Toronto’s largest free art and design exhibition is happening NOW! Discover bold, innovative work from Canada’s next generation of artists at GradEx 110.

OCAD University’s annual exhibition of graduating student work returns this week, showcasing creations from more than 800 artists, designers, and digital creatives. GradEx runs from May 7-11 across OCAD University’s campus, kicking off with an opening night celebration featuring a bar, DJ, food truck and art installations. Original artwork will be available to purchase on site and online, with many pieces offered at affordable prices.

To help you navigate the hundreds of displays, here are five artists to watch out for at GradEx this year. From paintings of women erased by history, to multi-media art about the nuances of motherhood, to satirical depictions of Barbie, these are the works of art that caught our eye.

Are you warm enough?

Cherie Leung — Are You Warm Enough?

As a second-generation Chinese Canadian mother of three, motherhood is a key theme in Cherie Leung’s art. Using techniques like sewing, quilting, embroidery and beading, her work lives at the intersection of textiles, painting and sculpture. In her installation Are you warm enough? a large 7,000-piece quilt lies on top of 42 other quilts, representing “mothering in excess” and reflecting how mothers can overcompensate for feelings of guilt and worry. Learn more.

Space Oddity

Tiffany Duong — Into the Dollhouse

With Barbie as her vessel, mixed media artist and illustrator Tiffany Duong invites her viewers into the imaginary world of play. Drawing from her experiences with womanhood and girlhood, her work juxtaposes pop culture imagery with themes of femininity and nostalgia—including her pieces Barbspotting, Red Room, and Space Oddity (pictured above). Inspired by low-brow art, the whimsy of fairy tales, and films, she aims to develop a new version of the female self-portrait. Learn more. 

In Bloom

Shamika Pierre — The American Dream

Experimenting with ink and watercolour, Shamika Pierre’s illustration series The American Dream reveals the unsettling experiences of the Black diaspora in North America. The Block challenges perceptions of Black neighbourhoods, In Bloom (pictured above) depicts how Black women are both fetishized and judged, while Black Sheep reflects the oppressive isolation Black people have faced. Learn more.

Formed Under Pressure (Beaded Tumours)

Cait Toenjes — One of the Good Ones

For Cait Toenjes, art is a therapeutic practice. Informed by her recent experience as a cancer patient, her current series exhibited at GradEx explores the realities of illness, treatment, recovery, and survival. She describes her sculpture Formed Under Pressure (Beaded Tumours), pictured above, as a reimagination of personal trauma, with each piece representing a tumour that once grew inside her. Learn more. 

Rani Abbakka Chowta (1525-1570)

Abigail D’Mello — She is real. This is her story. She fought against colonial powers.

Abigail D’Mello’s large-scale narrative paintings share the stories of three Indian women forgotten by history: Rani Abbakka Chowta, Kittur Rani Chennamma, and Rani Velu Nachiyar. The series of paintings depicts these women as the warriors, rulers, and revolutionaries they are, reclaiming space for Indian women and challenging the erasure of marginalized women from history. Learn more.