NEXT Stream Recipients

Meet the 2020 NEXT stream recipients!

Aprille “The Creadive” (pronounced cre·a·tive) Deus is a filipino creative and LGBTQ+ community member. An expert at dreaming big, Aprille is a visionary who combines her passion, discipline, and meticulous work-ethic to produce creative work that provokes emotions and captures nostalgia. She has captured the likes of Barack Obama, Sashagai Ruddock, Desiire, Ari Lennox, Demaine Tyrone, and has shot for Jordan Brand, Manifesto Toronto, R.I.S.E. Edutainment, and many more. Currently Aprille works independently through her brand and creative business.

 

 

Carmina Miana is a Toronto-based artist interested in storytelling and image-making through the synthesis of digital and analog mediums. She values material meaning and strives to bridge the gaps between art, design, and craft. Carmina’s work draws on her interest in ecology, female labour, and her identity as a Scarborough-raised Filipino. Carmina has worked as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator on poster campaigns, packaging design, and zines. She has contributed to site-specific and community-based sculpture/installations, and has recently been developing her skills in photography, weaving, and ceramics.  She graduated from OCAD University’s Illustration program in 2017. When she isn’t making art, you can find Carmina birding in Toronto’s parks or baking gluten-free snacks. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @meanugh and learn more about her art practice at carminamiana.com.

 

Chawntay Barrett is a visual artist whose work explores Black identities, specifically that of Black women existing in the modern world. She works primarily as a painter across several mediums including oil, acrylic, and digital. Coming from both a Jamaican and Grenadian background, Caribbean culture is a vital underlying theme in her artwork. You can check out some of her work on Instagram @chawny_

 

 

 

 

Ezra Li (Citizen Li, he/him) is an interdisciplinary video artist. As a genderqueer Chinese artist and Canadian immigrant, his work surrounds themes of identity politics, value dynamics, digital chauvinism, and globalization. He is heavily interdisciplinary; having studied (remove in) filmmaking, he works in both digital and traditional animation, live action video, as well as in analogue paper traditions, zine, collage, and writing. Currently he is experimenting within 360° videojournalism, and the effects of pastiche to critique capitalism. He strives to create growth opportunity for queer, Asian, and otherwise marginalized communities. 

 

 

 

 

Janie Hao is a Chinese-Canadian illustrator based in the Toronto Area. Janie’s dedication to visual communication stems from her journey growing up as a new immigrant to Canada. As a child, she sought methods of expression past speech due to language barriers. Eventually, she leaned heavily into art as a method of communication and connection to the people around her. Inspired by her diverse work history in science, education, and volunteering, Janie loves working with topics regarding social, education, and environmental issues. When she is not drawing, Janie is devising stories and puns to amuse (and/or dismay) her loved ones. Check out her Instagram and Twitter.

 

Lianne RaƱopa is a Queer Filipino working in Graphic Design. She received her BFA in 2016 from The University of Santo Tomas in Manila, and she recently attended a Business Administration and Marketing program at George Brown College in Toronto from 2019-2020. Using her background in fine arts and business, Lianne’s focus is supporting and creating Queer community through graphic design and marketing. She is currently concentrating on projects that support independent start-up businesses. 

 

 

Mike Regis is a filmmaker based in Toronto. With a focus on Black experiences,  community, family, and collaboration, Mike aims to portray cultural and societal nuances authentically. Mike’s visual style centres portraying authenticity through visual techniques, such as production design, lighting, and camera to further provide realism to his characters and story. Mike is a recent Business Management graduate from Ryerson University and POV 3rd Street Alumni. Check out his Instagram.

 

 

 

Moe Pramanick is a South Asian illustrator based in Toronto, Ontario. Through her creative practice, she explores how to be in relationship with herself, the land and the loved ones she calls her community. She is inspired by the roles of imagination, dreaming and community healing in the building of a new world. By day, Moe also works as a Graphic Design Coordinator at FoodShare, designing digital and print material to support the organization's mission to advocate for food justice in Toronto. Some of Moe's favourite things are children's books, bright colours and trying new things. Check out her Instagram.

 

 

Muna (Warda) Youssouf is a writer and visual artist based in  Toronto. Born in Djibouti and raised in the UK, Muna is a self-taught artist. Muna was the recipient of the David Maltby Award in 2019 for her exhibition Roots, and also received the Toronto Arts Council’s Newcomer and Refugee Artist Mentorship grant, to help develop her first feature film, People from Nowhere (2019). Her practice engages themes of home, change and displacement. She has exhibited at Gallery 44 (2019), Hashtag Gallery (2018-2020), Ryerson Image Center (2019) and Day’s and Atkinson’s Almhouse Photography Competition (2013), where she placed third for her depiction of the ever-changing housing hardships in London, UK. In under 2 years in the film industry, she has produced 3 shorts Confessions (2020), Emancipation of Egbert (2019), Menagerie (2019) and with over 10 credits in commercial productions as a PA, AD and within art departments. Nowadays, you can find her working on her short ‘Tahira’, as well as her documentary ‘The Power of Names’.

Nathalia Allen is a visual storyteller and Creative Director based  in Toronto, Canada. She is best recognized for her work with high-profile retail brands. Nathalia became an Ambassador for Nike Training Club (NTC) in Toronto in 2015 and has been a leading photographer for Nike Canada's campaigns. In 2017, she was the only Canadian selected for VSCO Connect, where she went on to creatively direct campaigns for brands including Oakley and PowerBar. Nathalia’s work can be seen and experienced from brands including Seventeen Magazine, Make-up Forever, Adidas, KITH, Lululemon, Chevrolet, and North Face.

 

 

Niya Abdullahi is a Tech-Enthusiast and Multi-disciplinary Media Artist. She is the founder of @Habasooda, a platform dedicated to sharing the richness of the Muslim experience through a variety of storytelling avenues including short films and data-based graphics. She uses her art as a vessel to promote social change! Her first short film 'By the Train' premiered at the Regent Park Film Festival in November 2020. 

 

 

Pree aka Sticky Mangos (they/them) is an artist educator currently based in Tkaronto, originally from TiohtiĆ :ke. They're a child of immigrant settlers from Punjab who has an interdisciplinary arts practice under the name ‘Sticky Mangos’, with visual arts pieces inspired by nature, selfhood and community care. Pree also facilitates arts-based workshops, makes short films, performs drag (as 'Gayram Masala') and engages in community organizing. They cofounded the Non-Binary Colour Collective, and currently organize with WAYF (Where Are You From collective). Check out their Instagram art account and their drag account, as well as their Twitter.

 

 

Sariena Luy is a multidisciplinary artistic activist specializing in film, photography, event curation and communications design. The Jane-Finch native is the founder of the youth-led organization called "The Flaunt It Movement," which fosters self-love and highly-esteemed representation for womxn through creative, community projects. Sariena uses the arts to create social change and represent the complexity of transnational and intersectional identities. Alongside her art, Sariena's versatile background includes her highly-proficient academic education and years of entrepreneurial experience to strengthen how she can serve her community. She is currently completing her honours studies as an Adobe Creativity Scholar and was recently recognized as the 2020 recipient of the Alterna Prize for Women Social Change Leaders award. Check out her Instagram @sariena_.

 

Tricia Strachan is half dreamer, half mystic. Her unique ability has always been the power of visualization. Whether visualizing her own vision or that of her client's, she realizes these ideas with resonance, spunk, and accessibility.  Tricia is a lifelong creator, with over 7 years experience in writing, editing, video production, and social media design in the digital media industry. She's always had a knack for creating compelling stories with an accessible voice, and has tailored her creative chops to specific business objectives. Tricia discovers creative solutions and delivers engaging content optimized for online, mobile, social media, and video platforms. Currently, she is a part-time Digital Content Strategist for Toronto's non-profit organization, Black Women in Motion.

Vipooshan Gangatharan is a media artist in Toronto, Canada who currently works as a Social Content Creator for FCB Canada.  In addition, Vipooshan also works as a freelance artist creating and editing videos. Vipooshan has edited films such as The Worst Student Ever, and My 18th Birthday. Vipooshan has also worked with the city of Toronto, Toronto Public Health Network and Toronto Youth Job Corps to create short videos. Vipooshan aims to create and contribute to community-oriented stories. Check out their Instagram.

 

 

Whyishnave Suthagar is an installation artist and graphic designer from Toronto. She has received her BFA from McMaster's School of the Arts. Her practice focuses on creating graphics & site specific installations (using black light, fluorescent thread and soundscapes). Her work plays with light, space and sounds to create immersive meditative experiences. Themes she explores in her body of work include ancient myth, dreams, memory and the subconscious mind. She specifically creates work reflecting on her experience as a member of the second generation Tamil diaspora community assessing her dual heritage being both of Eelam Tamil descent and born in 21st century Canada. To date, she has shown her work at the McMaster Museum of Art, Much Music HQ, the Gladstone Hotel, ManifesTO, The Drake Hotel, Stackt Market, the MOCA Toronto, the Toronto Distillery District & Artscape Daniels Launchpad. She has received support from both the Toronto Arts Council and Ontario Arts Council to develop her upcoming artworks. Check out her  Instagram @whyishnave.