Volume 16 Issue 1 » 29
Volo’s UP HERE Festival mural
is located in the downtown
core of Sudbury, Ontario.
We heard that you unveiled a new
15,000-sq.ft. mural in Montréal
earlier this year – congratulations!
Can you tell us more about it?
In May this year, I completed one of
the largest murals I’ve ever painted. This
wall is located in the heart of Mile End,
Montréal - a neighbourhood that is home
to many creative people. It was an honour
for me to have the opportunity to paint on
this incredible wall. I wanted this work to
represent the people who live in the area
and for this mural to celebrate freedom of
creativity. It has been one of the hardest
projects for me and I’m so thankful for
everyone who was involved. This wall
became the biggest mural painted by a
woman in Canada, and I hope that it will
open many more doors to other female
muralists to paint large murals across our
country.
When did you realize that art was
the path you wanted to pursue?
Since I was very young, I’ve always
been very passionate about drawing and
painting. That led me to study art at
Emily Carr University in Vancouver. After
graduating university, I’ve been working as
a full-time artist ever since. I feel so lucky
to do what I love most. It’s led me to meet
incredibly creative people along the way
and travel around the world to produce my
work.
Why did you choose to focus your
art on illustrations and murals?
Illustration has always been an amazing
way to tell stories. The characters in each
piece are aimed to be a combination of
folklore art, multiculturalism and a hint
of the modern world. When I discovered
folklore as a child, it was through the word
of mouth - by listening to my grandma’s
stories looking over old Russian folktale
books. When I started doing public mural
work, I found a way to make these stories
be as accessible and inclusive as folklore
should be. It was a perfect marriage
between the concept of my art and the
placement of it. I hope to always find ways
to continue to tell my stories through my
narrative work.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Multiculturalism has been a very
inspirational concept for my work. I come
from a diverse Eastern European and
Asian background that was complicated by
historic transitions during my childhood.
My origin, my move to BC, and my
subsequent immersion in its own variety
of cultures has undeniably become the
main focus of my art. My illustrations
merge aspects of history, people, animals
and traditions through patterns. I use
specific patterns to form specific narratives.
Learning about patterns and the ways they
are used to embellish and define a culture
has been very interesting to me. Thus,
the mixing of the right kind of pattern is
integral to my art, and the intentionality of
patterns gives me a lot to play with.
You’ve collaborated with many high-
profile international brands, such as
Louis Vuitton and Starbucks, and
local organizations like TELUS and
Vancouver Opera. Which project
has been the most unforgettable for
you, and why?
Each project has been unique in its
own way, but my favourite projects are
always the ones where I get to push my
art boundaries and create something
new. I loved working with Vancouver
Opera - we had a full creative team: art
director, photographer, model, makeup
artist, illustrator and designer to create the
concept. It was an amazing collaboration
and I feel we merged photography and
illustration in a new way which I am really
proud of.