THE ARTIST

Elmira Solo (b. 1986, Almaty, Kazakhstan) is a contemporary mixed-media artist interested in what happens when we look beyond what is immediately recognizable. Her paintings often offer something that can be understood quickly from a distance, while closer looking reveals fragments, marks, materials, and unexpected relationships. Solo is drawn to this shift in attention, and to the wandering, uncertainty, and discovery that can follow.

Working with collage, spray paint, acrylic, and found papers, Solo builds her paintings intuitively through layering, experimentation, and response. Serendipity is an important part of the process. She creates room for unexpected moments to happen, then uses discernment to decide what stays, what disappears, and what becomes important. The work does not lead toward a single interpretation, leaving the viewer to make their own connections.

Solo holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Animation from Sheridan College and worked in the animation industry for over a decade before transitioning to contemporary art. She lives and works in Ottawa and has exhibited in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. Her work is held in private collections in Canada, the United States, and Europe.