Inner Space, a monthly web series co-curated by the Inner Space Youth Advisory and AGO staff, welcomes artists from across Canada as they present personal tours of their studios. Giving a platform to young curators from 16 to 25 to work with artists from their communities, Inner Space aims to make visible and celebrate a new generation of Canadian artists. A new video will be released each month.

This month we meet artist Oreka James, a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Toronto. They were curated by Savannah Lavallee of the AGO Youth Advisory. “When I joined this project, I wanted to make sure that the artist I selected was someone whose art connected with my experiences as a young black woman in Canada. Whether working with 2-D or 3-D images Oreka captures movement and texture while at the same time exploring the Black Experience in a sensitive and expressive manner.” 

Artist Bio:

Oreka James (b. 1991) is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Toronto, Canada. They have showcased their work in Canada, Los Angeles and Chicago. 

Curator Bio:

I’m Savannah Lavallee and I was born and raised in Toronto but now I live in Tiny Township, Ontario. I was lucky to live downtown, exposed to arts and culture but also getting to experience a more laid-back lifestyle. My professional art journey began in Central Technical High School art program and I graduated from Oasis Skateboard Factory (yes, I got my high school credits making skateboards). Since then, I’ve worked on community art projects with various organizations, travelled to Europe and moved to where I am now! (and started a crazy plant collection).  Currently I’m looking and applying for funding so I can achieve my first solo exhibition.