Thank you for applying to the Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival! The application period has now closed, and the Inclusive Curatorial Committee is currently reviewing submissions.
Nickie Lewis is an artist residing on the unceded lands of the Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam first nations people, also known as Burnaby B.C. Canada. She specializes in eco-friendly art created entirely out of natural organic, and 100% biodegradable materials. She endeavors to spread joy while bringing awareness to the preservation of our natural world. Her most recent exhibitions include, a public display multiple large scale projects through the ArtStarts program as an Artist in the Classroom grant recipient, and a 5 month Artist in Residence for the City of Port Coquitlam, and a 20 sculpture installation at VanDusen Botanical
Gardens.
Born in Nanjing and raised in Langley, Sunny Daydream Chen moved to so-called Vancouver at 17 years old to pursue their dreams and escape a dark upbringing. They worked door for after hours and modeled for local designers while studying psychology, auditioning, and writing music. Sunny Daydream makes alt pop music for your healing and recovery journey, calling on the power of nature and sustainability to stay connected to everything. Sunny writes, performs, casts, and/or produces creative projects centred around collective (intergenerational) healing.
Scout Heckel is a neurodivergent and disabled, interdisciplinary and social practice artist. She graduated from Concordia University in 2019 with a BFA in Contemporary Dance and is pursuing an MFA at Arizona State University, where she is researching and developing a Disability Arts Dramaturgy methodology that reimagines creative process through a critical disabilities perspective.
Scout works as a dramaturg helping artists dismantle systemic and internalized barriers as they relate to their artistic practices and identities. She is also the Director of Expressive Youth Projects, a community-based pilot project that connects artists with health and social-service providers to create accessible arts experiences for youth in Langley, BC.
Scout’s performance work has been shared through Shooting Gallery Performance Series #9 (2020), The Dance Centre’s 12 Minutes Max (2021), and What Lab’s 10:2:10 - Material World (2022). She has exhibited mixed-media artwork at Vancouver Community Arts Council’s Outsider Arts Festival (2024).
Originally from Singapore, Kagan Goh is a Vancouver-based Chinese Canadian multidisciplinary Mad Artist: published author, spoken word poet, playwright, actor, curator, mental health advocate and activist. In 2012, Select Books in Singapore published his poetic memoir, focused upon his relationship with his esteemed father, Who Let in the Sky? Kagan Goh is also an award-winning filmmaker with a number of releases including the following films: Mind Fuck (1996); Stolen Memories (2012); Breaking the Silence (2015); and The Day My Cat Saved My Life (2021); and Common Law (2024). Kagan Goh’s follow-up memoir, Surviving Samsara, which recounts his struggles with manic depression, breaking the silence around mental illness, was published by Caitlin Press in 2021. Surviving Samsara was also shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize in 2022 in the creative nonfiction in English category. Photo Credit: Lydia Nagai
She works as an illustrator, drawing on the knowledge and experience she has gained over the years to create her art. Based in Vancouver, Canada, she draws inspiration from the city's beautiful natural surroundings. She also incorporates elements from her native Tehran, Iran, and the rich cultural heritage of ancient Persia into some of her works. Raised in an art-loving family, she studied graphic design for her bachelor's degree and pursued a master's in illustration. She has worked in the animation and film industry as a background designer and matte painter for many years.
Since moving to Canada, she has worked on notable films for Netflix. However, throughout her career in animation and film, Illustration has remained her safe space for expressing her emotions and feelings. Themes of womanhood and portraying women's emotions are among her favorite subjects. She is passionate about nature and animals, especially cats 🙂 . Most of her work is executed using digital painting techniques, with prints on canvas and occasionally mixed media techniques. She sometimes dabbles in sculpture using paper-mâché to bring her character designs to life or prints her works on clothing and accessories to make her art more accessible in everyday life.
She also designs macramé wall hangings with a strong understanding of composition and color, which are part of her decorative work. One of the most significant artistic events for her in Vancouver was participating in the North Van Art Group Exhibition, where her piece "Blind Girl" caught the attention of the jury. Her work was featured on posters, banners, and websites as promotional material for the exhibition, a notable artistic honor for her.
Recently, she established her brand, Homaay Harmony, to offer all her artwork in a cohesive format. To purchase her works, you can visit HomaayHarmony's website, her Instagram page, Etsy, or NFT platforms for digital versions. She eagerly looks forward to her art finding a place in the homes of art enthusiasts.
An emerging abstract artist with Brazilian roots, currently based in Vancouver, Canada, she passionately explores expressive color palettes in her artwork. After moving from Brazil to Vancouver, she was inspired by the city's vibrant art scene, which motivated her to start painting. Her goal is to transcend cultural and language barriers through her art. Starting as a self-taught abstract artist in 2022, primarily using acrylic painting, she combines vibrant colors, aiming to achieve a harmonious fusion of energy and movement. This fusion serves as a reflection of her artistic vision, evoking a sense of equilibrium and captivation in her compositions.
Pronouns: (He / Him)
Jason is a queer, neurodivergent mixed-media artist, educator, and writer. His work explores the intersections between painting and drawing, art and psychology, self and other. Central to his practice are his identity and experiences with disability and mental health.
Jason creates out of a desire for connection and healing — to better understand himself, his place in the world, and others.
In 2024, Jason had his debut solo exhibit at POMO Arts in Port Moody. He also participated in the Hammock Residency, a program focused on mental health, disability, and trauma.
Jason has participated in VOAF in both 2021 and 2024
Erin Audley (Erin/Erin) is a filmmaker and artist. Erin was created in the mid 1980’s in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. At an early age Erin discovered the words of Plato and Rene Descartes and was subsequently consumed with existential angst. This angst drove Erin to create things. Dreadful poetry, pottery, paintings, comics, off-key music, photos. All the things, generally executed poorly. After a long period of creation, upheaval, adventure, and significant wandering, Erin decided to embrace the angst and eventually wandered back to the place that Erin is from. It is here Erin resides with a husband and a cat (no relation), and where Erin attempts to make films that explore and explain her angst.
