-Words Lin Stranberg  Photography Patrice Lacroix + Shayd Johnson

91裸聊视频淧ainting large murals is my favourite work,91裸聊视频� says Ola Volo, a 30-something Canadian artist who lives in Vancouver and Montreal.

You could be forgiven for thinking this tall blonde looks more like a model than a muralist, but make no mistake. She has made her unforgettable mark on walls throughout North America and other parts of the globe as well. In fact, a 2019 mural she completed in Montreal91裸聊视频檚 Mile End neighbourhood is the biggest mural painted by a woman in Canada. Called 91裸聊视频淲alla Volo,91裸聊视频� it91裸聊视频檚 a vibrant tribute to the neighbourhood91裸聊视频檚 cultural and artistic diversity, extending over a whopping 15,000 square feet on a 10-storey building wall.

91裸聊视频淚f you know where to look, you can even spot it from the air when landing in Montreal,91裸聊视频� Ola says. 91裸聊视频淭he first time I saw it, it just shook me! I saw how it made my voice as an artist very clear, how it gave people no choice but to react to the artwork, to notice it and think something about it91裸聊视频攇ood, bad, whatever. That91裸聊视频檚 the power of large pieces.91裸聊视频�

Born in Kazakhstan to a Polish mother and a Russian father, Ola grew up surrounded by the myriad colours and patterns of the Middle East, China and Russia until she emigrated to Vancouver with her parents at the age of 10.

Her parents still live in Coquitlam and she visits regularly. She credits the distinctive look of her work, with its folkloric elements, magical but universal themes and colourful patterns, to the visual influences of her early upbringing.

91裸聊视频淜azakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world, and as a vastly multicultural country, it91裸聊视频檚 a sort of melting pot of content. When I started to look at what made my home beautiful as a child, I saw there were real connections with the ethics of the Eastern European and Kazakh culture that is often represented in bold colours and patterns.91裸聊视频�

Women are central to many of her murals, none more strikingly so than in YWCA Metro Vancouver91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淭he Wall for Women,91裸聊视频� a 42-foot mural on a wall at the corner of Burrard and Melville streets in downtown Vancouver. Described as a 91裸聊视频渕essage of hope,91裸聊视频� it was created to support women experiencing violence. Reflecting the theme of how domestic violence hides in plain sight, five QR codes are hidden within the mural: taking a smartphone photo of them activates statistics about domestic violence and enables viewers to donate to new housing for women who have experienced violence.

91裸聊视频淭o me, the code in the pocket symbolizes how domestic violence is often a secret many keep hidden,91裸聊视频� Ola says.

Her artist91裸聊视频檚 statement for the piece says: 91裸聊视频淐oming onto this project, I thought a lot about what it takes to leave a domestic violence situation. It made me think of a powerful, brave queen who grants herself love and opportunities to thrive. Crown held high, she91裸聊视频檚 looking forward to the future, protecting the fragile bird companion on her shoulder, and rising above the snake that91裸聊视频檚 trying to hold her down.91裸聊视频�

She wanted the woman to claim her confidence and her power back by taking up space.

91裸聊视频淪he isn91裸聊视频檛 small or fading into the background. She91裸聊视频檚 front and centre and commands the attention she deserves91裸聊视频攅ven in the busy streets of downtown Vancouver.91裸聊视频�

Her Eastern European folkloric influences, with their patterns and colours, are prominent in this piece, while symbols like fire, hearts and stars contribute to its power and energy.

91裸聊视频淚t was a complicated topic to create a public piece from, and it shifted my perception of what public art can really do for spaces and people.91裸聊视频�

Ola earned a BFA from Emily Carr University in Vancouver.

91裸聊视频淚 wanted to be a painter,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淭hen I tried graphic design, but I wasn91裸聊视频檛 that great at it. With all its standards and strictures, I didn91裸聊视频檛 thrive. Instead, I became interested in illustration. I studied for a year in Rotterdam and felt like I found my tribe with painters and graphic artists. I was not concerned with public art until I returned to Vancouver91裸聊视频擨 discovered the city through an art perspective.91裸聊视频�

There were not a lot of murals 10 years ago. When Ola painted her first one, called 91裸聊视频淏unny on the Seawall,91裸聊视频� on 50 feet of Kitsilano91裸聊视频檚 seawall north of Point Grey Road near MacDonald, she didn91裸聊视频檛 know much about public art at all. She was not even aware that a city permit was required.

Soon the commissions started to come her way.

Hootsuite, a Vancouver tech firm, was her first client: she painted a mural at its Vancouver head office. She91裸聊视频檚 done work in Canada and the US for clients like Starbucks and Lululemon, and public art in spaces from Montreal to Monterrey.

She91裸聊视频檚 always aware that public art reflects its community and cultural identity. For the Vancouver Mural Festival in 2016, she created 91裸聊视频淰an City Scape91裸聊视频� at 1st Avenue and Main, a bright, lively piece 91裸聊视频渢o bring colour to Vancouver, as it is often grey and rainy in the city.91裸聊视频�

In Mexico, she incorporated colour palettes that fit into the neighbourhood as well as colours she had seen in local markets. As for the women she depicts, 91裸聊视频淭hey represent a little bit of me, a little bit of the women who inspire me.91裸聊视频�

She has remained independent of agents or agencies, making herself accessible through her website91裸聊视频攁nd she likes it that way.

91裸聊视频淎ll the work I do usually comes to me from people reaching out. I like that I get to run my own show, make my own decisions and develop my own art. I find projects that align with me usually find their way to me,91裸聊视频� Ola says.

She91裸聊视频檒l be spending time in Vancouver this fall working on a Vancouver NFT Gallery opening and other projects.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e been painting walls non-stop since COVID, and recently I found digital work to be another great way to tell stories. It91裸聊视频檚 a different medium I91裸聊视频檓 using to keep exploring my art.91裸聊视频�

Still, she is sentimental about 91裸聊视频淏unny on the Seawall,91裸聊视频� her first mural, painted during low tides on the beach in Kitsilano.

91裸聊视频淚t ignited me to take that leap into storytelling and messaging to the public and not be insecure about it. Besides, she says, 91裸聊视频淥nce you try it, you can91裸聊视频檛 stop.91裸聊视频�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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