Emily May Rose is an award-winning artist and illustrator based in Toronto, Canada. Based on her own experiences, Emily’s work features a cast of recurring characters (most notably her weed-smoking, pizza-eating raccoons) to depict humorous situations that are relatable to many of us who are trying to survive in an urban environment. Her work can be found in many formats including murals, editorial illustration, apparel design, installations, and gallery settings. Her murals can be found all over the world where she's painted in street art festivals, artist residencies, and other commissions during her various travels.

In February of 2016, Emily opened Northern Contemporary in Toronto. The space has since grown to take over the historic Parkdale Theatre building, and is home to an art gallery, event space, and a 30 person studio collective, that she works out of herself. Northern Contemporary hosts all kinds of exhibitions, events, launches, and markets, with a heavy focus on illustration, urban, pop art, and experimental work. 

Find out more about Northern Contemporary here.

Gallery Shows and Exhibitions


2013

  • "Windows and Doorways", Brockton Collective, Toronto
  • "222 Creative Collection", 222 McCaul, Toronto
  • "6 of One, Half Dozen of the Other", Gerrard Art Space, Toronto
  • "One of Ten Illustration Exhibition", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto

2014

  • "By The Pound 5", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "Resolve/Recovery", Creatures Creating, Toronto
  • "Hip 2 B Square", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "Instagratification", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "Spring Into Parkdale", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "Maybe Memories", Yellow House Gallery, Toronto
  • "The Final Development", Project Gallery, Toronto
  • "AGO First Thursdays", Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
  • "Queen West Art Crawl", Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto
  • "3rd Annual Small Wonders Show", Arch Enemy Arts, Philadelphia, PA
  • "Deck The Walls", Project Gallery, Toronto

2015

  • "OCADU Wallspace", Curated by Gary Taxali, Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto
  • "Homework", Artscape Youngplace, Toronto
  • "By The Pound 6", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "OCADU 100th Annual GradEx", OCAD University, Toronto 
  • "Timeraiser", The Power Plant, Toronto
  • "NXNE: Creation Collision on Queen West, energized by Lululemon", curated by Hermann & Audrey, Toronto
  • "Dirty Soap", Project Gallery Studios, Toronto
  • "Delta: The Difference", Project Gallery, Toronto
  • "You've Got Mail", Ground Floor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
  • "Digital Mirrors", Arch Enemy Arts, Philadelphia, PA 
  • "Until Exhibition", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "Toronto Show", Liberty Village Lofts, Toronto
  • "Blank Boy Canvas", Gladstone Hotel, Toronto
  • "Blank Boy Canvas", Museo Del Juguete, Mexico City, MX
  • "Blank Boy Canvas", Lacuna2150, Chicago, IL

2016

  • "New Beginnings", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Guilty Pleasures", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Generally Abysmal", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Throwback Thursday", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Indoor Islands", Gladstone Hotel, Toronto
  • "Wish U Weren't Here: Solo Exhibition", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Hyakki Yagyo: Night Parade of 100 Demons", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Small Wonders 5", Arch Enemy Arts, Philadelphia, PA
  • "Under 100", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "All Kinds Of Friendly 2", Faye's Video, San Francisco, CA

2017

  • "One Year Anniversary", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Fix Up Look Sharp", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Women of Beer", The Craft, Toronto
  • "Names and Places Vol. 3", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "My Petite Bourgeois Revolution", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Timeraiser", Power Plant Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition", Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto
  • "InterActivity: Presented by Bizarre Beyond Belief", #Hashtag Gallery, Toronto
  • "Friends That Never Met", Faye's Video, San Francisco, CA
  • "A Festivus For The Rest Of Us", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "American Illustration 36 - Canadian Winners Exhibition", Northern Contemporary, Toronto

2018

  • "Life's A Beach", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Fix Up Look Sharp 2", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Coalition: Glass City", DCP Studios, Toronto
  • "Timeraiser", Power Plant Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Toronto Outdoor Art Fair", Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto
  • "Under 100", Northern Contemporary, Toronto

2019

  • "Side Street Studios: Artist Residency", Cape Town, South Africa
  • "Grand Re-Opening" Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Meeting of Styles", Bangkok, Thailand
  • "The Funhouse", Toronto
  • "Meeting of Styles", Pristina, Kosovo
  • "No Place Like (Not Being) Home: Solo Exhibition", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Fix Up Look Sharp 3", Northern Contemporary, Toronto

Publications and Awards


American Illustration 32 - online archive
Broken Pencil - Issue 64
Ion Magazine - feature
Broken Pencil - Issue 67
Omit Limitation - feature
American Illustration 36 - online archive
3x3 2017 - honorable mention

Clients


Toronto Transit Commission, Converse, Nike, Sony, Koodo, Taco Bell, Bobcaygeon Brewery, Up Cannabis, Leafly, Lift&Co., Knext Photo Studio, OCADU, Punk Rock Flea Market, Universal Music, Jagermeister, Grolsch, TIFF, Subway, Star Wars, Cinelli, City of Toronto, Canadian Wildlife, Today's Parent, She Does The City, BUNZ, Inkbox, Pan Am Path, Young Offenders, GE Reports, The Green Wood, Maisonneuve Magazine, Halo Brewery, Toronto Designers Market, Cici's Pizza, SoToronto, Waves Apparel, Lululemon, Medium, Aplus, Cleo Journal, The Village Tree, Foxing, Sago, Junior Academy, Shayne Armstrong Skate Foundation, & more

Using Format