2024 Transformation Stories
Alicia Greene She/her
Alicia Greene was born and raised in Toronto Canada, growing up in a Conservative Christian Household. Greene had found her artistic talents through painting landscapes and photography. Throughout the formative young adult years, Greene Exhibited personal works in Toronto art shows and expanded to exhibit in International Art Shows in New York City, Los Angelos, and the United Kingdom.
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Depression to Expression
Mental illness has wreaked havoc on the Caribbean community, stemming from the days where we couldn’t dance, play drums, sing, whistle, or talk without being beaten or, worse, killed. Fast forward to the present age, we have become so consumed with operating under capitalism and colonialism that it has truly left us screaming for something more, or real, and yet, being paralyzed by it all. In conjunction, we celebrate Carnival, known in Toronto as Caribana. Before stormers and the city placating it to the masses, Carnival was rebellion, a resistance. Our cultural expressions have been demonized, ridiculed, fetishized and used for sexual capital, specifically for the male gaze. Every year, or how often one plays Mas, every time, the determination to rise up and to call back our ancestors into our bodies, our spirit and our dance is palpable and, in this series, is where I address it.
Jade McLean (She/Her)
My name is Jade McLean (She/Her), my background has been in social work, working with various populations including survivors of sexual violence and women fleeing domestic abuse. The arts have been an area of interest to me, and photography has always been something I've wanted to explore. On the flip side of social work, ethnic, queer and women and gender studies inform the ways in which I perceive and move through the world. Considering this, I've chosen to focus my project on the intersections of race, gender and sexuality, and what it means to be in and take up space in a black queer female body.
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I was interested in exploring female masculinity in contrast to hegemonic understandings of femininity. As a young girl, you're socialized to be a certain way through demonstration and shame. As a young black girl, the latter can be heightened due to historical interpretations of race and gender. From their inception, women are imposed upon--heavily encouraged to conform to current standards of what it means to be a woman and punished in different ways when they do not. For my project, I wanted to reflect on that desire to go against, and what that meant for the rooms I'm in and the space I take up when I'm there, starting in the home. As a masculine-leaning woman born into a Caribbean family, female masculine expression has been a point of confusion, disbelief, and mockery.
Ifetayo Z. Alabi (She/They)
Ifetayo Z. Alabi is a mixed-Afro-Indigenous, queer, non-binary, and disabled individual. Ifetayo is a multidisciplinary artist who has worked in drawing, painting, collage, photography, filmmaking, performance art, and more. They graduated from OCAD University with a BFA in 2023. They have been working as a professional artist for almost seven years now. Ifetayo has worked with BLM Toronto, Pride Toronto, Harbourfront Centre, and Vancouver Queer Film Festival. This year (2024) they’ve had their short film RUNNING shown at the Bless the Telephone Film Festival and had their written sketch work about BPD published part of The Madville Collective. They are currently based in Toronto and did some work in Vancouver for a few years before university.
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Statement for The Harder Parts of Self-Care
The Harder Parts of Self-Care, A Photo Series is a work that highlights the more difficult parts of what self-care looks like in my own world. Self-care has become an overused term that has somehow been connected to commodities and capitalism. When people say self-care they immediately think yoga, face masks, shopping, going out, etc. In reality, transformative self-care looks like addressing more difficult things like budgeting and doing your therapy homework. In the five photos that I’ve shot, I wanted to address five types of self-care that are harder to address. In the first photo, I’m reading books that have been recommended by various therapists I’ve had over the years. The second shows me dancing in my room to release grief from my body. The third is reconnecting with culture through drumming. The fourth photo shows me attempting to get life admin tasks done like taxes, bills, and budgeting. The final photograph is me using the opposite action of what I feel like I should do, I feel like I should work but I went to play instead. Genuine self-care is difficult to do. Caring for yourself in this world is an act of rebellion. Set yourself up for success by addressing things you may have put off. Growth can come from the places that we avoid.
Lee-Anne Oghide (She/her)
Lee-Anne Oghide is a Nigerian-Canadian creative that loves the exploration of new cultures and alternative spaces. In most of her work, it explores communities or groups of people that are underrepresented in mainstream media.
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Black Girl Joy in Spaces of Happiness
This series is a celebration of Black Girl Joy: a feeling of happiness that comes with seeking spaces of refuge, community, and liberation. Each image presents how we, as Black girls, find joy in places uniquely our own: be it the quiet corner, the beauty supply, or the outside near the pier. Our joy's kaleidoscopic nature is informed by culture, memory, and selfhood. With these images, I want to pay tribute to the beauty of our happiness, highlighting the different spaces in which we feel good and live.
Elle de Lyon (She/They)
Elle de Lyon is an award-winning creative producer, director, and spoken word music artist. As a passionate advocate for community arts, culture, and education, she works to empower others through creative expression and mindfulness practices. Elle’s background in sociology, psychology, and community development has deeply influenced her approach to both her art and her professional projects. A graduate in both arts and sciences, Elle is the founder of PDA Global Media, a media development and consulting company, and has worked with various organizations to produce creative projects that uplift and amplify marginalized voices. Her music, poetry, and visual art all serve to inspire others to see opportunity in opposition, using every challenge as a catalyst for change.
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The {R}evolution (of Elle de Lyon) is a visual and poetic exploration of self-liberation, marking my journey from being held captive by negative thoughts to reclaiming my power and rewriting my narrative. For years, negativity dictated my story, playing like a broken record in my mind and shaping my actions. But I found the power to become the DJ of my own thoughts, shifting the frequency from destructive to empowering. Through this evolution, I learned to let go of the negative scripts and invested in self-care, mindfulness, and self-awareness. Each photo is a part of my ongoing journey of self-empowerment and a visual journal of the personal revolution that led me to where I am today. Inspired by the resilience of nature—flowers, butterflies, and all that blooms from seeming nothingness—The {R}evolution (of Elle de Lyon) is an exploration of the human capacity for rebirth and self-realization. It speaks to the universal experience of rising from the dirt, dusting ourselves off, and blooming against the odds.