Rachida Addou is an artist and educator based in Toronto, Canada, originally from Algeria. She studied Graphic Design, Illustration, and Figure Drawing in London, UK in the late 1990s. Her artistic career was paused after her youngest daughter was diagnosed with autism. While tending to her daughter's needs, Rachida concurrently studied Psycholinguistics and Mental Health Studies in Toronto, Canada. She then pursued certification to obtain practitioner status to support other non-speaking autistic individuals in their communication journey. Once her students become fluent, she introduces them to painting.

Biography and Artist Statement

Inspired by her daughter and students, she reconnected fully with her passion for painting, this time with a tilted perspective and an increased perception of the unseen. She is also collaborating in Neurodiverse Art collectives and leading an Art movement initiated by her students.

Artist Statement

Creating is one of the most empowering sources of energy, a process in which I find peace and harmony within myself. Painting allows me to escape to a place where I reconnect with my deepest truth, a place where possibilities are infinite, and freedom has no boundaries. Through the fluidity of my brushstrokes and layers of multicolored paint splatters, I invite curious souls to follow me into the mind's periphery, where imagination flows endlessly, and dreams in constant motion await to become reality.