-Words Lin Stranberg  Photography Patrice Lacroix + Shayd Johnson

香蕉视频直播淧ainting large murals is my favourite work,香蕉视频直播� 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 Montreal香蕉视频直播檚 Mile End neighbourhood is the biggest mural painted by a woman in Canada. Called 香蕉视频直播淲alla Volo,香蕉视频直播� it香蕉视频直播檚 a vibrant tribute to the neighbourhood香蕉视频直播檚 cultural and artistic diversity, extending over a whopping 15,000 square feet on a 10-storey building wall.

香蕉视频直播淚f you know where to look, you can even spot it from the air when landing in Montreal,香蕉视频直播� Ola says. 香蕉视频直播淭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 it香蕉视频直播攇ood, bad, whatever. That香蕉视频直播檚 the power of large pieces.香蕉视频直播�

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.

香蕉视频直播淜azakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world, and as a vastly multicultural country, it香蕉视频直播檚 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.香蕉视频直播�

Women are central to many of her murals, none more strikingly so than in YWCA Metro Vancouver香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淭he Wall for Women,香蕉视频直播� a 42-foot mural on a wall at the corner of Burrard and Melville streets in downtown Vancouver. Described as a 香蕉视频直播渕essage of hope,香蕉视频直播� 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.

香蕉视频直播淭o me, the code in the pocket symbolizes how domestic violence is often a secret many keep hidden,香蕉视频直播� Ola says.

Her artist香蕉视频直播檚 statement for the piece says: 香蕉视频直播淐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, she香蕉视频直播檚 looking forward to the future, protecting the fragile bird companion on her shoulder, and rising above the snake that香蕉视频直播檚 trying to hold her down.香蕉视频直播�

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

香蕉视频直播淪he isn香蕉视频直播檛 small or fading into the background. She香蕉视频直播檚 front and centre and commands the attention she deserves香蕉视频直播攅ven in the busy streets of downtown Vancouver.香蕉视频直播�

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.

香蕉视频直播淚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.香蕉视频直播�

Ola earned a BFA from Emily Carr University in Vancouver.

香蕉视频直播淚 wanted to be a painter,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淭hen I tried graphic design, but I wasn香蕉视频直播檛 that great at it. With all its standards and strictures, I didn香蕉视频直播檛 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 Vancouver香蕉视频直播擨 discovered the city through an art perspective.香蕉视频直播�

There were not a lot of murals 10 years ago. When Ola painted her first one, called 香蕉视频直播淏unny on the Seawall,香蕉视频直播� on 50 feet of Kitsilano香蕉视频直播檚 seawall north of Point Grey Road near MacDonald, she didn香蕉视频直播檛 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. She香蕉视频直播檚 done work in Canada and the US for clients like Starbucks and Lululemon, and public art in spaces from Montreal to Monterrey.

She香蕉视频直播檚 always aware that public art reflects its community and cultural identity. For the Vancouver Mural Festival in 2016, she created 香蕉视频直播淰an City Scape香蕉视频直播� at 1st Avenue and Main, a bright, lively piece 香蕉视频直播渢o bring colour to Vancouver, as it is often grey and rainy in the city.香蕉视频直播�

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, 香蕉视频直播淭hey represent a little bit of me, a little bit of the women who inspire me.香蕉视频直播�

She has remained independent of agents or agencies, making herself accessible through her website香蕉视频直播攁nd she likes it that way.

香蕉视频直播淎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,香蕉视频直播� Ola says.

She香蕉视频直播檒l be spending time in Vancouver this fall working on a Vancouver NFT Gallery opening and other projects.

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檝e been painting walls non-stop since COVID, and recently I found digital work to be another great way to tell stories. It香蕉视频直播檚 a different medium I香蕉视频直播檓 using to keep exploring my art.香蕉视频直播�

Still, she is sentimental about 香蕉视频直播淏unny on the Seawall,香蕉视频直播� her first mural, painted during low tides on the beach in Kitsilano.

香蕉视频直播淚t ignited me to take that leap into storytelling and messaging to the public and not be insecure about it. Besides, she says, 香蕉视频直播淥nce you try it, you can香蕉视频直播檛 stop.香蕉视频直播�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
Like Boulevard Magazine on and follow them on