About
Vladimir Kanic is a transmedia artist whose living algae installations transform spectators' breath into oxygen, creating participatory ecosystems that embody the possibilities of interspecies collaboration.
Informed by his maritime heritage and ocean freediving experience, Kanic's practice uses breath as both material and method for creating art, accessing cultural, ancestral and geological memories embedded within algae — Earth's principal carbon sinks, responsible for producing approximately half of planetary oxygen.
Kanic's work envisions a symbiotic future where living artworks serve as both ecological interventions and world-building frameworks for community resilience and repair.
Recipient of two Governor General's Academic Medals, Kanic holds a Master of Fine Arts from York University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from OCAD University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in (Bio)Digital Media at York University. He is also an award-winning filmmaker and an alum of the Locarno Film Academy and Berlinale Talents.
Selected Exhibitions
Upcoming · 2026
Latcham Art Centre, Canada — curated by Jeffrey Nye
2024 / 25
Illuminarium, Toronto — Entangled Dimensions: Art in the Age of Neural Media (group), curated by Ryan Kelln and commissioned by the City of Toronto
Nuit Blanche, Toronto — Living Algae Cyborg (group), curated by Laura Nanni and commissioned by the City of Toronto
Abbozzo Gallery, Toronto — Garden of Hope (solo), curated by Vladimir Kanic
2023
Aga Khan Museum, Toronto — Light up the Dark (group), curated by Sasha Priewe, commissioned by the museum
InterAccess Gallery, Toronto — Garden of Waves (solo), curated by Evangeline Brooks
Hamptons Fine Art Fair, USA — curated by Blake Zigrossi and Abbozzo Gallery
Industrial Arts, Markham — Breath of Origin (dual with Joy Wong), curated by Yuluo Anita Wei
2021 / 22
Nuit Blanche, Toronto — Living Algae Sculpture (group), curated by Julie Nagam and commissioned by the City of Toronto
Abbozzo Gallery, Toronto — Fresh Voices (group), curated by Blake Zigrossi
Selected Awards & Distinctions
2025/26
Breakthrough Artist Award, Toronto Arts Foundation2026
Governor General's Gold Medal, York University2025
2024
SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s2024
York Sustainability Innovation Award2024
Enbridge Sustainability Award, York University2024
CSA Group Graduate Scholarship2024
Nuit Blanche Toronto Award2024
2023
Newcomer Arts Award, Toronto Arts Foundation2023
Canada Council for the Arts Award2023
CIBC Fine Arts Graduate Award, York University2023
Governor General's Silver Medal, OCAD University2023
RBC Career Launcher Art Award2023
2022
Nuit Blanche Toronto Award2022
InterAccess Media Prize2022
Education
PhD, Digital Media — York University, Toronto2025–
Thesis: Photosythetic Cyborgs: Prototyping Sustainable and Equitable Post-Carbon Futures with Algal Biodigital Media
Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts — York University, Toronto2023–25
Thesis: Garden of Hope: Interspecies Communication, Ecological Resilience, and Radical Hope
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Intermedia Arts — OCAD University, Toronto2019–23
Thesis: The Book of Waves: Carbon-Capturing Bioart