About the Jury
Three Canadian art professionals are solely responsible for determining the exhibition’s content and selecting the Jurors’ Choice Award winner and Honourable Mentions. We are pleased to welcome three exceptional jurors whose experience and insight will be instrumental in providing a high quality experience for both artist and visitor.
Aylan Couchie, Nipissing First Nation and Tkarón:to
Aylan is a Nishnaabekwe interdisciplinary artist, curator and writer hailing from Nipissing First Nation (NFN). She is a NSCAD University alumna achieving a BFA in sculpture and installation in 2016. In 2018, she received her MFA in Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design at OCAD University where she focused her thesis on reconciliation and its relationship to monument and public art. She’s in her 4th year of study at Queen’s University where she’s working on her PhD in the Cultural Studies program researching land+language+Indigenous placemaking through mapping, naming and public art. She’s been the recipient of several awards including an “Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture” award through the International Sculpture Centre and a Premier’s Award through Ontario Colleges. She is a board member with Native Women in the Arts and also sits on NFN’s Language and Culture committee. She lives and works between her home community and Tkarón:to.
Claire Kyle, Toronto
Claire is a first-generation Canadian of Northern Irish parents. She holds an MA in Gallery Studies and Critical Curating from the University of Essex, UK and previous to accepting her current role at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2016, has worked at Kate MacGarry, Freize London, and Sprüth Magers, London/Berlin. Claire’s work at the AGO allows her to focus and give platform to emerging and mid-career contemporary artists, making their work globally accessible. In addition to managing the department, Claire is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with art dealer partners, artists and curators for consignment art procurement. She is also responsible for curating in-department exhibitions. Her passion is to create space for emerging contemporary Canadian artists, exploring wide-ranging and interdisciplinary practices. Claire lives and works in Toronto, ON.
Darren Rigo, Toronto
Darren creates work inspired by natural and urban environments, community and history. His practice reacts to location as a source of inspiration while considering the endlessly evolving nature of photography. He received a BFA from OCAD University in 2010, where he majored in photography. Darren’s work has been exhibited in both solo and group shows across Canada and internationally. He has completed residencies at AIAV (Japan), Leveld Kunstnartun (Norway), and AIRY (Japan). His work has also been included in the collections of the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts in Japan and the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton. Darren was Head of Membership and Facilities at Toronto’s Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography for the last ten years, having recently stepped away to focus on his commercial photography practice, art projects, and parenthood.