This year’s Student Zone was electric once again, buzzing with new perspectives, fresh energy, and the spirit of regeneration that keeps TOAF evolving. 

Here are three standout student artists from TOAF64 who caught our eye and the judges: 

Alex Hall’s evocative and rigorous lens-based storytelling impressed the jurors during the selection process as Juror’s Pick and her body of work at the Fair earned her the well-deserved Best of Student Award – a cash prize of $1,000 supported by the Marie Collins Memorial Award & ArtHubs Toronto Inc. Opportunity Award which includes a residency at Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts and a solo exhibition at Youngplace. Stay tuned for this exhibition. 

The Honourable Mention Student Award supported by Toronto School of Art went to Keenan O’Toole, whose captivating ceramic forms feel like gestural drawings in space, full of movement and intrigue. And the imaginative, surreal universe of Alicia Tian’s illustrations charmed the young (and anonymous) judges of the House of IDEA Student Purchase Award. We invite you to enjoy their work and learn about their practices. 

P.S Here is The Uncanny Collection, curated by the TOAF team.

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Alex Hall
Best of Student Award

Alex Hall is a lens-based Chinese Canadian artist working in Toronto, Canada. She specializes in photography and alternative processes. She holds a BFA in photography from the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD U) and a minor in English Literature.

Alex on her practice

“When I have a concept I want to explore, I think about what process best serves my storytelling visually and conceptually. Whether it be from the application like cyanotype or salt printing to what type of paper I am printing on. All these factors change the meaning and how the viewer interacts with my work.”

Hear from Judge Felicia Mings 

“Hall’s film and digital photographs are quiet, compelling glimpses into Chinatown in Toronto, ON and Barkerville, BC. Barkerville’s Chinatown rebuilt after a fire to look as it did in the 1860s felt rightly represented in black and white photographs while her choice to also include colour photographs of the location and to integrate black and white as well as colour photos of Toronto’s Chinatown offered a timeless quality and beautiful integration of the images from both sites. Hall’s project clearly involved both social and personal research as she deftly weaves histories of Chinese migration to Canada with personal narrative of her family in her photo book—rendering this project both visually and conceptually rigorous.”

— Felicia Mings, Curator of the Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University

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Keenan O’Toole
Honourable Mention Student Award

Keenan O’Toole is a Toronto-based artist working primarily in ceramics and sculpture. She earned her MFA from Kent State University in 2025, following a Bachelor of Craft and Design from Sheridan College in 2019 and further studies at Alberta University of the Arts in 2020. She is currently a Ceramics Artist-in-Residence at the Craft & Design program at Harbourfront Centre.

Keenan on her practice

“My practice moves fluidly between drawing and sculpture. I begin with line drawings inspired by grids, pipes, and conduits—loose diagrams that map space through repetition and gesture. These drawings are then translated into hollow, handbuilt ceramic forms, constructed from slabs and pinched tubes that stabilize and balance on themselves.”

Left to right: Raptor Tunnel, Keenan O’Toole, 2025, Ceramic & glaze; Locked In, Keenan O’Toole, 2024, Ceramic & glaze. 

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Alicia Tian
Student Purchase Award

Alicia is an illustrator and MFA candidate at OCAD University, specializing in illustrative painting and ecological philosophy. She studied Illustration at Sheridan College, where she trained in illustrative painting, graphic design, narrative illustration, and motion graphics. In addition to her experience working as a technical illustrator in the healthcare and athletic industries, Alicia creates work that is both highly technical and deeply imaginative, crafting surreal worlds where humans and nature intertwine. Her work has been showcased in multiple galleries, including the Federation Gallery, Northern Contemporary Gallery, and Neilson Park Creative Centre, among others.

Alicia on her practice 

“With a background as a technical illustrator, I have contributed to various fields, including general biology, pathology, and environmental science. My current artistic practice intertwines ecological thinking with mythopoetic visual storytelling, aiming to create narratives that reflect the interconnectedness of natural systems and human experience. I enjoy retelling ancient stories with a contemporary lens, repositioning their timeless insights within the broader context of world literature and visual storytelling.”

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Fun Rapid Fire with the Artists

Get to know Alex, Keenan, Alicia and their studio quirks, rituals and tidbits. 

What are your studio vibes?

“Chaotic but in a good way! Since my boyfriend and I are both photographers, our apartment is practically a photo studio, print house, and darkroom all at once”  

– Alex Hall

What would be your dream artist residency?

“Casa Wabi in Oaxaca, Mexico. The architecture is a striking minimalist concrete structure set against the ocean—a visual poetry I find deeply intriguing. They also engage with local clay traditions and the community. Working by the ocean every day would be an incredible experience.”– Keenan O’Toole

What has been an unexpected source of inspiration for you?

“I initially played Genshin Impact to relax, but was unexpectedly inspired by the game’s vibrant environments. The colour palette left a strong impression on me, and I began adapting it in my own work to evoke a naïve, imaginative, and mysterious atmosphere.”

– Alicia Tian

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Curated Collection 

The Uncanny Collection

Curated by the TOAF Team 

Left to right: Brawn, Neil Kehler, 2023, Inkjet print; Blunt Caninesm, Lilly Mia Black, 2023, Oil paint.