•CAM CHAMP•
Toronto-based artist Cam Champ creates thoughtful, image-driven work that explores identity, memory, and the quiet symbolism of everyday objects.
(Cam Champ, The Passenger, 2025, oil on linen, 12 x 14 inches)
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I live simply and frugally. If I'm not at the studio working, I'm either at home with my wonderful and supportive partner or at the gym exercising.
How do you describe your work and practice?
At the heart of my practice is a deep desire to connect—both with myself and with others—through the act of image-making. I’m drawn to the emotional subtleties and symbolic poetry woven into daily life, working to illuminate and liberate these quiet moments.
My work often explores how personal identity, memory, and value intersect with material culture, uncovering hidden layers of meaning. I’m especially fascinated by objects that belong to others, seeing them as semiotic totems that reveal truths beyond what a personality might show. A keychain, an earring, or a worn hat can quietly suggest who someone is, what they cherish, and how they see themselves.
(Cam Champ, The Prophets, 2025, oil on canvas, 11 x 14 inches)
What inspires your art/design process?
Staying present within the flow of everyday life, listening to others, paying attention to subtlety, and trying not to force anything.
(Cam Champ, The Guidance, 2025, oil on canvas,12 x 16 inches)
In terms of materials and imagery, what do you typically acquire for your practice?
I source imagery from auction catalogs, eBay, street finds, thrift stores, as well as my own personal belongings and those in my life—creating a constellation of objects that reflect both individual and collective experience.
(Cam Champ, The Judgement, 2025, oil on linen, 12 x 14 inches)
What work would you create if you had no expectation or limits?
I don't feel that I currently have any expectations or limits on what I choose to make, so I'm actually not sure at the moment! I'm already making the work I want to be making.
Do you have a repeated ritual/rhythm or strategy when it comes to your process of making?
Close study of an image or object, almost to the point of meditation, to get myself closer to it/the former owner.
(Cam Champ, The Tender Violence, 2025, oil on linen, 12 x 14 inches)
How do you see art/design changing in the near future?
I hope to see less of an individualist mindset in art-making and more idea sharing, skill sharing, and robust community building. Also no more AI art!
Thank you Cam! Check out his website below to stay up to date on his practice and future exhibitions.