Founded in 2002, the Royal Academy of Illustration & Design (R.A.I.D.) began as a shared studio space between friends Chip Zdarsky, Ben Shannon, Kagan McLeod, and Cameron Stewart — four artists eager to carve their place in the world of comics and illustration. What started as a creative refuge quickly evolved into a thriving collective, home to some of the industry’s top talent in comics and sequential art.
Over the years, R.A.I.D. has welcomed a diverse roster of resident artists, including Kalman Andrasofszky, Karl Kerschl, Andy Belanger, Scott Hepburn, Cary Nord, Marcus To, Paul Rivoche, Francis Manapul, and Ramón K Pérez. Some stayed briefly, others made it their long-term creative home. With each new voice, the collective continues to grow as a place for artists to learn, collaborate, and inspire one another.
In 2018, R.A.I.D. expanded into a new, purpose-built headquarters at 1720 Queen Street West in Parkdale, Toronto—marking the next chapter in its evolution as a multidisciplinary hub for creators of all kinds.
Riding West With Zafron In My Blood
June 4 – August 4
A showcase and sale of artworks made by CAMH clients in our Art Cart Program.
Born in the aftermath of Iran’s Women, Life, Freedom movement, this series imagines a post-apocalyptic Iran in which women have finally broken free. Yet their liberation comes at a cost: their skin stripped away, their faces erased, leaving behind haunting silhouettes that embody both survival and defiance. Around them, animals roam unshackled, moving alongside the women in a shared rhythm of resistance, dance, and renewal.
At the heart of the work is sorority: no woman is left behind. Together they rise, bound by resilience, courage, and an unyielding longing for a better future. The series exists as both elegy and celebration — a tribute to Iranian womanhood, endurance, and the enduring force of sisterhood.
Rendered in oil on large-scale canvas, the works evoke power, presence, and emotional intensity. As an Iranian woman, I have long been inspired by the profound solidarity of women in Iran: how they stand together, fight together, and imagine freedom together. This series is dedicated to that strength — to women who remain unbroken, who reclaim their freedom, and who dance toward a new world.
Sarvi Ghadim is an artist raised in Montréal but forever shaped by Tehran, carrying with her the beauty, contradictions, and resilience of Iran. Her work is deeply informed by the solidarity she witnessed among Iranian women — women who, even under oppression, protected one another and fought side by side with extraordinary strength. Refusing to reduce their stories to suffering alone, Ghadim instead celebrates their brilliance, defiance, and unwavering resilience.
