Akin Members participating at TOAF in 2025
Summer is here, and that means the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF) is happening again! From July 11th-13th, Nathan Philips Square will be filled with incredible art, including work from talented artists within our very own Akin community. While you’re there browsing the creativity within the iconic white tents of the TOAF, be sure to check out the booths of our beloved Akin members and alumni.
Congratulations and best of luck to you all!
With love,
Akin
Participating Akin Members:
Madeleine Baird - Booth 59
Akin Richmond-Bathurst Madeleine (Maddy) Baird is an emerging artist from Pembroke, ON, currently based in Toronto. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Art Honours at Queen’s University, graduating in 2024. Her practice consists of oil painting and serigraphy, with a focus on portraiture. Her work has been exhibited in Kingston, Toronto and Vienna. Madeleine was a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant in 2024.
Using directional brushstrokes and incorporating vivid colours into the skin, she creates a sense of vibrancy and life in the subjects she paints. Her practice is fueled by an interest in exploring themes of self-reflection, vulnerability, connection, and queer life experiences. Integrating narrative-based elements into her work allows her to engage with viewers by creating a sense of curiosity and exploration. By centering these concepts, she aspires to connect with viewers and hopes that those who are represented in her artwork can feel uplifted by this representation.
To view more of their work available at TOAF click here
Mykah Czarina Dela Cruz - Booth 327
Akin Davisville member Mykah draws upon personal history and narratives of interconnectedness with nature and community through a diasporic lens. Fostering bold colours and visceral works in varying mediums is in effort of diversity, healing and acceptance. Their work spans media, commercial, and cultural spaces—appearing in print, in public, and in practice.
To view more of their work available at TOAF click here
Olivier Forgues - Booth 354
Akin Richmond-Bathurst member Olivier Forgues is a Canadian painter. Originally from Montreal, he is now based in Toronto.
To view more of their work available at TOAF click here
Haley Meyer - Booth 1-2
Akin Queen East member and 2025 Akin Career Launcher recipient, Haley Meyer is an artist specializing in oil painting and etching. Her practice draws upon her experience with memory loss; how it has reshaped and impacted her life. Her work serves as mnemonic tools to help her remember her lived experiences, in turn acting as a resistance to memory loss. Haley graduated from OCAD University in 2025 with a BFA (Hons) in Drawing and Painting and a minor In Printmaking and Publications.
To view more of their work available at TOAF click here
Sadaf Pourghorbani - Booth 356
Akin Davisville member Sadaf Pourghorbani Solei is an Iranian-Canadian multimedia artist based in Toronto whose work explores self-discovery, cultural connection, and emotional resonance through intuitive and project-specific mediums. Working across photography, illustration, and sculpture, Sadaf’s practice draws from memory, personal history, and subconscious imagery. She holds a BFA from NSCAD University and an MFA from Toronto Metropolitan University. Her work has been presented in solo exhibitions at Anna Leonowens Gallery (Halifax) and Gladstone Gallery (Toronto).
To view more of their work available at TOAF click here
Firouzeh Saremi Far - Exclusively Online
2025 Akin Career Launcher recipient, Firouzeh Saremi Far is a visual artist based in Toronto, Canada. Her artistic practice is an ongoing exploration of the intersections between human experience and environmental influences, reflecting different themes of identity, transformation, and resilience. Drawing inspiration from the emotional intensity of Expressionism and the limitless forms of Abstract Art, her works seek to invoke a dialogue on human matters.
Firouzeh's work has been exhibited in galleries and art fairs nationally and internationally, she has also participated in art residencies such as the Gibraltar Point Residency (Toronto Island, Canada) and the Cultural Immersion Residency (Mexico), which have influenced her approach to materiality and storytelling. During the 62nd Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, she received several awards, including the Best of Student Award, the Artscape Solo Exhibition and Residency Award, and the Marie Collins Memorial Award.
Her goal is to create art that not only occupies space but also serves as a catalyst for reflection and engagement, encouraging viewers to consider their connection to the world and the impact of their presence within it.
To view more of their work available at TOAF click here
Marjan Verstappen - Booth 81
Akin Queen East member Marjan Verstappen’s paintings come out of a deep engagement with materials that fulfill industrial purposes, namely; cyanotype, asphalt, and oil paint. As she works, she asks herself, ‘what kind of stories can be told about these materials?’ and, ‘what do they tell us about ourselves?’ If she were to describe these paintings in a word, it would be folding: a folding of time, place, and material. She seeks a relationship with these materials that is embodied, honest, and hopeful of repair.
To view more of their work available at TOAF click here
Joy Zheng - Booth 99
Akin Richmond-Bathurst member Joy Zheng creats vibrant, eclectic oil and acrylic paintings. She graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, where she began developing her style and thematic focus. Her inspiration often draws from the way perceptions of the world shift at various stages of life, exploring themes of introspection, memory, and self-dialogue rooted in personal experience. Many of her works intentionally incorporate a childlike element, using paint markers and deliberately chaotic, disproportionate compositions. Through this seemingly playful lens, Joy examines social constructs and questions what aspects of human nature are inherent versus conditioned. Several of her earlier pieces also delve into themes of wealth disparity, religion, technology, and the consequences of systems designed to favor those in power, reflecting on the materialistic society in which we live. Joy’s work aspires to offer viewers a moment of peace or contemplation amidst their busy lives, encouraging them to reconnect with their inner child.
To view more of their work available at TOAF click here
