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Armova Curatorial

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Founded by @wordartcurated & @ilenesovaartist - Armova Curatorial merges community with creativity, showcasing local underrepresented voices in art.

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Meet the Founders of Armova Curatorial - Partners in Life and Art

@ilenesovaartist is an artist and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Art at OCAD University in Drawing and Painting. Ilene’s art practice focuses on equity and diversity with a feminist focus on creating a dialogue around anti-oppression. She is also heavily involved in arts advocacy, community activation, and promoting pluralism in the arts. Sova founded the Feminist Art Conference and Blank Canvases, an in-school creative arts programme for elementary school students. She holds an Honours BFA in Painting from the University of Ottawa and an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Windsor.

@thebyroduct is an award-winning journalist writing on arts, culture, and community. His work has appeared in Forbes (Arts), Esse arts + opinions, The Globe and Mail, Whitehot Magazine, and The National Gallery of Canada Magazine. He has penned curatorial essays for the transatlantic exhibition When the Bread They Have Cast on the Waters Comes Floating Back (The D’Aguilar Art Foundation, Nassau; United Contemporary Gallery, Toronto) and the retrospective Barbara Moore: Life, Lessons and Legacy (Caliban Arts Theatre). He served as juror and co-curator for John B. Aird Gallery’s 2024–2025 online exhibition and publication, Portraits, further shaping conversations in contemporary art. by @armovacuratorial

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a year ago

✨ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Veronica Dorsett✨

Armova Curatorial is excited to represent Veronica Dorsett ( @vodorsett ) in our booth at @FUZEArtFair for the 2026 @BahaMarFestival thanks to assistance from the @canada.council
Born and raised in Freeport, Bahamas, and currently based in Toronto, Dorsett is a mixed-media artist whose practice explores memory, Black hair politics, and adolescence through the lens of childhood innocence and experience.

This year marked a full-circle moment for Veronica, with this year’s theme at FUZE, “Coming Home,” being of special significance. First, @ArtLucaya 2026 in Freeport, Bahamas—for which Armova were curatorial consultants—her first time exhibiting in her hometown since leaving for university. As she shared: “It is incredibly meaningful to return home and share my work with the community that helped shape me... ArtLucaya is creating something powerful here, and I am honoured to be part of it.”

Now her work is travelling back for #FUZECaribbeanArtFair

The creative spark for her series “Instructions for Care” was an attempt to connect across temporal and physical distance with her grandmothers, neither of whom she got to know well (in one case, not at all) before their passing. These works explore how material memory can evoke familial memory, with Vicks VapoRub positioned as a product synonymous with comfort, care and healing within Caribbean households.

-Instructions for Care III, 2026
-Instructions for Care IV, 2026
*Decorative Paper Collage 13 X 23

R&B Superstar @usher is the proud owner of her work, which hangs in his daughter’s room as captured by @archdigest

See her work with Armova Curatorial at FUZE Art Fair 2026, Booth f17, Baha Mar, October 21–25.

Inquiries via @ArmovaCuratorial by @armovacuratorial

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11 hours ago

✨ ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Anthony Gebrehiwot ✨
Armova Curatorial is proud to represent Anthony Gebrehiwot ( @tonyxtones ) @FUZEArtFair 2026 as part of the @BahaMarFestival in Nassau, Bahamas made possible with the generous support of the @canada.council

An award-winning Toronto-based artist, Gebrehiwot works across photography, collage, installation, and community-based practice. His intimate visual language—rooted in Black and Pan-African diasporic communities—considers how Black life, memory, identity, and possibility are shaped through images.

In his series From Boys to Men: The Road To Healing, Gebrehiwot offers a visceral display of Black masculinity, tenderness, and vulnerability.
On view in the Armova booth:

• From Boys to Men – The Power of a Hug, 2020
• From Boys to Men, 2019
Digital photographs, 24 x 36 in,
(editions 3/10 and 1/10)

“Self-love is the foundation of our loving practice. Without it, our other efforts to love fail.” — bell hooks

See his work at FUZE Art Fair 2026, @bahamarresorts October 21–25. Inquiries via Armova Curatorial. taken in Baha Mar Convention Center by @armovacuratorial

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a day ago

And we’re back!

After a long period of quiet contemplation, reflection, and planning (and just experiencing “life” irl), we’re hitting the ground running with the proud announcement of our participation @fuzeartfair taking place as part of the @bahamarfestival in Nassau, Bahamas.

The 2026 theme #ComingHome is a call to reflect on how “home” goes beyond the physical, considering how memory, as well as emotional, cultural, and experiential connection may influence that. That thinking extends to a perception of the “art fair” that goes beyond commerce and is rooted in collaboration, accessibility, and the opportunity to build relationships and community with the Caribbean and beyond. For us, there are personal connections that lend themselves to that theme: friends, family and collaborators, built over several years of non-extractive visits and knowledge-sharing.

We’re excited to continue building on those relationships while making new connections that build global pathways for our hometown artists who, this year, also represent a global community that also speaks to shared experiences among a diaspora.
@adetona_omokanye
@ojoagi
@tonyxtones
@vodorsett
@stevenhschmid
@eddion.whyms
@withlovelyse

We’ll be sharing a little about each artist as we count down to FUZE taking place October 21 - 25th @bahamarresorts

#FUZE2026
#FuzeCaribbeanArtFair
#BahamasCulinaryandArtsFestival taken in Baha Mar Convention Center by @armovacuratorial

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2 days ago

One special thing about Armova is that we aren’t just curating artists—we are ourselves artists.

You can get a sense of that tonight at the Toronto Waterfront Garden where @ilenesovaartist will exhibit her “Ascension” series invoking the divine feminine in the form of ethereal goddess figures—from a few inches in height to up to 7 feet. ✨💫🎨

Curated by @madgeyao_ for @nuitblancheto we’re proud to announce Ilene’s participation in the overnight citywide art activation, and we hope that you stop by if you find yourself down by the waterfront tonight. by @armovacuratorial

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12 days ago

The Meta algorithm is insatiable.

Its daily demands for fresh posts in exchange for visibility turns the adage “Quality beats quantity” on its head. With a world in need of more humanity, perhaps a slower, more intentional human algorithm that reserves posts for importance and relevance is better than forced interaction. Hence, the lower post count. NO AI necessary. 🧠🖤

The exhibition “Phases: Between Memory And Becoming” (July 16 - August 6), launched last weekend @galleryavantgarde by @adetona_omokanye @hicaezar and @nashid.chroma is worth talking about. An artist curated and organized exhibition in a private art space is relevant at a time when commercial galleries are struggling financially, or just finally being taken down by bad press over bad practices (not paying artists/withholding artwork). Waiting for attention (or respect) from institutions, particularly for still-underrepresented artists, can feel like a fool’s errand that many artists (and indie curators) don’t want to make time for anymore. Especially since it becomes more questionable as to whether it’s even necessary to do. Another outlier? The show is on a sidestreet in Midtown Toronto, challenging the odd standard of successful art shows only happening downtown.

Congratulations 🎉 to this trio of proactive and “avant-garde” artists who have taken the route of being proactive versus waiting for gatekeepers’ approval. The show is impressive in scope, and the work highlights connection to familial, cultural, and personal history in ways that are at once poignant and aesthetically vibrant.

That’s something worth posting about. taken in Avant-Garde by @armovacuratorial

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3 months ago

✨ A few more days left to see Queer Asynchronies @united-contemporary

129 Tecumseth Street
Wednesday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Thursday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Friday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m.–6 p.m

Highly recommend seeing this exhibition before it closes!

🎨 Highlights from the artist talk last week;

• Fascinating insights into each artist’s creative process
• Thoughtful conversations about memory, personal histories & identity
• Honest reflections on how artists make creative decisions

👏 Congratulations to the whole team @unitedcontemporary & curator @adriensunhall and artists @stevenbeckly @camillecharbonneau rami.george @dylanglynn @jordanking @natialemayart @oluseye.art @ryvanderhout for such an impactful exhibition and conversation.

If you have the chance, don’t miss it! 🌈 by @armovacuratorial

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3 months ago

This weekend, our friend @bennybing launched artist-run incubator and gallery space @blackrabbit.to

This dynamic space is intentional in its goals, and necessary for artists from Toronto who are often underrepresented, marginalized, and left to “figure it out” on their own without gallery representation or management.

Black Rabbit exists to give these artists the tools they need to succeed in their artistic careers, and to us, Benny’s well known commitment to mentorship has come full circle, reflected in this new model of knowledge sharing, collaboration and growth within his personal studio space.

Congratulations to you Benny, and we look forward to seeing the future impact of artists passing through the programme as a direct result of the seeds you’ve planted in Toronto’s arts community.

Congratulations to all the participating artists in the show “No Paths, Just Moves,” a few of whom we were privileged to exhibit last year during our run of #TooMuchFashion” @ojoagi and @adetona_Omokanye we’re looking 👀 at you. taken in Toronto, Canada by @armovacuratorial

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3 months ago

✨ A highlight of our recent visit to Orillia! ✨

If you’re in the area this summer, we can’t recommend these exhibitions enough. Make sure to visit @orilliamuseum to experience the incredible work of @drakewilliamsstudio and Paul Shilling.

🎨 What stayed with us:
• Rich, luminous colour palettes
• Expressive, confident brushwork
• Beautifully layered textures and material surfaces
• Paintings that invite slow looking and sustained reflection
• Thoughtful exhibition texts that deepen the conversation without prescribing a single interpretation

As fellow curators, we were especially impressed by the care with which these exhibitions have been conceived and installed. The works are given space to breathe while being placed in meaningful dialogue with one another with text.

👏 Congratulations to:
✨ @drakewilliamsstudio
✨ Paul Shilling
✨ Curators @tanya_cunnington & @bewabonshilling
✨ And the entire team at @orilliamuseum

Thank you for presenting two exhibitions that left us feeling inspired, energized, and deeply moved. We left with so much to think about.

Make the trip to Orillia this summer - these exhibitions are absolutely worth the trek. ❤️ by @armovacuratorial

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3 months ago

After a day to rest and recharge we had the chance to reflect on the last 3 weeks of #WhenAngelsSpeakofLove and the incredible feedback from friends, visitors and neighbours in the city.

We’re overjoyed with the responses from community for whom a bell hooks’ “All About Love” themed group show resonated, and we can’t wait to tour this show to other cities outside of Canada to share these artistic interpretations of so necessary a topic as “love as a practice” as a goal to try and live up to. We don’t always succeed individually or as a broader culture but in recognizing our shortcomings and striving to live in accordance to bell hooks tenets of love 💗 hope is far from lost.

As we celebrate the end of a successful run in Toronto, so too do we celebrate 🎉 you and your willingness to engage with the work in this show.

Thanks to the @torontoartscouncil and @makeroominc for their support of the show. Of course, thank you to the artists who offered their talents, time, and good vibes:
@tonyxtones
@ojoagi
@stevenhschmid
@vodorsett
@eddion.whyms
@natialemayart
@withlovelyse
@suzanadelakun taken in Toronto, Canada by @armovacuratorial

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3 months ago

And that’s a wrap for the Toronto Run of #WhenAngelsSpeakofLove

Love 💕 to all the artists who participated and the friends, family and community who came out to engage with this thoughtful work responding to the powerful@message of bell hooks’ “All About love”

Special thanks to our activation partners @makeroominc @torontofac and the @torontoartscouncil for their assistance and support of this project.

We’re hoping to offer up more surprises for this show, with international stops planned.

Stay tuned so we can keep you in the loop. taken in Toronto, Canada by @armovacuratorial

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4 months ago

✨ Final Weekend! ✨

Don’t miss your last chance to experience When Angels Speak of Love before the exhibition closes.

🗓️ Gallery Hours
Saturday: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

📍 Armova Curatorial
2104 Dundas Street West, Toronto

Inspired by bell hooks’ All About Love, this contemporary group exhibition brings together painting, photography, sculpture, and textiles to explore themes of care, healing, grief, friendship, and collective liberation.

❤️ On view until June 28, 2026

Featuring works by:
@natialemayart @stevenhschmid @vodorsett @ojoagi @tonyxtones @eddion.whyms @suzanadelakun @withlovelyse

Presented by @armovacuratorial with generous support from the @torontoartscouncil.

Exhibition Documentation 📸 @annastephentanner by @armovacuratorial

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4 months ago