Shaya Ishaq - Artist in Residence

Shaya Ishaq (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist, designer, and writer currently based in Montreal. In her practice, she delves into themes related to contemporary craft discourse, design anthropology, (afro)futurism and diaspora. As a first-generation Kenyan-Ugandan connected to a lineage of weavers, she is devoted to the materiality and the creolization of form.

Shaya is often called to textiles and clay as a starting point to create wearable art, jewelry adornments, and installations that incite participatory engagement. Through the meditative processes of weaving, felting, and handmade ceramics, she explores the nuances of her positionality and the liminality of rites of passage which often leads to sculptural textile and ceramic works.

Her curiosity about the poetics and politics of space informs her interests in creating immersive environments that embrace the emergent possibilities of spatial design. This allows her to explore how we relate and hold space for each other in space across differences.

Shaya has studied at Concordia University with a focus on Fibres & Material Practices, NSCAD University as well as Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine. Shaya has been a research fellow of the Textiles and Materiality Research Cluster as part of the Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture, and Technology. 

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The Research Assistants

In November 2021, a call for three Black creative research assistants from The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University was announced. Candidates were offered a paid opportunity to work collaboratively with Ishaq while taking advantage of The Creative School’s industry leading facilities.

Many applicants from a variety of programs within The Creative School applied, but in the end, three students were selected for their creativity, tenacity, and connection to the themes of the project. The chosen candidates be found below.

  • Daysha Loppie

    (she/her)

    Daysha is a Toronto-born freelance journalist currently pursuing a degree in journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University. Daysha’s practice works to spread narratives that legitimize the revolution and inspire a better future. She recently won the 2021 Dell Bell Memorial Award and the Len Coates Memorial Award for her work, which focuses on resistance in arts and culture in Toronto through abolition-centered innovation. Daysha is determined to one day run her own publication.

  • Nala Haileselassie

    (she/her)

    Nala is a multidisciplinary artist from Tkaronto completing her BFA in Film Studies at Toronto Met University. Working from the lineage of Black feminist film and experimental documentary, her research is focused on the living archive of Black people globally in relationship to documentary ethics, authorship and representation. Her current body of work explores cultural and collective memory, and the relation between the two as a child of migration. Nala looks to rework narratives surrounding migrant and diasporic identities which defy borders and temporal relations. She wishes to use her practice as a tool for collaboration, discussion and liberation.

  • Carianne Shakes

    (she/her)

    Carianne is a Toronto-born multidisciplinary media artist and researcher. Her work employs intersectional, Black feminist, and anti-capitalist theories to explore nuanced negotiations between race, class and gender. Carianne recently completed her B.A. in Creative Industries at TMU. As a student, Carianne formed initiatives aimed at increasing BIPOC representation within the School of Creative Industries, resulting in her achieving the Dennis Mock Student Leadership Award and Creative Industries Outstanding Community Engagement Award. During this time she worked with Dr. Cheryl Thompson and Shana Almeida, along with the Canada Council for the Arts, and Black Artists Network and Dialogue. Carianne is inspired by Black feminist thinkers and hopes to use her work to continue addressing intersectional forms of oppression.

 Contact

  • Our exhibition space is now open for in-person viewing! Please see our COVID-19 Protocols before visiting.

    We are located in the lower level of Toronto’s historic 401 Richmond Building, at the base of the main staircase.

    • Address: 401 Richmond St W, Suite LL106, Door Buzzer #100, Toronto, ON M5V 3A8

    • Hours: Wednesday - Saturday, 1 - 6 PM

    • Parking Information

  • General inquiries can also be sent to ryersonartspace@gmail.com or to our Instagram account.

  • 401 Richmond Street West is a wheelchair-accessible building equipped with an elevator to each level of the building. There are two wheelchair-accessible entrance ways: the first is located at the front entrance near the Roastery Café (just east of Spadina Avenue); the second entrance (WITH RAMP ACCESS + AUTOMATIC DOORS) is at the north-east corner of the building, near the Spacing and Swipe retail shops (just west of the corner of Richmond and Peter Streets).

    Artspace Gallery is located in the lower level of 401 Richmond and can be reached by either entrance. If entering from the main entrance (by Roastery Cafe) Artspace is located at the bottom of the main staircase.

    Wheelchair accessible routes to the gallery include entering through the main entrance and taking the elevator down to the lower level and turning left to find the gallery.

    If entering from the second entrance (west of Spadina and Peter) please take the ramp down past the Dark Horse Cafe, turn right down the long hall (past the elevators) until you reach the gallery.

    Wheelchair accessible, gender-neutral washrooms are available on all floors of 401 Richmond.

    Please do not hesitate to contact Artspace Manager Joshua Vettivelu to discuss any accommodations that may be required.