Presenting the winners of the Artscape Emerging Artist Award and the Best in Student Artscape Award at the 2020 Toronto Outdoor Art Fair

Artscape continued to support the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair in the summer of 2020, despite the fair being moved completely online due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions. This year, we presented two awards — the Artscape Emerging Artist Award and the Best in Student Artscape Award — to support emerging artists as they build a thriving career in the arts.

This year’s winner of the Best in Student Artscape Award was Varvara Nedilska. Judged by Justine Kohleal, Curator of Education & Public Programs at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Varvara receives the $500 Marie Collins Memorial Award and the Artscape Award, which includes one-week artist residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point and a one-week solo exhibition in the Hallway Galleries at Artscape Youngplace in 2021. This award culminates a successful showing at this year’s Toronto Outdoor Art Fair where she sold most of her work.

Varvara Nedilska is a Ukrainian-Canadian multidisciplinary artist and a 2020 graduate of the OCADU illustration program. Her practice focuses mainly around narrative illustration, although recently she has been branching out into printmaking and sculpture. She always works in analogue media (most often inks and watercolours) and some of her biggest inspirations are medieval and surrealist art, folk/“outsider” art and the natural world.

Varvara Nedilska’s Carpet Cowboys

Varvara Nedilska’s Sleepover 

The winner of the new Artscape Emerging Artist Award, Charlize Nhung Nguyễn, receives a one-year membership to Artscape Daniels Launchpad, the creative entrepreneurship hub, where she will have full access to the Creative Studios including the Fine Metals and Jewellery Studio. This award was also judged by Justine Kohleal, Curator of Education & Public Programs at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery.

Charlize Nhung Nguyễn is a Vietnamese-born Canadian craft artist. With a background in architecture and jewellery arts, she often works at the intersection of contemporary design and its medium. After receiving her BFA from OCAD University, she began her practice as an Artist-In-Residence at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. Her work has won commissions, awards, and scholarships. She has exhibited throughout North America and Europe.

Charlize Nhung Nguyễn’s collection called BODY (Negative Space) explores the object as wearable.

A brooch from Charlize’s BODY (Negative Space) collection is made of sterling silver and gold plating (2019).

Look for our upcoming features on these artists!