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Olivier Salvas is an artist and educator who specializes in arts education and the maker movement in a second language setting. Originally from Montreal, QC, Olivier moved to Vancouver, British-Columbia shortly after completing his Bachelor of Education in Teaching French as a Second Language from University of Montreal. As he embarked in his Graduate Studies in Media Studies and Curriculum at the University of British-Columbia, Olivier merged his two passions of artist and educator, and he began to create artistic work based on educational research. Olivier uses abstract paintings, photography, and various media to bring light to social causes and to foster conversations about identity and arts education. Olivier's area of research and of creation are inspired by graffiti art, street art, and urban culture. When Olivier begins an artistic collection based on his findings, he thinks of a topic in the world that resonates with him. Then, he creates a story with this event, and he creates a main character. He asks,” What would this character do, think, or say?”. Subsequently, Olivier pairs up with a photographer to create a visual story, which inspires him for the direction he wants to take artistically with his message. In 2021, Olivier has released his new collection “Flamboyant”, a series of abstract paintings with bold colors, acting as statement pieces for self-acceptance and positivity. One of the paintings from “Flamboyant”, “Sometimes I Paint Just For Fun” has won first prize at the Federation of Canadian Artists’ “Pride in Arts” Exhibition in June 2021. Olivier has collaborating with Vancouver Biennale as an educator for the Big Ideas in Schools project since 2015 and he has joined in 2022 We Are Ocean Vancouver, a project commissioned by Vancouver Biennale and curated by ARTPORT_making waves acting as an artist-educator alongside local indigenous artist Cease Wyss. This project is part of the global WE ARE OCEAN art project contributing to the Preparatory Phase of the UNESCO ocean Decade for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). This project continues to be showcased internationally and it was recently showed at the Venice Biennale. As an artist, Olivier currently showcases in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria, BC. You can catch Olivier as a columnist on on Radio-Canada (CBC French) and as a reporter the show OutlookTV on OutTV, reporting on 2SLGBTQ+ artists and causes across Canada. Olivier’s latest project in collaboration with Charlie’s Charmed (Eddie & Ryan Mendoza) ARTFASHION has launched with a curated piece at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in March 2022 and it is now showcased in many events and galleries across Canada.