Biography  

Michelle Peraza (Canada) 

Michelle Peraza is a Canadian-born, second-generation Cuban and Costa Rican based in Toronto. Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree from Western University specializing in classical studies, a bachelor of fine arts degree from Ontario College of Art and Design University with a major in drawing and painting, and a graduate of York University’s master of fine arts program in visual arts. She is the recipient of the Nancy Petry Award (2022), the Ontario Arts Council’s Visual Artists Creation Projects grant, and SSHRC’s Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship for her MFA research-creation project. In 2020, Michelle was part of the group of curators with Ojo Agi and Adrienne Matheuszik for the exhibition Feminine Art Collective at the Great Hall Anniversary Gallery at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. 

Michelle Peraza’s studio work is with oil painting, through large-scale portraits and figure painting of individuals close to her daily life to reflect her Latinx identity. Michelle has showcased in the solo exhibitions aquí y allá: una manera de ser (here and there: a way of being) (2022), her master in fine art thesis exhibition at Gales Gallery, York University, Toronto, Patria Potestas (2019) at Northbound Gallery, Toronto Centre for the Arts,Toronto, and Thesis Award Show (2018) at ARTiculations, Toronto. She has been part of collective exhibitions including Figureworks 2022 at Wallack’s in Ottawa, Making Spaces curated by Karina Roman Justo (2020) at Sur Gallery, Toronto, and Colores de Latinoamérica, at the Tap Centre for Creativity in conjunction with TD Sunfest 20 in London, Ontario.