Confinement and Contagion

ARTISTS

Ron Dalloway

Film-maker

Ron Dalloway grew up on a mountain in a small easterly town. An obsession from adolescence was the art movement New Objectivity. Ron became interested in filmmaking after taking a film studies class in order to make up for some missing credits. Whenever possible, he chooses to walk.

DannyLion

Musician / Poet

DannyLion is an independent hip hop artist, producer, beatboxer and poet with a positive message to spread to the world. He is in the Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) system which is when the criminal justice system meets mental health. The outcome usually creates rather long sentences. He has been incarcerated for 11 years. DannyLion works in collaboration with Singer U.

Kamilah Haywood

Writer

Kamilah Haywood is a BIPOC Queer Non-Binary writer, screenwriter, and music entertainment manager based in Toronto. They are the co-founder of the Chuuch Live Show, W.A.R Productions, and the International Writing workshop, and creator and panelist of the Urban Fiction Writing workshop with Kya Publishing and Toronto Public Library.

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Haywood is a 4-time published author signed to Canadian publishing company Kya Publishing. Their releases include Concrete Jungle, Diamond in the Rough, the last of the trilogy Diamond in the Rough Part 2, and their latest release The Hidden Track based on human trafficking in Canada. They are currently working on a fifth novel. Haywood co-founded The Chuuch (church) Live Show in 2020 due to the pandemic to give BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and Women artists, producers, directors, teachers, mental wellness workers, and entrepreneurs a platform to spread awareness in their community on IG Live. Haywood has been featured in a myriad of reading series, book expos and festivals, writing conferences, and workshops, including the Toronto Urban Book Expo, Naked Heart: The LGBTQ Festival of Words, and Black History Month events with Toronto Public Library.

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Susana Meza

Visual Artist / Poet

Susana Meza is a queer multidisciplinary artist and poet from Maracaibo, Venezuela. She holds an Audiovisual Journalism diploma from La Universidad del Zulia. Her colourful paintings and embroidered wall-hangings are part of her quest for joy. Her poetry has been featured by the Writers Collective of Canada and focuses on the exploration of her multiracial identity and intergenerational trauma.

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In 2020, and for the course of two semesters, Meza facilitated a weekly virtual art drop-in for students of the Transition to Post-Secondary Education Program at George Brown College. She is passionate about peer support and is an Active Listener for Workman Arts members. More recently, Susana became a Newcomer Artist Ambassador for MABELLEarts, where she has facilitated creative writing workshops for youth. Susana works on her daily art practice from her studio in Toronto where she continues on reclaiming her roots and healing her wounds with art.

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Chad Potvin

Visual Artist

Chad Potvin is a visual artist. Art to him in jail is his mental escape. When he’s drawing, nothing else matters and he’s able to just tune out the world of jail. Art is his escape. It helps him keep his mind strong because drawing uses lots of brain power. While he was in the federal system, he tattooed and his art paid for his food. He is a self taught tattooist and one day he would love to be known as one of the greats in the tattoo world. He also used to sit down with some lifer friends, hang out, draw, and rack their brains for ways to become better. Now after a decade of drawing he still believes. Art is about the joy he brings to the world.

Lex Talionis

MC / Poet

Lex Talionis is a Toronto-born MC, poet, and survivor of the streets. He came up in the north of Jane & Finch, with roots in Ghana and Jamaica. Lex Talionis was formerly named Fresco P, during the early 2000's. He was accepted into "The Remix Project" in the mid 2000's and excelled in the music program, where he honed in on his musical craft, penmanship, and experience recording in a professional studio. Lex Talionis has a unique style of rapping, utilizing intricate bar structures and complex metaphors woven inbetween. He is a high-energy performer, and has opened up for artists such as Onyx, Babylon Warchild, and others.

"French Kiss The Razor" is a project created by Lex Talionis and long time friend Petersberg, who produced the project. The album was created after the two friends had not seen each other for over 5 years due to Lex being incarcerated.

Singer U / Eustace

Musician / Singer

Singer U is a musician/singer who has been a patient at CAMH’s Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) system for over 25 years. Singer U works in collaboration with DannyLion, who describes Singer U as having “a sweet, melodic embodiment with very pleasing harmonic range. He is a master of creativity and has the ability to create magic for any piece he is inspired to write. He is a pleasure to work with and has brought immense amounts of inspiration into my inner sphere!".