Our hearts are still full and warm from the memories we created together during TOAF64.

Now, we are ready to share highlights, inspiring stories, and a closer look at some of the most outstanding artists of the Fair. This time, we’re breaking tradition, we are opening with the Best of the Best.

Melika Saeeda is the recipient of the $6,000 Best of Art Fair Award, generously supported by IG Wealth Management—a new supporter in the TOAF family. 💛

Melika’s recent body of work, Sisterhood, explores female care, tension, and bonding in the most enchanting and magical ways. As Award Judge and Artistic Director of MOCA Rui Mateus Amaral beautifully put it: the vibe lingers long after you’ve seen the work.

We hope you’ll enjoy discovering Melika’s work and reading the judge’s reflections.

It is so good to be back and to reconnect with you. We missed you.

Stay tuned! We have quite a few things to share, bit by bit, in the coming weeks and months.

Enjoy Melika’s work, and Happy Fall.

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Meet Melika

Melika Saeeda is an Iranian-Canadian visual artist, illustrator, muralist, and arts educator based in Toronto since 2017. Her practice spans painting, children’s book illustration, and public art, often informed by both her Iranian heritage and her life in Canada. 

Her work has been presented in exhibitions and public art initiatives across Toronto, and her murals contribute to the city’s urban landscape. In illustration, she collaborates with the Red Fox Literary Agency on children’s book projects, bringing a distinct visual language rooted in Persian miniature traditions into contemporary contexts.

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Judge Rui Mateus Amaral Reflects on Melika’s Works

“Melika’s paintings are visually striking and mysterious, remaining with me as I carried on through the fair. Her work is confounding in the best way: her figures come to life through the organic curves of the human body, yet also through the sharp edges of geometric shapes. Particularly noteworthy is her bold use of patterns set against voids of colour—seen in the figure’s hair and dress. Although the figures are depicted in an ambiguous space, their embraces and gazes imbue the paintings with intimacy, even as they retain a sense of remoteness.”

— Rui Mateus Amaral, the Artistic Director at the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto (MOCA)v

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On Receiving the Best of Art Fair Award

“I first exhibited at TOAF in 2020, when the fair moved online due to the pandemic, and I was grateful for the chance to share my work and receive encouraging feedback. Returning in 2021, 2022, 2024, and then being awarded Best of Art Fair in 2025 felt like coming full circle, the small step I took years ago has now grown into a meaningful path. This recognition is both humbling and energizing, affirming my growth as a visual artist.”

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Fun Facts about Melika! 

Your Studio Vibes: Creative Chaos or meticulously organized?

Chaos. I share my studio with my artist husband, and while he has his own system, I just keep things where I can reach them.

If you could have dinner with any artist (living or historical), who would it be?

I would love to share a meal with Prudence Flint, the Melbourne-based painter whose work I recently discovered. She paints women in their everyday lives in a way that deeply resonates with me. I’d probably serve an Iranian dish—something I cook well and would enjoy sharing as part of the conversation.

What has been the most unexpected source of inspiration for you?

After a recent gathering with friends, I felt so energized and motivated that I couldn’t wait to get back to my studio. That kind of joy and connection often sparks new ideas for me in unexpected ways