Vaishali is a lighthearted response to an inner dialogue regarding Kara's diasporic identity. As an adoptee born in Mumbai and raised in Toronto, Kara had always been told by both communities that she didn't belong, that she wasn't enough, that she was othered. With no record of her biological family she has been left in the dark in terms of her ethnic and religious background. In a last ditch effort to gain answers and plead for affirmation she has created Vaishali to broadcast her frustrations with a touch of obsession and a dash of quirk.
The Verant Richards Scholarship is awarded annually to an OCADU graduating student for excellence in experimental photography. Verant Richards was a graduate of OCADU and a founding member of Gallery 44 known for his innovative artistic practice that pushed beyond the confines of a self-limiting definition of photography. This award honours his legacy through supporting an emerging artist with a cash award along with a one-year membership, vitrines exhibition and a $500 production credit at Gallery 44, in the hopes of providing the means to make new work along with an introduction to an active artistic community.
Azra Kara is an emerging lens based artist practising in Toronto, Ontario. Her work includes a variety of experimental image making methods, primarily using traditional practises. Recent works have explored visual articulations of personal trauma, degradation of the photographic image, notions of home, and memory.
