Joaquín Varela is passionate about promoting equal access to nature and art, He aims to cultivate crucial relationships to the land and collective stewardship through placed-based community art-making. Guided by the headline “Drawn to Nature,” Joaquín's work is centred around the idea of peacekeeping. He creates work that stands as a reminder of the unique natural heritage that either has become rare in our area or once was here.

Reflecting on his project and the opportunity to exhibit his work at a large scale in the TTC, Joaquín Varela shares, “I feel honoured to be able to share my work and to brighten up the underground with some nature, hopefully inspiring folks to explore their local greenspaces.” Tackling the challenge of conveying the importance of amplifyed access to greenspaces, especially for communities that have faced various barriers to such access, he was guided by 'great mentorship that encouraged me to take my ideas to the next level.' Overcoming this obstacle to create his pieces, he is excited to see the impacts and connections to place firsthand with everyone involved in the project.

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