An artist from India has created a bus-size mural at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Richmond campus. Mayuresh Ambekar painted his 6.1-metre-wide and 2.4-metre-high work of art outside KPU’s entertainment arts department on the third floor.
Last year, he graduated with a diploma in advanced VFX (virtual production) from KPU. In a university news release, Ambekar reveals that he was inspired by the Netflix anime TV series Arcane.
“The two portraits of Jinx, a character from Arcane, capture her spirit and the collaborative effort behind production, similar to how each student contributes unique talents to a project,” Ambekar says. “Through this mural, I aimed to honour both the show and the creative process, reflecting the journey from concept to execution, which parallels the educational path at KPU.”
Before moving to Canada, Ambekar was a mural artist in Pune in the state of Maharashtra. Known as “Oxford of the East” for its focus on education, the city is about 150 kilometres southeast of Mumbai.
Ambekar enrolled at KPA in 2022 after working as an artist in Pune for a decade. He has been with the Vancouver Mural Festival and is now marketing manager for the Centre for Entertainment Arts.
“I’ve painted roughly 25 to 30 murals here in Vancouver but I was not the lead artist on them,” Abekar says. “I was usually managing the production, supporting mural artists and look after the technical things.”
He acknowledges that as an immigrant, it’s difficult to secure commissions as a lead artist.
“But this project is truly unique and meaningful,” Ambekar adds. “My hope is that it motivates students to explore their potential and embrace the challenges and rewards of their artistic journeys.”
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