Negar Nakhai at Samara Contemporary
Negar Nakhai is a multimedia Iranian/Canadian artist with an interest in the arts/trades cusp and the politics that surround it. She is passionate about skill sharing, spaces of creation and free-time. She is a graduate of McGill and Concordia University.
Negar employs rug tufting as a critical and material practice to revisit the visual language of traditional Baluch and Ghashghai carpet patterns, translating them into expansive, portrait compositions. Through this process, she interrogates constructions of Middle Eastern identity and narrative, weaving together cultural memory and contemporary discourse. Her work reframes the notion of home, positioning it as both a personal and collective site of belonging and displacement.
By embedding storytelling within the inherited techniques of traditional rug making, Negar articulates her lived experiences, transforming craft into a powerful medium of narrative, reflection, and cultural continuity. She devotes countless hours to the careful handcrafting of each piece, respecting time honoured methods while infusing them with personal meaning. Every creation is brought to life using 100% Quebec wool, reflecting a deep respect for tradition, material, and the enduring art of making.
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Chinatown Centre
Toronto’s Chinatown Centre, located in the Spadina Avenue corridor of West Chinatown, reflects the westward migration of the city’s Chinese community following the displacement of First Chinatown. Originally situated at Bay Street and Dundas Street West (currently known as Nathan Phillips Square), First Chinatown was largely expropriated and demolished by the government in the 1950s and 1960s, prompting many residents and businesses to relocate west.
The site at 222 Spadina Avenue, now known as Chinatown Centre, was originally home to a 1920s General Motors centre. In 1976, this building was replaced by China Court, an early commercial hub serving the growing community in the area. China Court was later redeveloped into the current Chinatown Centre in the 1980s, continuing its role as a key cultural and commercial anchor in West Chinatown.
