Artist Aquil Virani creates portrait of Iranian-Canadian Professor Homa Hoodfar.

The acrylic paint was applied using a toothbrush, referencing Hoodfar’s ordeal in Evin prison where she took notes using the same tool. The geometric backdrop remixes the colours of the Iranian flag with Hoodfar’s likeness symbolically detached, as explained in the video. The portrait was unveiled in Professor Hoodfar’s presence at a fundraising event for the Canadian Centre for International Justice (CCIJ).

Artist Aquil Virani creates art at the #LawNeedsFeminismBecause national forum.

We asked over a hundred attendees what concrete steps all of us can take to further the cause of feminism. I transcribed these responses throughout the day onto a portrait of Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré, the first appointed black judge in Quebec history.

Artist Aquil Virani paints portrait of his mother.

Underneath her portrait are sketched details of her past and present passions. The four of us boys (my three brothers and I) signed the artwork in the bottom-right corner and presented it to her over the holidays.

Artist Aquil Virani creates collaborative artwork with Paul Smith’s freshmen.

For the 5th year in a row, Paul Smith’s College invited me to visit the campus in upstate New York to create a collaborative art project with the incoming freshmen during Welcome Week 2017.

Click here to check out the 2016 video.

Ela é uma mulher incrível

That’s Portuguese for “She is an incredible woman.” While in Lisbon, I visited LX Factory to spray-paint the phrase alongside a quick stencil of my friend, Sara Meleika, onto bright yellow balloons, sticking them to poles and railings in an artsy area of the city. I watched how the public engaged with the balloons with kids who pummelled them before stopping to read and young women who posed for a picture or a selfie, playfully pointing towards themselves.

26 adjectives that describe inspiring women

In January 2017, I asked the public what adjectives describe inspiring women, selecting one word for every letter of the alphabet (A-Z) to create a set of 26 spray-painted prints. The subject of the image smiles at the viewer and doubles as a resilient, narrative-changing response to sexism and islamophobia. Many of the prints were donated to feminist causes throughout Montreal; some were auctioned off at events or given away for free at the Manif des femmes à Montréal. The McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal acquired the remaining prints in May 2018.

Artist Aquil Virani creates Canada Day artwork at Canadian Museum of Immigration in Halifax.

Complete the phrase, “My Canada…”

Artist Aquil Virani visited Halifax’s Canadian Museum of Immigration on Canada Day to ask participants to complete the sentence “My Canada …” The artist re-wrote their responses onto the live painting, honouring answers that were both positive and negative, celebratory and critical.

Artist Aquil Virani paints at Special Olympics Canada fundraising gala.

I was invited by the Idea Hunter – a leader in the Canadian events industry – to paint a live artwork at the Limitless Gala in downtown Toronto at the Fairmont Royal York. The image we developed with the client features 3 Special Olympics athletes in their moment of glory on the podium. The varying responses to “What do the Special Olympics mean to you?” were wonderfully diverse and heart-warming to read.

This was a very special event.

Artist Aquil Virani creates collaborative artwork at #wcdp2017

At #wcdp2017, Aquil Virani integrated participant responses into a collaborative artwork. The award-winning artist asked over 800 delegates, “What is the most impactful action taking place in your country or community?” He created a 5-by-9-foot painting that was unveiled at the closing ceremonies of the World Conference on Drowning Prevention 2017 in Vancouver.

Artist Aquil Virani creates collaborative artwork with Paul Smith’s freshmen.

Last year, for the 4th year in a row, Paul Smith’s College invited me to visit the campus in upstate New York to create a collaborative art project with about 300 incoming freshmen during Welcome Week 2016.

This year, the latest 4 x 6 foot painting will be unveiled as the latest “We Are All Artists” project on Tuesday, September 5th at the First Year Convocation, taking place at the Buxton Annex on Paul Smith College’s campus.

Click here to check out the 2015 video.