Artists in Residence

Brandon Baghaee (he/him)  is an Afro-Caribbean and Persian artist (b.2002) based in the GTA, holding a BFA from OCAD University. His work has been exhibited in group and solo shows, including The Drake Hotel, and commissioned by institutions such as Scotiabank Arena and Sports and the Arts, the City of Toronto, STEPS Public Art, and the Richmond Hill Public Library and CBC Toronto. He has received the Ontario Arts Council Visual Artists Creation Projects Grant and recently illustrated a children’s book exploring themes of childhood and sports. His art practice centres on hyper-realistic, surreal oil paintings that merge personal memory with the fantastical. He employs the self, often multiplied or hybridized, to navigate cultural inheritance, belonging, and diasporic identity.

Buyi Philip (he/him) is an electric force of movement, creativity, and soul based in Toronto and originally from Kampala, Uganda. His artistic flame was lit early, dancing, designing, and directing performances that blended style, story, and spirit. Since arriving in Toronto, Buyi has expanded his artistry across fashion, costume design, acting, and film, bringing presence and power to every set and stage he touches. A performer at heart and a creator by calling, Buyi is an enthusiastic God in motion, bending energy to his will through love and art. His work doesn’t just entertain — it awakens, uplifts, and transforms. Whether flowing through rhythm or styling for the screen, Buyi moves with passion, purpose, and fearless expression.

Chawntay Barrett (she/her) is an emerging artist and designer based in the Greater Toronto Area. Community is an important aspect in Chawntay’s creative practice, she is a recent alumni of the ArtworksTO Next Stream program and the Remix Project, and is currently on the Vibe Arts emerging artist roster. Chawntay works primarily with oil and acrylic paint on canvas as well as with digital media for illustrations and design. As a woman of Afro-Caribbean descent, Caribbean culture is a vital underlying theme in many of her artworks; the majority of her work explores womanhood and the overall black experience in the modern era.

Apanaki Temitayo is a pansexual, multi-disciplinary, multimedia fibre artist and art facilitator based in Toronto, originally from Trinidad & Tobago. With a deep connection to her Trinidadian heritage and spirituality, her canvas compositions serve as a powerful expression of her artistic vision. Apanaki is currently represented in the Sales and Rental Program at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and is an esteemed member of the Women’s Art Association of Canada.

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Idil Djafer is a Scarborough-based multidisciplinary conceptual artist working with photography, video, drawing and installation. Djafer’s practice focuses on racial, religious and feminist issues and explores the intersection of her three identities as being a visible Black Muslim Woman.

Hameeda Mahmoud is a multidisciplinary creative from Toronto working primarily with oil paint on canvas. The images she produces are reflections of how she, an African Canadian woman, experiences the world and serves to tell stories of those who have been underrepresented in traditional art spaces. Her aim is to inspire onlookers to reflect on their personal journeys and find comfort in the uncomfortable.

Jamilah Malika Abu-Bakare is a transdisciplinary artist and writer who recently earned her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2019). she works text in sound, video and textile, has exhibited work in Guelph, Vancouver, Toronto, Peterborough and Burlington and recently published with Black Power Naps (Siestas Negras.)

Alexander Robinson is a self-taught emerging artist based in Toronto. He primarily works with acrylic paint and he sometimes incorporates a duo canvas technique to create a distinct sense of depth to his work. His primary influences are great artists like Kerry James Marshall and René Magritte. Robinson’s work is often recognized by the surreal and symbolic use of flowerpots.