Founded in 2021 by Toronto-based artists Maziar Ghaderi and Tristan Sauer, blcknbrwn redefines diversity in media arts, moving beyond the narrow, heavy-handed perspectives often shaped by politicized institutions, sensationalist media, and a self-absorbed pop culture.

More than just a reflection of melanin, blcknbrwn unites a spectrum of historically underrepresented voices, bringing forth diverse perspectives shaped by ethnocultural origins, political persuasions, religious upbringings (or lack thereof), and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Maziar, of Persian heritage, came to Canada as a young refugee fleeing a totalitarian state during the Iran-Iraq war. This experience instilled in him a deep respect for individuality and free thought. Tristan, of Austrian-Jamaican roots, brings a critical lens to the intersection of technology and capitalism, using his Afrofuturist work to question and explore societal structures.

Together, Maziar and Tristan are committed to viewpoint diversity, championing meaningful representation across race, age, language, geography, and the forms through which stories are told. They embrace a wide range of multidisciplinary and experimental formats to convey lived experiences.

By adopting a more nuanced (read: truthful) definition of diversity, blcknbrwn aims to dismantle the stale narratives of victimhood and grievance-based art, cultivating a space for stories that provoke, connect, and resonate beyond superficial boundaries, reconnecting us with each other—and our better selves.