Meet the Artist

Leeay

Aikawa

โ€œSpanning a vast array of media, my current focus is investigating the ๐’•๐’“๐’Š๐’๐’Š๐’•๐’š between 'making,' 'knowing,' and 'being' with a strong emphasis on the process of โ€˜becoming.โ€™ I employ methodologies such as collage, collecting, painting, non-linear narrative, improvisation, from an ecological spiritualist framework to approach oneness in an increasingly harsh world.With my repeated mantra ๐‘ฏ๐’†๐’“๐’† ๐’™ ๐‘ต๐’๐’˜ = ๐‘ฏ๐’๐’˜, I attempt to be in touch with the moments of the divine and the living spirit of the Earth through making. Such an inquiry emerges from my background as a yogi/ yoga instructor. My thesis ๐˜(๐˜–๐˜ฎ)๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜Š๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ค โ€˜๐˜ โ€™ is a season-based investigation that blends my artistic practice and spiritual practice to explore what it means to be authentic in our time.โ€

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Leeay Aikawa is a Japanese artist based in Toronto, a recent graduate of the Interdisciplinary Masterโ€™s in Art, Media, and Design program at OCAD University (MFA 2021). She obtained her BDes in Illustration major from OCAD University in 2009 and has worked as both an illustrator and as a graphic designer for over 10 years with clients such as New York Times, Vogue Japan, The Walrus, The Pen, The Atlantic, to name a few. She was hosted by Paradise Air (Matsudo, Japan) in 2019 as an artist in residence and selected by MOCA for their Mentorship Program in 2020.
OCAD U - Graduate Studies
Interdisciplinary Master's in Art, Media and Design (MA, MDes and MFA)
Major In progress, 2021
OCAD University
Illustration
Major Completed, 2009
George Brown College
Foundation Design
Major Completed, 2004

Collage Earth-based Studio Practice Yogic philosophy Buddhism Eastern Philosophy Spiritual Ecology Painting Illustration Design Mixed Media Zen Buddhist Psychology Collection-based presentation Non-linear Experimental Improvisation

2019, House of Collage
Lily's Gallery
2010, Illustration
American Illustration 28
2009, Student Award
Applied Arts
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