation, Connection + Community, photo-digital, 2019-2023 by Kim-Lee Kho for Connextions 2023
Location: Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts
Kim-Lee Kho is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist of Chinese-Indonesian and British descent, exploring personal experience as a gateway to broader human concerns. She’s participated nationally in exhibitions, residencies, and mentorships; and won a number of awards.
Kho's recent projects include: Burnt Offerings, also the title of her multidisciplinary solo show at The Red Head Gallery; and a photographic series My Father’s Things which was part of the View Find[H]er exhibition at the Art Gallery of Mississauga; both in 2022. Her next solo exhibition Burnt Offerings will be at Station Gallery in Whitby, in fall 2023. Kho is a popular and experienced speaker, juror, and art educator, teaching art to adults in both digital and traditional media.
The artist offers about her work:
"Human connections are the lifeblood of any community. Circulation and connection, which has been so challenging for individuals and communities during the pandemic, is represented here by the multi-layered intricacy of the tree branches. Hidden Complexity is made up solely of photographs I shot, pieced together, layered then transformed digitally. I often use bare-branched trees as metaphors for complex networks (organic, like human communities), as well as for the human circulatory system – our actual lifeblood."
Keesa at the Lake, photography, 2015 by Madeline Benevides for Connextions 2023
Location: This exhibit is no longer available. It was located at Oakville Trafalgar Community Centre.
With an Honours Bachelor of Photography from Sheridan, Madeline Benevides', fine art photographic work explores the intricacies of nature. Her poetic process is a deep, respectful listening. Benevides was born in 1996 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
The artist offers this about the work:
"Photographed along the lakefront, Oakville's winds kiss Keesa. Nature swoons for her heart with the blues sung in the water and sky. We explored the Downtown Oakville area together as new Sheridan students and created this portrait to cherish the moment. Her golden skin wrapped in an oatmeal coloured natural cloth, paralleling our new home softly whispering its embrace."
Bridge Obscura, video, sound and plywood arches (11 minutes: 19 seconds) by Shahrzad Amin for Connextions 2021
Location: This exhibit is no longer available. It was located at Oakville Centre for Performing Arts at Centennial Square.
This multimedia installation referenced ethnographic filmmaking and historical Persian architectural design to express ideas about connectivity between Iranian culture and Canadian identities by artist Shahrzad Amin. The video featured footage taken in Isfahan, Iran on the Khaju and Allahverdi Khan bridges on the Zayanderud River. Serving as both bridges and dams, they also function as public meeting places.
The soundtrack captured by Amin is a combination of mixed ambient sounds of birds, water, people walking, clapping, dancing, and singing. According to the artist, the inclusion of an arched bridge acts as a metaphor for overcoming cultural distances, and for global international connectivity. The vignettes the artist features from the Isfahan’s arched bridges, depict how people socially connect and engage in a public place. For the artist, the multimedia installation is a way to connect residents in her new homeland in Oakville with residents from her birthplace in Iran.
The artist offers this about their work:
“As an immigrant artist with an Iranian background, I leverage the mediums of filmmaking, pattern making, architectural design, and language to connect contemporary and traditional Iranian culture. My research utilizes these mediums to draw attention to the interaction between artwork, architecture, and society to underscore the importance of culture, place, and memory in connecting cultures.”
Shahrzad Amin is an Iranian-Canadian interdisciplinary artist. Her interest in fundamental social issues such as democracy, human rights, equality, and migration has informed an art practice examining diasporic and socio-cultural subjectivities through the lenses of art making, sensory ethnographic filmmaking, architectural design, and language. She obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tehran University of Art in 2010 and a Master of Fine Arts from Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) University in 2020.
Pollinator Painters by C.M. Duffy for Connextions 2022
Location: Glen Abbey Community Centre
C.M. Duffy holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He has created art and illustration for a variety of projects for over a decade. His paintings are included in private collections in the United States and Canada and he has accomplished many public works in his home city of Toronto. In 2021 he worked with the Department of Canadian Heritage to bring a large installation of his work to both Ottawa's Confederation Park and Frankfurt, Germany to celebrate Canada's Guest of Honour status in the Frankfurt Book Fair.
C.M. Duffy’s current work blooms from the buds of daydreams that reveal an observant love of nature and overlooked worlds where the real becomes surreal and illusion delves into allusion.
The artist offers about his practice:
"My visual musings are inspired by Mother Nature’s handiwork, her creative cast of characters, natural settings and the stories that unfold in under-explored wildernesses. The work often playfully explores themes of camouflage, illusion, and survival to impress upon the viewer an acknowledgement of humankind’s fallible perceptions, delusions and beliefs. The trickery and visual wit in my work act as a reminder that we must be vigilantly cautious in our obsessive seeking of objective truth and concrete understanding because there still are elements of magic left for us in this world to discover.
"Without flowers our lives and the rest of the planet's balance would not be possible. So many species rely on flowers and in turn these flowers depend on their pollinators. We all benefit from this symbiotic embrace. And so within my image the pollinators give vibrant colour to the flowers as they team up together to create the final expressions of them within the painting. The flowers return the favour by giving the pollinators their own hues. Through this whimsical scenery I hope to evoke thoughts about our own symbiotic relationship with art itself. Art can nourish and sustain us all by providing meaning, communication and beauty. It is a vital bedrock and wellspring that will continue to be foundational for our understanding and expression as long as we share this planet with one another and with the birds, bees and flowers - and for as long as there is blank canvas, paper or cave walls!"
An Echo of Oakville, wood, plaster, mirror shards, super glue, caulking, and resin, and digital sculptures by Ignazio Colt Nicastro for Connextions 2021
Location: This exhibit is no longer available. It was displayed at Glen Abbey Community Centre.
An Echo of Oakville was a multidisciplinary installation situated at the exterior front entrance of Glen Abbey Community Centre by artist Ignazio Colt Nicastro. The sculpture was made from mirror shards, fostering a space of self-reflection, compelling viewers to think more deeply about themselves and the spaces that surround them, specifically Oakville. This installation was both physical and digital.
A sculpture was co-created with contributions received from community members sharing key words, places, and feelings about Oakville. The artist says that “the process allows community members to see themselves reflected in the pieces, both conceptually and literally. The mirror shards provide a shattered complexion that speaks to how this representation of Oakville is not yet whole, as it’s always shifting and evolving with new community members.”
Alongside the sculpture, there were a couple of digital sculptures painted in virtual reality. These pieces displayed the hidden histories of Oakville that can only be activated through Augmented Reality, a feature allowing users to unlock stories of the town by using their digital devices to scan a QR code.
The artist offers this about their work:
“As we continue to live and thrive in this town, I believe it is imperative that we first acknowledge and honour the histories of it. These digital sculptures offer the opportunity to recognize the histories while allowing the physical installation to exist.
"In both my fine art and curatorial practice, I aim to create spaces that engage my viewers with the opportunity to reflect on their own sense of identity or their surrounding environments. Our identities and experiences are unique, but how often do we take the time to reflect on them? With my mirror sculptures, these shattered perceptions are intended to urge viewers to consider how the world impacts them and how they impact it in return.”
Ignazio Colt Nicastro is an emerging multidisciplinary artist, curator, and writer based in Oakville. In 2013, he moved to Oakville to pursue his Honours Bachelor of Arts through a joint program at Sheridan College and the University of Toronto. Nicastro started working for Oakville Galleries in 2017 and has since become the Interim Office and Facilities Manager. He has also curated exhibitions in a local Oakville café to support Halton-based, emerging artists. More recently, Nicastro has delved into digital galleries through the launch of IC Contemporary, where he creates spaces to exhibit emerging artists with themes tied to identity.
A funny thing, photography, 2011-2015 by Darren Rigo for Connextions 2023
Location: River Oaks Community Centre
Darren Rigo is a Toronto-based artist who creates work inspired by the absurdity in everyday life. His practice focuses on collaborative relationships with people and places as a source of inspiration while considering the endlessly evolving nature of photography. He received a BFA from OCAD University where he majored in photography and recently completed residencies at AIAV (Japan), Leveld Kunstnartun (Norway), AIRY (Japan). His work has also been included in the collections of the Canada Council Art Bank, Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton and the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts in Japan.
The artist offers about his work:
"I grew up on Fred Rigo’s Farm, nestled into the escarpment, just north of Oakville in the headwaters of Bronte Cheek. Fred Rigo is my grandfather and the hundred-acre parcel of land that he bought and later built a house upon for my family was more of a weed lot than a farm. There were no animals and the fields were left untended for years before I was born, but it was a marvelous place to grow up. As a child I would explore the woods and swamps pretending I was on a quest for a treasure, a lost civilization or on an odyssey home. Along the way I would encounter monsters, thieves, steep cliffs, and bottomless pits, all of which were just exaggerations of the features I discovered around the property. A gnarly tree became a giant to fight. A series of stones became the only way across a raging river. A hunter’s shelter became a hermit’s camp. I always persevered in the end and made it home for dinner.
"My grandfather, having grown up in the depression, was a bit of a hoarder. Our barn was filled with just about anything he found a good deal on: metres of fire hose, a long wooden ladder, a wine press. But by far what he had the most of was endless boxes scrap fabric and string. Tucked in the corner of the barn there was a loom and on it he would weave these scraps into colourful rugs. I’d visit him while he was working and he would tell me about his plans for what he could do with all this stuff or his own theories about the farm: how something was buried in the hill east of our house by an ancient civilization, or how the skating pond was formed by a huge meteor. These childhood experiences and the relationship I formed with that land foremost inform my practice today.
"It is part of my nature to seek solitude once in a while. If I am stuck in the city for too long of a stretch, I feel compelled to go roam the woods near my childhood home. Every time I go for a walk in the forest I often happen upon a funny thing or two; this could be an unusual mushroom, tree that grew in a strange shape or an unusual marking left behind by some unknown creature. Nature always offers up surprises that draw me back and keep me interested in spending time away from it all."
We are all connected. To each other., 2022 by Catherine Cachia for Connextions 2022
Location: River Oaks Community Centre
Catherine Cachia is a multidisciplinary artist who works in many mediums: mural painting, hand lettering, illustration, photography and more. The thread that runs through her work is embracing what’s imperfect, messy and human. She considers art making to be a spiritual practice that can bring a sense of healing and balance to both artist and viewer. She aims to unburden and uplift people, if only for a moment, when they encounter her work.
The artist offers about her mural We are all connected. To each other.:
"The diversity that we experience living Canada is a beautiful thing. But with this comes a responsibility to acknowledge our own internalized biases in order to treat each other respectfully. Instead of being ashamed of our biases or denying that they exist I think we should recognize their presence simply as part of being human. The more we can get to know our biases, the better able we are to interrupt and interrogate them, and not let them unconsciously dictate the way we interact and respond to one another. This piece is intended to make viewers pause and look closely to read what the words say. An invitation to step outside our own point of view and a reminder that we all owe each other a pause."
Visit Catherine Cachia’s website
Hope Is The Thing With Feathers, paintings, by Tazeen Qayyum for Connextions 2021
Location: This exhibit is no longer available. It was displayed at Memorial Park, 120 Oak Park Boulevard
Tazeen Qayyum transformed one of the sheds at Memorial Park into a sanctuary of care and storytelling through her signature miniature painting style. The installation was inspired by the Ragamala miniature paintings, from the South Asian tradition, and conveys a festive mood with the message of hope and love. For this project, the artist invited residents of Oakville and beyond to collaborate by sending their used masks along with short personal narratives, reflecting on their experience of the pandemic. The collected narratives continued to grow on the project’s website as a way to highlight the community’s ongoing struggles, resilience and inspirations.
Qayyum explains:
"Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the face mask has become the symbol of the pandemic. Obligatory in many countries, the mask culture has now become part of our daily lives, customs, discussions and practices. On one hand it represents the hardships, separation, distance and restrictions, but at the same time it is also a symbol of survival, care, resilience and protection. It can be rightfully said that this simple, inexpensive object has become a powerful image and representation of our collective experience.
"As a community project, it celebrates the spirit of community building and the unquestionable strength in coming together as a nation in such difficult times. Like Emily Dickinson’s poem, ‘Hope Is The Thing With Feathers’, the installation portrays a hope that lives within us all and that must be protected, nurtured, cherished and shared no matter how hard the times get."
Tazeen Qayyum’s art practice is conceptually-driven, socially engaging and critically examines the relationships between art and observation of her lived experience. Primarily trained as a miniature painter of the South Asian and Persian tradition, she continues to explore new materials and processes through mediums such as drawing, installation, sculpture, video and performance. Drawing from complex issues of belonging and displacement within a socio-political context, her art is a way to navigate identity and beliefs living in the diaspora.
Tazeen Qayyum is a contemporary artist living and working in Oakville. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from the National College of Arts Lahore, Pakistan in 1996. She was nominated for the Jameel Prize (2013) and K.M. Hunter Award (2014), and received the Excellence in Art Award by the Canadian Community Arts Initiative (2015). Her work has been exhibited around the world and is part of several public collections.
Messages/Passages, photography, 2023 by Maureen O’Connor for Connextions 2023
Location: Iroquois Ridge Community Centre
Maureen O’Connor is a graduate of Sheridan College from the Applied Photography Program and a graduate of OCAD in Toronto. Maureen is a lifelong animal lover. These photographs are produced with the cooperation of local sanctuaries.
The artist offers about her work:
Many of the animals in these images are rescues from fur farms and others are non-releasable wildlife. They were brought to the chosen location to be photographed. Several of the locations are homes in Toronto before they were redeveloped but this gyrfalcon was photographed onsite in Hamilton.
By photographing Canadian animals in abandoned and crumbling domestic architecture, I raise questions about how nature and the built environment intersect. I see these spaces as transformative, evoking memory and showing the beauty and fragility of the animals and the architecture. While the juxtaposition may appear odd, my images convey a sense of calm, and have a fairy tale like quality. We are invited to cross the threshold and imagine new narratives where the natural world and the domestic world meet, and consider how this informs our identity in a country defined by both its wild landscape and its orderly cities.
My work is photographed with traditional medium format film and my photographs are printed on Chromogenic Paper, traditional darkroom emulsion- based paper.
Visit Maureen O’Connor’s website
A Seat in Serendipity, drawings on wood bench by Hannah Veiga for Connextions 2021
Location: This exhibit is no longer available. It was displayed at Pondview Pond Walk, 490 Pondview Place
Hannah Veiga uses the technique of pyrography also known as wood burning, to illustrate the plants and animals found in the surrounding Pondview Pond park area. As she explains, “I pursue ideas of growth and decay through subject matter of flora and fungi. And I tend to work with the fascinating patterns that occur naturally in the wood grain.” Visitors were invited to take a walk, find this bench, take a rest, and enjoy the view. Members of the public also shared photos of themselves on Instagram sitting on this bench using #PondviewBench.
The artist states:
"During these challenging times I wanted to create something that would inspire others and provide a moment of observation to the elements of nature that we often overlook. Frequenting this park on walks and bicycle rides, I've found many moments of tranquility here. This bench is in a prime location of the park; a front row seat to the undisturbed nature that surrounds you."
Hannah Veiga is a multidisciplinary artist and a graduate of the University of Waterloo Honours Fine Arts program. She works in various methods of making but is primarily interested in the processes of pyrography, printmaking, and sculpture. She has been a resident of Oakville for the past few years while working as an art instructor, animateur and special projects associate for Oakville Galleries.
From the series Skating By, photography, 2017 by Shay Conroy for Connextions 2023
Location: This exhibit is no longer available. It was located at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.
Shay Conroy is a Canadian-Māori emerging photographer who develops intimate long-term documentary photo projects. She is interested in representing various communities and untangling diverse family relationships. Her visual storytelling explores common themes of defining home, community, identity, belonging, and reconnection. Shay is passionate about advocating for those with disabilities, mental health struggles and financial hardships, prioritizing ethics and respect for vulnerability. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Photography from Sheridan College and is also a member of Women Photograph.
The artist offers about her work:
"Skating By showcases two images from my longer series on local skaters in paused moments within the skate park. Instead of the classic high energy sports images we see with skateboarding, I wanted to highlight the moments of stillness within the people and parks. There is a contrast of softness in skaters themselves, despite the blunt sport. Whether growing in one city or moving to another, a skate park is a place of fresh connections. Skate parks promote community within their city, and gives people a space to feel a sense of belonging. These spaces are essential to local cities as acting grounds for deep connections and personal expression amidst the subculture. Much like photography, skating is about building trust with yourself and can be a tool for connecting. There’s a tenderness to forgiving yourself for each fall, and a high following each landing.
"Throughout my life, skateboarding has followed me in the people I find myself around. While I simply ride, I have loved watching my friends land tricks since I was a teenager. When I moved to Oakville, I found myself subconsciously drawn to other skaters in my new friendships. Riding around Oakville on my board often brought fresh perspectives to my work, and helped me appreciate areas of the city I may have not otherwise come across. The skaters featured in these images are a combination of strangers and friends, both brought into my lens through skating and connection during my time at Sheridan College in Oakville."
Untitled, 2022 by Asli Alin for Connextions 2022
Location: Sixteen Mile Sports Complex
Asli is a multidisciplinary artist working in painting, installation and photography. She has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture. Originally from Turkey, Asli lives and works in Toronto. She has been commissioned to create public art in Canada and Europe, and her work has been featured in a number of galleries throughout Toronto and abroad. Successfully completed projects include digital media for corporations such as The Daniels Corporation, municipalities such as City of Mississauga, City of Waterloo and City of Pickering, as well as many business improvement areas (BIAs) throughout the City of Toronto and Mississauga, which usually involves artworks being printed in large-scale formats.
Asli offers about her mural design:
“I wanted to create an artwork that reflects a strong relationship to the site and context, while celebrating an inclusive community, connectivity and self-expression.”
Untitled, stretcher made from tarp and natural branches, with Augmented Reality on Instagram by Quinn Hopkins for Connextions 2021
Location: This exhibit is no longer available. It was located at Lions Valley Park, 1227 Lions Valley Road
Artist Quinn Hopkins presented a sculptural mural with Augmented Reality aspects utilizing the construction wall along the Sixteen Mile Creek in Lion’s Valley Park to tell a story about the land and the people that inhabit it. He created a hide stretcher out of construction materials to highlight the resilience of the Indigenous culture. This work also referenced the Moccasin Trail, which is located in this park, by showing how moccasins are traditionally made.
This installation revealed a connection between people, animals, and the land. According to the artist, during the pandemic “… there was a surge in the use of outdoor spaces which we must remind ourselves that we share with other living things. It is our responsibility to take care of our parks. It also reflects on the important history of these waterways for Indigenous people and settlers as a source of vitality and connection between settlements.”
Hopkin’s recent work explores and utilizes new technology to tell his story and the stories of his people. This includes Augmented Reality and/or Virtual Reality, Machine Learning and Computer Graphics Design, sometimes integrated with painting and sculpture. His projects usually revolve around the themes of reconnection, spirit, and culture. These themes reflect Hopkin’s values of teaching, health, and diversity.
Quinn Hopkins is a 23-year-old multidisciplinary Anishinaabe artist from Oakville. Although his ancestral roots are from Batchewana First Nation on Lake Superior, he grew up in Mississauga and Oakville, struggling to find his identity as an Indigenous person. Quinn considers his art practice a “medicine that creates balance in life and remedies mental health struggles.” He was recently featured on CBC for his innovative work using NFT's. Quinn is currently attending Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) University for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and resides in Oakville with his family.