Ola Volo

Ola Volo is a Kazakh Canadian artist,[1] best known as a public muralist.[2] Her style blends aspects of Eastern European folk art with a focus on pattern and narrative to depict fantasy scenes.[3]

Born in Kazakhstan, she moved to Canada with her family at age 10, and studied art at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.[1]

Volo has been commissioned by companies like Hootsuite, Lululemon, and Starbucks[4] and has created numerous works around the Vancouver area where she previously resided.

In 2021, Volo was asked to create mural to bring awareness to the rise of abuse against women due to COVID-19.

Career

Her work has included neighbourhood murals and corporate commissioned work in Vancouver,[1] the Mackey Building in Sudbury as part of the 2016 Up Here Festival,[5] and Walla Volo in Montreal's Mile End neighbourhood, the largest mural in Canada painted by a woman.[6]

She designed the cover art for Matt Mays' album Once Upon a Hell of a Time,[7] and is the subject of the album's song "Ola Volo".[8]

Volo's art has been used as product labels such as the ones for Doan’s Craft Brewing Company located in East Vancouver[9] as well as painting a mural for the company's tasting room.[10]

In 2017, Volo created a mural for the Forge, a parking area located in Granville Island. Despite being a muralist, exhibiting her process live while in the presence of visitors as well as interacting with them was new to Volo.[11]

She participated in the National Newspaper Week in 2021 by designing a print[12] to spread awareness about the importance and reliability provided by newspapers.[13]

Personal life

Due to Volo’s popularity in Vancouver, it led to a brief break from the city and a new studio set up in Montréal. The stay in the city allowed Volo rest and time to reflect[14] as well as inspiration for her WALLA VOLO mural.[15]

YWCA Wall For Women

Located at Hyatt Regency along Burrard Street is Volo’s mural called Wall for Women. With the familiar influence of Eastern European folk art present in Volo’s works,[16] this mural was done with the intention to spread awareness on the rise in relationship violence against women which has been a prevalent issue during COVID-19 as well as a symbol of empowerment.[17]

Integrated in the mural are five QR codes containing information about domestic abuse as well as a way to donate and provide aid to women suffering from mistreatment.[16]

List of Works
  • Arts Factory mural (2016)
  • Mural for Up Here Festival (2016)
  • Doan’s Craft Beer Company labels and mural (2016)
  • Granville Island mural (2017)
  • Walla Volo (2019)
  • YWCA Wall For Women (2021)
  • Champions (2021)

References
  1. "Vancouver artist Ola Volo splashes stories upon walls" Archived 2019-07-17 at the Wayback Machine. The Georgia Straight, August 17, 2016.
  2. "Ola Volo : la muraliste qui a changé le visage du Mile End" Archived 2019-07-17 at the Wayback Machine. Voir, June 3, 2019.
  3. "On Anthropomorphism & The Vague Dreams Of Ola Volo’s Childhood" Archived 2019-07-17 at the Wayback Machine. Scout Magazine, March 21, 2014.
  4. "Winterruption brings public art, comedy, music and more to Granville Island". vancouversun. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  5. "Virtual Up Here mural walk: Check out their murals year-round!" Archived 2019-07-17 at the Wayback Machine. Northern Life, August 15, 2018.
  6. "Drone footage captures progress of historic new mural in Montreal" Archived 2019-07-17 at the Wayback Machine. Daily Hive, May 8, 2019.
  7. "CityFolk Preview: Matt Mays returns with new music" Archived 2019-07-17 at the Wayback Machine. Ottawa Citizen, September 13, 2017.
  8. "Matt Mays On World Cafe" Archived 2019-07-17 at the Wayback Machine. World Cafe, September 4, 2018.
  9. "Vancouver artist Ola Volo splashes stories upon walls" Archived 2019-07-17 at the Wayback Machine. The Georgia Straight, August 17, 2016.
  10. "Local artists add visual flair to Vancouver's craft-beer scene". The Georgia Straight. 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  11. "Winterruption brings public art, comedy, music and more to Granville Island". vancouversun. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  12. "National Newspaper Week". News Media Canada. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  13. "Canadian artist Ola Volo lends support to National Newspaper Week campaign". vancouversun. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  14. "Vancouver artist Ola Volo splashes stories upon walls" Archived 2019-07-17 at the Wayback Machine. The Georgia Straight, August 17, 2016.
  15. "WALLA VOLO". Art Public Montréal. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  16. "To Break Down the Walls of Violence, We Painted a Wall of Hope". ywcavan.org. 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  17. "New 42-foot mural unveiled in downtown Vancouver (PHOTOS) | Urbanized". dailyhive.com. Retrieved 2022-03-18.


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