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Dionne Simpson (b. 1972)

Jamaican-born, Toronto-based Dionne Simpson is a conceptual artist. A graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design with a BFA, she was the first national winner of the RBC Canadian Painting Competition in 2004. She is best known for her mixed media paintings combining traditional and contemporary techniques to startling effect. Simpson manipulates the canvas substrate in various ways, using the traditional African folk technique of thread-pulling, removing threads from the canvas, weaving in new materials and pigment. Since 2004, Simpson has participated in many solo and group shows.