10 up and coming Toronto artists you should know

There's a new roster of wildly talented Toronto artists catching the attention of gallery owners and art admirers in this city. I asked Clint Roenisch, art consultant Deanne Moser, and Alexia Bréard-Anderson of LEXIQUETTE to nominate their brightest lights from the Toronto arts scene.

Here are 10 up and coming Toronto artists you should know.

Izaak Sacrebleu
His work is hung in galleries, hotels and buildings you've probably visited. Izaak Sacrebleu has a style, no BS attitude and depth of inquiry that pokes fun of art in a way that's sophisticated and charming. Using backyard materials, there's an unfiltered and rough appeal to his work that's beautifully honest.

Maggie Groat
She remixes raw materials like a DJ in the contemporary art world. Using salvaged goods, collage, sculpture, books and field studies, Maggie Groat shows both sophistication and organized chaos in her impressive mix of work.

Justin Broadbent
He's worked with Metric and The Art Gallery of Ontario as part of his rapidly growing roster of clients. Justin Broadbent's multidisciplinary art is clever, insightful and full of cats. Coated with humour, Broadbent blends the kitschy and beautiful to produce art with high subliminal quality. You can't help but lean in to look at it closer.

Bijan Ramezani
Playing with identity in the digital realm, Bijan Ramezani is deliberately snarky with his mixed media of daily newspapers, screen grabs, and photo collages, which appeared in his last installation at Xpace titled "Window Space - The Elusivity of Identity (2015)."

Kotama Boubane
With an impressive resume full of work that's hit the walls of galleries in Montreal, New York and Toronto, Kotama Boubane is a photographer well-known for his experimental approach to constructing and deconstructing images. In his upcoming exhibition "We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow" at Gallery 44 in April, Boubane uses coconuts to investigate exoticism in travel media.

Katheryn Macnaughton
It's easy to spot Katheryn Macnaughton's work from a mile away. It pops on first glance and is loud in all the right places. It's no wonder that brands like Kit & Ace have been attracted by her eye for buzzy colour and bold brush strokes. She's got a knack for acrylic and knows how to make it jump off the wall.

Jen Mann
Figurative painter Jen Mann focuses on themes of identity and representation in her large-scale portraits and acrylic paintings. Bringing photographs to life, Mann adds a dreamy sparkle to photo-realistic paintings that deal with larger topics like existentialism, language history and the double-standards of beauty.

Sarah Letovsky
Sarah Letovsjy is an OCAD grad with a keen interest in female narratives and portraits. Blending gorgeous patterns and a loose hand stroke, you can't take your eyes off of her painted gaze. This is a skillful artist who showcases a diverse range of artistic techniques that bring her female portraits to life.

Greg McCarthy
McCarthy is a multidisciplinary artist who uses photographic archives to bring the past to the present. In his most recent work, he examines historical depictions of the national identity of Canada and forgotten stories of the past. Like graffiti, McCarthy leaves his mark on history with playful interventions.

Marvin Luvualu Antonio
Marvin Luvalu Antonio is a visual artist focusing on identity and politics. Originally born in St. Petersburg, Russia, this OCAD grad captures unrest and dissatisfaction using mixed media, acrylic on glass mirrors, cardboard, stone and street materials. His first solo exhibit is set to open March 24th, 2016.

Who else would you put on this list? Add your suggestions in the comments.

Photo via Kathryn MacNaughton.

by Sarah Brown via blogTO