STAMPS OF APPROVAL
Artist mails 30 letters to 30 people he admires
Before it was possible to send birthday greetings with the click of a mouse, mailing a card to a loved one was a thoughtful thing to do.
But visual artist Aquil Virani is flipping that tradition with an art project marking his 30th birthday this month. The Ottawa-based Muslim artist is writing, designing and mailing 30 letters to people who have inspired and moved him, whether he knows them personally or not.
“We're living in a pandemic and I can't throw a big party,” Virani said in an interview. “It's a socially isolating time, and I know I like receiving random letters in the mail. It's something that brings joy to someone's day in a simple and easy way. So this felt like a nice way to reach out.”
It's not the first time Virani has celebrated his birthday with art. On his 24th, for example, the artist came up with a challenge that called for him to create 24 original works of art in the 24 hours leading up to his birthday.
Neither is this the first time his creative process has involved the postal service, a method that's been explored by many artists, including Canada's Moyra Davey. Her exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada last year featured works that had gone through the mail and bore the postmarks to prove it.
“I think mail art is having a reinvigoration at this time,” Virani said, noting that the mail hasn't stopped during the pandemic. “And I figure, `Why not be on board?' As an artist, as exhibitions are cancelled and delayed and rescheduled, now is a great time to reach out in different ways to different people whose work you like, or other heroes or mentors. Those people might have more time, too.”
The 30 folks on Virani's mailing list range from public figures and community leaders to those he calls “everyday” heroes, such as the parents of friends he grew up with. Some of the letters will be available to read on Virani's website, while others will remain private. Hockey commentator Ron MacLean is getting a letter, as are artist Kent Monkman and Ottawa-based Muslim activist and diversity educator Chelby Daigle.
Virani grew up in Surrey, B.C., the fourth and youngest son of two immigrants. His mother was born in France, and his father is a Muslim-Indian, though born and raised in Africa. In the letter to MacLean, Virani reminisces about playing hockey on rollerblades in their mostly Punjabi and Sikh neighbourhood in Surrey.
A regular viewer of Hockey Night in Canada, Virani also thanks MacLean for apologizing for Don Cherry's xenophobic comments in 2019. “As a young person of colour growing up in Surrey, I noticed the undertones of his comments even as a kid,” he wrote. “I always appreciated the humility and sense of fairness you championed onscreen, sometimes in subtle ways.”
Virani moved to Montreal with a scholarship to study math and physics at McGill University, but soon realized the sciences were not for him. He ended up with a BA and worked for a while before pursuing his art practice on a full-time basis.
He is self-taught in art, with work that includes painting, graphic design, illustration and, before the pandemic, live art events. He's been earning awards for his art and showing in exhibits for a decade.
“What I told myself was instead of taking care of my finances and trying to fit in my happiness around that core, I'll reverse it and make sure to take care of my happiness, and try to fit the financial goals around that,” said Virani, who moved to Ottawa last summer when his partner landed a job with the Federal Court of Appeal.
After mailing the letters Jan. 15, his birthday, Virani will get back to a few other projects. One of the most significant is a series of largescale portraits of the six victims of the 2017 terrorist attack on a mosque in Quebec City, created with permission from the families. The paintings will be unveiled next year.
“It's a very heavy project,” he said. “It's definitely meaningful because I feel I can serve the community and have an impact, both in terms of informing people in the broader community as well as making these portraits that will then be gifted to the families.”
I know I like receiving random letters in the mail. It's something that brings joy to someone's day in a simple and easy way. So this felt like a nice way to reach out.