Near the Martha Cohen Theatre, visitors to Werklund Centre pass through a gallery space that also serves as an artist residency. Behind the glass window, Federico Airaudo is painting a mural. Even unfinished, it already shows a lot of detail. Nearby, his dog Hermano rests under a blue blanket before getting up to greet you.
Originally from Ecuador, Airaudo arrived in Calgary in 2023 with a background in graphic design and fine art. Since then, he has established himself as an artist with a visually distinct and memorable style. His brightly coloured paintings, populated by human-animal characters, are often compared to a Latin American version of Where’s Waldo? or the animated world of BoJack Horseman. Filled with symbolism, humour and social observation, his works invite viewers to slow down and examine everyday life more closely.
He is the current artist-in-residence at Werklund Centre and maintains a studio in Kensington.
How did you become an artist?
“I have been painting all my life, but I’ve been working professionally since 2017. Graphic design was always my strongest skill, but I don’t enjoy it anymore because I had to work with clients who kept changing my designs. In the end, my portfolio didn’t have anything I really liked. So I decided to start painting.
“I started practicing on my own, taking online courses and working with a mentor, networking.
“I think in this work, or in any work, it’s important to take it seriously. All the time, I had this idea in my mind: ‘I want to be the best at this.’”
How did you develop your style?
“I already had a particular style, but then I started using animals. First of all, it made the stories more playful because animals have many mannerisms and expressions.
“Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. I used to spend a lot of time outside, surrounded by birds. Then I started noticing things like, ‘Ah, this looks like that guy.’
“At first, I was only drawing one character. Now I only have one frame to tell a story or show a situation. If I want to show that someone is a hard worker, I might use red hands. If I want to show that someone is happy, I might use a parrot. I try to include symbolism.
“I use bright, flat colours. I don’t use gradients or effects like that, so the paintings look a bit like digital work.”
Is there a specific message you want to share with the audience?
“I leave a lot of the meaning open to the viewer’s interpretation, but it’s hard to avoid political perspectives. I try to put everything together. I don’t go to one side or the other. I present what I see and try to project that vision.
“I like people to pay attention to the mundane, the normal, the simple things. We get caught up in routines and stop noticing them. Things happen every day, and we take them for granted because they always happen. But there are [many] beautiful and special moments there.
“When a person stops to look at my art, it’s important to me that they become present and start noticing things. I treat painting as a device that brings people into the present moment. I like people to enter the work and maybe find themselves there, or recognize situations they have seen before.
“I studied publicity, and one of our exercises was to go out into the streets and observe people and what was happening around us. When you go to a store or step outside for a cigarette, you hear conversations. Those everyday moments are what make my city so special. And I think every place has that.”
How do you balance maintaining that cultural identity while becoming part of Calgary’s arts community?
“Part of this residency is getting involved with Calgary and its people. Here at Werklund Centre, people come in all the time. I also spend a lot of time downtown, which is very lively.
“I’ve had some exhibitions in Canada, and it’s amazing to see how people react to these stories because they come from a completely different context. … Sometimes, I help and tell a little bit more about the work that caught their attention.”
This Q&A was created in collaboration with Werklund Centre.
To see more of Federico Airaudo’s work, visit donfede.art.
