Olivier Salvas

Olivier Salvas is a queer artist, educator, media personality and curator specializing in arts education and social justice. Originally from Montreal, QC, Olivier moved to Vancouver, British Columbia shortly after completing his bachelor's degree in teaching French as a second language from the University of Montreal & McGill University. While undertaking his graduate studies in media studies and curriculum at the University of British Columbia, Olivier merged his two passions as an artist and an educator, and began creating research-based artistic work pedagogic. Olivier uses abstract painting, photography and various media to highlight social causes and foster conversations about identity and art education. Olivier's areas of research and creation are inspired by graffiti, street art and urban culture. When Olivier begins an art collection based on his discoveries, he thinks of a subject in the world that resonates with him. Then he creates a story with that event, and he creates a main character. He asks, “What would this character do, think, or say?” ". Subsequently, Olivier partners with a photographer to create a visual story, which inspires him for the direction he wants to take artistically with his message.

Olivier was chosen an ambassador for the the Canadian Culture Days 2019, representing British-Columbia. In 2019, Olivier had his first solo exhibition called “Rebel with a Cause” that was showcased over a three month period in Vancouver at Le Centre Culturel.

In 2021, Olivier released his new collection "Flamboyant", a series of brightly colored abstract paintings, acting as statement pieces for self-acceptance and positivity. One of the paintings from "Flamboyant", "Sometimes I paint just for fun" won first prize at the Federation of Canadian Artists' "Pride in Arts" exhibition in June 2021. Olivier collaborated with the Biennale of Vancouver as an educator for the Big Project Ideas in Schools since 2015 and in 2020 he joined We Are Ocean Vanncouver, a project commissioned by the Vancouver Biennale and organized by ARTPORT_making waves acting as artist-educator alongside by Indigenous artist Cease Wyss. This project is part of the global WE ARE OCEAN project contributing to the preparatory phase of the UNESCO Ocean Decade for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).

Olivier's art and fashion project in collaboration with Charlie's Charmed ARTFASHION was launched with a piece at the Winnipeg Fine Arts Gallery in March 2022 and is now featured in numerous events and galleries across the Canada. The ARTFASHION SHOP opened in October 2022 at the Pacific Arts Market in Vancouver.

Since 2022, Olivier has been acting as a curator for the British-Columbia Housing Central Conference, planning exhibitions featuring over 25 Canadian artists. Olivier also has been working as a workshop facilitator for Outsiders Arts Festival, presented by Community Arts Vancouver, supporting emerging artists taking part in the festival.

Olivier currently presents in Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, Vancouver, Victoria, BC and Winnipeg. He has been an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists since 2021.

You can find Olivier as a radio columnist on Radio-Canada and as a journalist on the OutlookTV show on OutTV, reporting on 2SLGBTQ+ artists and causes across Canada.

Artistic Statement

The collections and projects I create are based on the principles of a/r/tography. To be engaged in the practice of a/r/tography means to investigate the world through an ongoing process of artistic creation in any art form. When I plan a project, I think about topics that interest me, most of the time under the theme of identity and the environment. Once the subject has been chosen and the research completed, I create a visual story and à a character who will be the narrator of the project. I put myself in the shoes of the character and collaborate with a photographer who documents the story that I have created. When I'm in the shoes of the character, I wonder about how they feel about the story. This is how I choose the direction for the paintings I create for the project. I paint from the character's point of view and not from my own. I choose the abstract to paint because for me, the abstract is connected to emotions and it allows us to better understand the story, a bit like watching a play. The names of the paintings are also chosen to contribute to the narrative framework.