Tania LaCaria is an Italian-Canadian multidiscipinary artist with a focus on abstraction and found-object sculpture. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from York University (2006), CIDA-advanced diploma in Interior Design from Sheridan (2009). LaCaria has traveled the world extensively, gathering inspiration from various countries where she’s lived. She currently lives and works out of her studio in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

LaCaria’s work explores paradox – the idea that two opposing realities can exist at the same time – with a focus on themes based in gender, sexuality, social structure/class systems, body politics and relationships presented in an Abstract Expressionist aesthetic. LaCaria aims to form meaningful connections with observers by accompanying her work with personal poetry and story-telling.

As a conceptual artist, LaCaria thrives in a state of curiosity, eager to ask questions of herself and the world around her during her creative process while admitting she doesn’t have the answers. Her background in Interior Design blends seamlessly with her love for visual arts as LaCaria spent the majority of her professional life as a solutionist for her clients. Now, as a full-time professional artist, LaCaria is eager to share her curiosity with others by producing thought-provoking work that prompts viewers to ask questions about themselves and their own life experiences.

In order to facilitate viewers with making an emotional connection to her work, LaCaria often exhibits and presents her work alongside music and/or her poetry – her preferred method of story-telling – to provide context to the symbolism behind her mark-making, imagery and color choices.

Her creative process and presentation has been described as ‘performative’ with an emphasis on the deep introspection, vulnerability and social observations she is making that are often juxtaposed by the playful, “fun” and seemingly light-hearted way her often brightly-colored work presents to viewers.

Jim Ruxton received a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ottawa. After working for a few years as a high frequency design engineer he began to pursue his interest in the arts by attending and graduating from the Ontario College of Art and Design . Since then he has been working as an artist and engineer in installation, performance, theatre, dance and film and collaborated with many other artists throughout his career. His company, Cinematronics, has helped numerous artists realize their technically ambitious projects and provided special effects for numerous films, tv series ,commercials and science museums.. Jim uses electronics in multiple creative ways, whether it be in creating interactive systems , developing evocative lighting installations or robotic systems.

He is the recipient of two Dora Mavor Moore Awards , was awarded a Chalmers Fellowship and has been the recipient of numerous arts grants. Jim is also a founder and former Director of Programs for Subtle Technologies, a 20 year old organization that creates links between artists and scientists with events throughout the year and during its annual festival in Toronto. He was an instructor of hybrid media at Ontario College of Art and Design for many years and founded the Toronto Art Science Salon with physicist Stephen Morris .

Jim is also the inventor of ColorWave , a lighting technology that has revolutionized the decorative lighting industry . He has been granted numerous patents for this work. He is a board member of Centre3, a Hamilton based arts organization —

https://youtu.be/zCA9SGEaxWI

Steve “Deeps” De Piante received a Bachelor of Computing and Information Sciences University of Guelph in 2003.  After working for 14 years in the field, his serious hobby of playing in bands and contributing to the theatre and art scene with his musical ability became a full time pursuit.

Deeps has been multi instrumentalist and band leader since 1996 and has taken on many other roles in music like being the production manager for Boris Brott National Academy Orchestra from 2015 to 2018 and stage manager for the Matapa World Music Festival from 2015 to 2017.  Deeps’ personal music pursuits landed him on the cover of the View Magazine in Hamilton upon the release of his 2019 record In the Aftermath of Last Night and on the stage at nationally renowned folk festival Mariposa.

Taking a queue from mentor engineers like Matt Montour of BoxCar Sound Recording and Glen Marshall (Catherine North, Vibe Wrangler, Mule Spinner) Deeps has worked as a sound and Lighting tech from 2015 to present, and currently focuses on video editing and ethereal use of live double exposures and visual art integration. 

Steve Deeps is currently the full time production manager @ Cobalt Connects an arts non profit in Hamilton.