CIFF 2026 Public Artists

HARVEY NICHOL

Harvey Nichol Santos (He/Him), known professionally as Harvey Nichol, is a Manila-born multidisciplinary artist based in Moh’kinstsis (Calgary), Treaty 7, Alberta, Canada. His “social-folk-expressionist” style blends social themes, folklore, expressionistic approaches and street art aesthetics.

Raised in Tondo District by a single mother before immigrating to Canada as a teen, Harvey became a homeless youth, where he began his journey doing graffiti before expanding his work into public street art. His past projects include installations for Tourism Calgary and Brookfield Properties. He released his debut comic AKLAS in 2023.

Instagram: @harveynichol.ca

About the work: Through the Lens

“Through the Lens” takes the iconic silhouette of a vintage film camera, an object rooted in the rich history of filmmaking that has largely faded from daily use. The installation transforms it into a large-scale, interactive piece of public architecture. By resurrecting this relic of early cinema and blowing up its scale, the installation shifts our physical relationship to film history, inviting us to look closer and reconnect with the origins of the moving images.

Instead of just looking at the camera, you actually get to step inside it. Housed inside is an interactive flat-screen display that fuses a real time closed-circuit feed from the walkway outside with a streaming menu of upcoming festival film trailers.

It’s a fun, interactive pitstop that lets mall visitors step off the floor and dive straight into the festival experience!

Kat Simmers 

Kat Simmers is a trans woman, artist, author, and muralist working in comic media and street art to create community connections through visual media. Born and raised in a special kind of nowhere - Bashaw, Alberta (pop. 830) - Simmers experienced firsthand the intersection of queer and rural life. 

Co-Author & illustrator of the graphic novel series Pass Me By, her work connects communities to unseen parts of their histories and challenges the public to see beyond the everyday. Her murals and graphic novels engage the public in conversations about queer identity, mental health and what happens to the stories you never tell.

As a queer/trans artist living with Bi-polar disorder (type 1) it’s Simmers’ mission to create powerful, knowledgeable interpretations of these and other experiences, which so many go through without representation.

Her public works populate the Treaty 6 & 7 region in Mohkinstsis (the city of Calgary), the city of Red Deer, the town of Bashaw, and the walls of the international mural festival BUMP in 2019, 2020 and 2024.

Instagram: @kat_simmers

About the work: Live Painting Session

Kat will be hosting a live painting session at THE GRAND after the SHORTS: ALBERTA SPIRIT screenings on Tuesday, September 29 and Wednesday, September 30. For information about the screenings, click here. 

Sydonne Warren

Sydonne Warren is a muralist, entrepreneur, and community builder whose work is all about celebrating culture and making a real impact. Originally from Jamaica and now living in Canada, she's spent the last four years transforming public spaces with large-scale murals that honour diversity and amplify underrepresented voices. With deep roots in her Caribbean heritage and the stories of Black women, Sydonne's art is full of vibrant colours, and expressive figures.
 
Her murals can be seen in Calgary, turning ordinary walls into powerful stories of resilience, empowerment, and unity. For Sydonne, art is a tool to unite people, and she's committed to using it to foster connection. Some of her murals are collaborative efforts, created alongside residents and youth, blending her artistic vision with the voices of the community. This approach ensures the art is not only reflective of her style but also inclusive of the people it represents. 

Instagram: @sydtheartiste

About the work: The Catalyst  

This piece is a series of portraits honouring pioneers in film. The artwork features Sidney Poitier, the first African American man to receive an Academy Award; Oscar Micheaux, the first African American to create a feature film; Dorothy Dandridge, the first African American woman nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award; and Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Academy Award.

The title “The Catalyst” refers to the importance of being the first to initiate change in an industry where African Americans were underrepresented. Despite the adversity they faced, these trailblazers paved the way for future generations to have a place in film.

MAO PROJECTS

Mao (Kun) Chen and Chris Savage, collectively known as Mao and Chris, are artists
based in Calgary, Canada. They first met in 2017 while pursuing their Master of Fine
Arts degrees at the University of Calgary. By 2020, they had established a collaborative
studio in their home, dedicated to merging their diverse cultural perspectives and
artistic visions. Their work delves into themes of identity, diversity, and societal change,
bridging cultural gaps through their art. They merge traditional and pop culture
elements to explore personal and cultural narratives, fostering cross-cultural
communication and offering rich, layered ceramic works.

Recognized with several grants and awards from prestigious bodies such as the
Canada Council for the Arts and Calgary Arts Development, Mao and Chris have been
lauded for their contributions to advancing contemporary ceramic art and fostering
meaningful dialogues within the art and craft worlds. They have attended residencies
across western Canada and have exhibited their works in Canada, the USA, and China.

Instagram: @maoprojects

About the work: Stepping Through

Our painted wooden sculpture and vinyl window decals, Stepping Through, explore the
feeling of stepping outside one’s own experience and into a realm of possibility through
film. Like the moment of entering a cinema, the sculpture represents a threshold
between the everyday and the imagined. Through film, we cross that threshold and
encounter unfamiliar worlds, perspectives, and stories, temporarily stepping into lives
beyond our own. Stepping Through celebrates this simple act of moving through a
doorway and discovering that the world on the other side might be larger than we
imagined.

The vinyl decals on the second-floor windows extend elements and symbols from the
wooden sculpture throughout the cinema. Each features an eye containing a number
from a classic film countdown sequence, creating a playful progression as visitors move
through the space. The countdown marks both the physical journey toward the
concession stand and the anticipation of moving deeper into the imagined worlds
waiting inside the theatre.