11 Canadian Artists You Should Be Following on Instagram

by Meghan McKenna

If you’re anything like me, you spend more time scrolling through your Instagram feed than you do talking to your mother. Sure, it’s sad — but content is important! And if you’re going to be consuming it constantly, it’s important these pics and videos are fulfilling your needs. Dank memes and golden retriever puppy accounts are important, but it’s nice to mix in a little aesthetic inspo.

From photographers and painters to sculptors and street artists, Instagram has become a place for artists to share their work with the world. When you get tired of scrolling through your friends’ selfies and #foodporn pics, here are 11 Canadian artist accounts you can follow to amp up your feed.

Quinn Rockliff

Toronto, Ontario

Quinn Rockliff centres her art practice around sexuality, self love and empowerment. The 23-year-old OCAD MFA candidate began drawing nude self portraits as a means to negotiate her relationship to her body post-sexual trauma.

Faith & Fashion: Chinese-Canadian Adrienne was 23 when she converted to Islam. Her decision to convert was independent of family, friends or love. During this time, Adrienne stumbled into old high-school friend Siram at a Halal Food Exhibition. Their friendship picked up right where they left off, only this time Siram learned of Adrienne’s new spiritual path. At the time, Adrienne received tough backlash from family members but it was Siram who stepped in to invite her to social gatherings with friends and family. “As the only Muslim in my family and not having very many Muslim friends, this meant the world to me. I think one of the most intriguing things about Islam for me is the universal brother and sisterhood we have,” says Adrienne. But the girls have more than faith in common- they both have a love for fashion. They constantly advise each other on clothes, make-up, and of course, how to nail those Instagram posts:). ?@nataliadolan_

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The Girl Friends Project

Toronto, Ontario

 The Girl Friends Project (created by Natalia Dolan) is an ongoing photography initiative featuring different pairs of friends who contribute to positive social change.

Maliciouzart

Montreal, Quebec

MALICIOUZ is a Montreal painter of Haitian descent recognized for his numerous works presenting women as monumental entities. From the street to canvas, his style is characterized by the strength of spirit that emerges from his characters.

Acrylex

Toronto, Ontario

Through landscapes and portraits, Alexa DelSol—a first-generation Canadian with a Dominican background—investigates themes of character, childhood/young adulthood, mental health, spirituality and human emotion.

Kent Monkman

Toronto, Ontario / Manitoba

Kent Monkman is a Canadian artist of Cree ancestry who is well known for his provocative reinterpretations of romantic North American landscapes. Through a variety of artistic mediums, his themes of colonization, sexuality, loss and resilience are explored in a variety of artistic mediums.

Meghan Hildebrand

 Powell River, British Colombia

With a unique vocabulary of symbols, Meghan Hildebrand translates her northern coastal landscape into electrifying dreamscape scenarios, each image often alluding to a larger narrative.

Mandy Tsung

Banff, Alberta

Mandy Tsung—who was born in Banff, Canada, but spent her formative years in Calgary and Hong Kong—revolves her art around the female figure. Her paintings and sketches feature emotive characters with backstories left up to the viewers’ interpretation.

??? bts in dreamland with the ever-cheery @matthanns

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Tierney Milne

Vanncouver, British Colombia

Tierney Milne is a Montreal-born designer and artist currently living in Vancouver. Her studies in Psychology and lllustration/Design inspire her to breakdown the complexities of our inner and outer landscapes and recombine them in colourful and unique ways.

?STR8 AS A JALEBI, BABY? #HAPPYPRIDE

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Maria Qamar (Hatecopy)

Toronto, Ontario

Maria Qamar is a Toronto-based South Asian pop artist who often references Desi Diaspora culture and leverages the dramatic, hyperbolic, maternal and feisty women from Desi soap operas, also known as “aunties” to deliver her message.

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Mollie Cronin (Art Brat Comics)

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Mollie Cronin is a cartoonist whose work communicates important messages of body image and self love.

Alex McLeod

Toronto, Ontario

Alex McLeod is an artist concerned with simulation and the transition of matter.

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