Join DesignTO and Scavolini for a joyous celebration of the kitchen as a place of gathering and cultural hub.

This free event invites you to experience a rich blend of multicultural food, music, and art in Scavolini’s Toronto Showroom. On May 7, savour delicious snacks from Nigeria, Pakistan, and Iraq prepared by Newcomer Kitchen, a non-profit social enterprise creating social and economic opportunity for newcomer women. Also enjoy live music by Mark Marczyk, the Ukrainian-Canadian multi-hyphenate at the helm of the Lemon Bucket Orkestra. 

Experience artwork in textiles, photography, ceramics, sculpture, video, and papercutting, by makers of Ukrainian, Mexican, Indian, Syrian, and Nigerian heritage. Artwork will continue to be on display until May 17 during regular showroom hours: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm. 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Anne Campbell is an artist who works in ceramics and sculpture. The works in this exhibition were created in collaboration with Waard Ward, a contemporary arts collective that collaborates in floristry, decolonial research, and newcomer support. Waard Ward is collectively led by Syrian florist Abd Al-Mounim, community organizers/Syrian newcomers Hanen Nanaa and Shoruk Alsakni, educator Laura Ritacca, curator/educator Patricia Ritacca, and artist Petrina Ng.

Daria Alyoshkina, a masterful artist, breathes new life into the ancient Ukrainian papercutting craft, transforming it into a modern art form showcased through her monumental artworks. Her deep connection to papercuts traces back to her childhood in a picturesque Ukrainian village, where she rediscovered the essence of tradition, symbols, and the surrounding nature.

Ernesto Cabral de Luna is a Mexican lens-based artist working in Toronto. Working through analog and digital processes, he utilizes his own photographs, archived imagery, and documents to create still images and short animations emphasizing the multi-dimensionality and materiality of the image. Ernesto received his Bachelor of Fine Art in photography from OCAD University in 2024, where he received the 2024 Barbara Astman Photography Award and the 2021 Wendy Coburn Art and Social Change Scholarship. The recipient of the 2024 Gallery44 Residency Award, he has exhibited at various galleries in Toronto including Ada Slaight, Xpace Cultural Center, and Abbozzo Gallery. 

Oksana Hawrylak is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and Creative Director at St. Volodymyr Institute (SVI) in Toronto. Her work, inspired by Ukrainian folk art, craft, and nature, focuses on reviving ancient practices like didukhy and driapanky while exploring their evolution in contemporary contexts shaped by migration and globalization. At SVI, she leads cultural initiatives and the institute’s vision to develop an international centre for Ukrainian art, design, and culture. A graduate of printmaking at OCAD University, Oksana’s work has been exhibited in Canada, the United States, Ukraine, Australia, and russia. The artwork in this exhibition was created in collaboration with Arnaud Brassard, a multidisciplinary designer-maker specializing in brand strategy, identity, typography, and production.

Par Nair is an Indian-born artist and educator who lives and makes in the Greater Toronto Area. Par’s art practice pays tribute to ancestral and cultural roots, while intimately and speculatively reimagining diasporic futures through oil paintings, hand embroidery, installation, and creative writing. She has shown her works nationally and internationally. Notable showings include the Art Museum at University of Toronto, Craft Ontario, The Textile Museum of Canada, Rajiv Menon Contemporary (LA) and The Kochi Biennale (India). Par currently holds a Sessional Faculty position at OCAD University, where she teaches drawing and painting.

William Ukoh is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans photography, film direction, and physical installations. Rooted in his Nigerian heritage, his creations feature vibrant colors, intricate textures, and rhythmic movements that explore themes of freedom, societal constructs, and human relationships. William’s diverse portfolio includes collaborations with global brands like Adidas, Canada Goose, and Puma, as well as features in publications such as Vogue and GQ. Through his art, he blends storytelling with cultural commentary, redefining boundaries between art and commerce while offering fresh perspectives on universal themes.

Yasmin Mora is a Chicana, self-taught textile artist and designer based in Mexico City, with roots stretching from California to Jalisco, Mexico. Her process at Umaguma Studio vividly symbolizes her dual identities, and deep connection to her Mexican culture. She is fueled by a passion for intertwining traditional craftsmanship with innovative design. For about two years, Yasmin has been creating textiles that harmonize the past and present, invoking reflection and rhythmic movement. Using naturally dyed Mexican wool and a tufting machine, she handcrafts pieces that invite tactile stimulation and emotional resonance. Each piece is a personal journey, grounded in respect for her roots and a commitment to sustainability.

ABOUT NEWCOMER KITCHEN

Newcomer Kitchen is a Toronto-based non-profit organization that creates social and economic opportunity for newcomer women through food-based projects. Their “Willing to Work” food entrepreneurship training program is now in its sixth year and has helped launch multiple food businesses led by newcomer women. With pilot funding from the IRCC, they developed a comprehensive training program using experiential learning wherein all the profits were shared among the newcomer women. This has expanded to include a business incubator and partnerships with corporate, arts, educational institutions, and the public to provide win-win opportunities for all.

ABOUT MARK MARCZYK

Mark Marczyk is a musician, producer, writer, curator, and activist. He likes to create and share moments, to inspire and be inspired. He’s the ringleader of the Lemon Bucket Orkestra, founder of BLOK music festival, and creator of award-winning guerrilla-folk opera Counting Sheep among other things. Awarded, lauded, criticized, rejected, loved.

‘Motherland’ is curated by DesignTO, and supported by Scavolini Toronto.

Free parking is available at the showroom. The venue can also be accessed by TTC on the 47B and 47C bus.