Thank you to everyone that applied to the Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival 2024! The call for applications are now closed and the Inclusive Curatorial Committee will be reviewing the applications.
Growing up as an avid comic-book reader, I naturally gravitated towards street art and illustration. I especially liked how street art exaggerates forms, lines, and shapes while often including characters, people, plants, and animals. These days, I am most interested in printmaking, specifically serigraphy which blossomed in 2019 when I started a small t-shirt business selling custom designs on garments. I’ve maintained an interest in printmaking and enjoy its process, tactility, and versatility. As a recent graduate from Langara’s Fine Arts program, I have built a strong sense of community and am passionate about keeping the arts accessible and used as a form of self-expression and discovery.
Alex K. Masse, is a writer, musician, and communications specialist from what is colonially known as British Columbia. Their work has been seen everywhere from the Scholastic Writing Awards to Autostraddle, as well as in collaboration with Penelope Scott, Vancouver Pride, Simon Fraser University, and more. They’re also a neurodivergent nonbinary lesbian, which greatly affects their process.
When not writing, they’re making music, and when not making music, they’re writing. Occasionally, though, they can be seen working on their degree, or cozied up with their cat.
Based in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada, Amy J. Dyck is a multidisciplinary artist who uses a unique mix of realism and abstract expressionism to explore something deeper about the human experience than can be observed. Using collage, classical oil-painting techniques, and mixed media sculpture, her work is influenced by personal struggle, phycology, old and new masters, and is always evolving.
Built on a certificate in design studies as a foundation, Amy’s education has been shaped by trial and error, observation, books and videos, and the occasional mentorship or workshop.
She has been interviewed for CBC Art Minute, has had her work featured in a handful of art magazines (such as International Artist and Create), and has won awards in several international art competitions.
Argel MDR is a Filipino-Canadian singer/songwriter from Surrey, Canada. He was one of the Top 10 finalists of CBC's Toyota Searchlight 2021 and the Music Category winner of Surrey Board of Trade's 2022 Surrey Art and Business Awards. When he was 15 years old, he moved to Canada from the Philippines with his family to seek a better life and opportunities. With Sam Smith, One Republic, and Original Pinoy Music (OPM) as his music influences, Argel wants to use the power of storytelling to inspire Filipino youth and other immigrants through his music and theatrical performances. Argel has also been an active member of the Metro Vancouver theatre community and has been a part of a few productions such as Theatre Under The Stars’ MAMMA MIA! (Eddie), Fighting Chance Production’s Guys and Dolls (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), and Arts Club's Elf: The Musical (Manager/Ensemble). Argel's artistry is deeply rooted in his identity as a Filipino-Canadian immigrant and his advocacy for anti-racism work and inclusion.
Hi, I’m Xavier. I came to ‘Vancouver’ otherwise known as the ancestral and unceded Coast Salish territory including the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations six years ago, from Treaty 6 territory in Alberta. I’m a theatre artist with a dense background in Musicals. As well as an award winning drag queen.
As a mixed race adoptee to a metis family I hold authenticity and intersectionality at the core of who I am and my work in the arts. I am passionate about self advocacy, and showcasing positive, dynamic stories told by BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ voices all while doing my part in creating space for these stories to be told.
Jenna Reid (she/her) is the current Artistic Director of Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture. In 2019 Jenna completed her PhD in Critical Disability Studies at York University and has taught and done research at Toronto Metropolitian University, York University, University of Toronto, and McMaster University. Jenna’s research and studio practice focus on artistic production as a site of critical inquiry, community organizing, and political activism.
She has published in Canadian Art; Intersectionalities: A Global Journal of Social Work Analysis, Research, Policy, and Practice; Journal of Progressive Human Services; Studies in Social Justice; and the Journal of Progressive Human Services.
Completing artist residencies on Toronto Island with the Feminist Art Conference, at Banff for her studio and curatorial work, at McMaster University in the School of the Arts Jenna has exhibited in Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia. Jenna uses art to create ruptures, open up new lines of inquiry, encouraging people to turn away from the need to resolve and instead open up the transformative possibilities that happen when we render things problematic.
Max Mueller-Langer is an East Vancouver creator, known for his proficiency in various artistic mediums. Initially, his passion lay in the world of freelance filmmaking and editing, which he pursued after graduating from Emily Carr University in 2017. However, when the pandemic swept across the globe, bringing life to a standstill and causing a scarcity of work, Max found himself at a crossroads.
Confronted with the dual challenges of profound boredom during the isolation period of social distancing and an existential crisis surrounding his film career, Max decided to venture into uncharted territory. He picked up a paintbrush, determined to create something to pass the time. Little did he know that this small act would set in motion a remarkable transformation. What began as a solitary painting soon multiplied into a series, and the series quickly grew to encompass an entire portfolio. Through this process, his artistic journey took an unexpected turn, revealing his true purpose and passion. He realized that visual art had been his calling all along, patiently waiting to be discovered.
Currently, Max operates from the comfort of his home studio in East Vancouver, where he immerses himself in his craft. Working primarily with acrylic-based mediums, he skillfully explores a range of themes within his artwork. His creations delve into existentialism, stoicism, real-life experiences, and the intricacies of the human condition. Inspired by the artistic styles of visionaries like Salvador Dali and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Max combines his influences with his own creative perspective to produce captivating and thought-provoking pieces. Through his artistic endeavours, he invites viewers to embark on a visual journey, provoking introspection and contemplation of some of life's deepest questions.
Tuyết Ánh Judith Nguyễn (they/them) is a nonbinary multidisciplinary artist of Vietnamese ancestry living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder on the Ancestral, Traditional, unceded Coast Salish territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh Nations. With an academic background in social sciences and art therapy, Nguyễn's artwork encompasses themes of community care, bodily rest, integrity, mindfulness, and all bodies liberation in the genres of neo-expressionism painting and life drawing. They have exhibited for the View Gallery, featured at Vancouver Queer Film Festival, written for Disability Alliance BC’s Transition Magazine, tabled at Flourish Together: QTBIPoC Arts Market, and is an active member of the Neurodivergent Art Collective. Grounded in a social justice framework, Nguyễn is a community support worker whose passions are rooted in holistic wellness, visual arts, compassion, harm reduction, and social change at the frontlines. Nguyễn is a homebody, big on karaoke and slice-of-life manga.
