Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF) has wrapped for another year and we couldn’t be happier with the added colour and artwork in our neighbourhood. We worked with three amazing artists, each bringing their unique style and culture to the neighbhourhood.
All In – Fiona Ackerman
Fiona Ackerman’s ‘All In’ mural is a colourful, abstract piece that channels the many directions she’s explored in her art practice over the years, reassembling fragments to reflect today. It leans on the past to invent the future, with a collage-like approach that could all be re-imagined tomorrow. To Fiona, making art in 2020 means pivoting from the expected course, often making do with less connection, less contact, and less access. It also means bringing everything to the table, strengthening the connections that exist, finding new ones, and reorganizing the way we live and work into a fresh approach – it means taking stock with an eye on potential.
Mural located at 813 Burrard Street.
Butterfly Kiss – Ovila Mailhot
Self-taught Coast Salish artist, Ovila Mailhot, describes the symbolization of the butterfly represented in his piece as growth and beauty. Ovila shares that “a butterfly goes through a lot of change in its lifespan and at full growth it shows its true beauty and colour,” similar to his own personal growth as an artist. Ovila has been practicing graphic art for the past 5 years and is excited to have this opportunity to share his work, sharing the beauty of Coast Salish art. Ovila revitalized the techniques and approach to Indigenous art through Butterfly Kiss, expressing himself using the Salish art elements that have been passed down through generations. Ovila expresses himself through the use of bold, vibrant colours, fluidity and symmetry. To see more of Ovila’s work, check out his website here.
Mural located at 1046 Robson Street.
Flower Crown – Edge
‘Flower Crown’, by Ejiwa Ebenebe a.k.a Edge, is a breathtaking piece that celebrates Black tranquility, happiness and presence. To Edge, it represents ‘the desire to just Be. To be allowed a humanised existence, in a world that insists on dehumanising, degrading, and erasing people that look like my family, like my friends, like me. To proclaim loudly that we’re here and we’re worthy, that we’re forging our spaces unapologetically’.
Mural located at 1168 Robson Street.