Akolo Emma

Arts of Akolo Emmanuel

08/21/2026

Excited to finally share this special memory from July! Such an honor to meet the Mayor of Toronto and have her collect one of my original ballpoint pen pieces from 2018 at .
I’m super grateful to have had the chance to chat in person and share the story behind the work ❤️

Huge thank you to Mayor Olivia Chow () for supporting local artists and taking a piece of my journey home! Her words telling me to never stop because of how impressed she was with my use of the pen truly meant the world to me.

This piece holds a special place in my heart—it took 8 years of waiting to finally find its true owner. Created in 2018, it represents hours of patience, intricate detail, and willingness to keep working. Seeing it resonate so deeply with our city’s leader after all these years makes the entire journey worth it.

A special thanks to the team at for putting together such an amazing fair and continuously championing independent artists!

08/17/2026

I cried in my car on the way home.

Not because someone bought a painting. Because he came back the next day, with his wife, just to take a picture with me and the painting.

I used to do that. Ask every client to pose with their portrait when I finished it. 2016. I had nothing ,no gallery, no show, no collectors, just a pen,abundant A4 paper from my Dads library, and A blue table (there’s always blue everywhere I am) I can’t help it. I didn’t know if this would ever be anything. I just knew I was proud enough to want it documented.

Somewhere along the way I stopped. Not on purpose. It just stopped happening. Life moved, the work changed.

And then on Saturday, Jeremy and his lovely wife who bought my work the day before drove back just to stand next to it and take a photo. Like it mattered to him the way it used to matter to me.

I didn’t expect it to undo me the way it did. But driving home, a song came in on shuffle (Aanu Ni) I just started crying. Because I saw the whole 10 years at once, the kid asking strangers that met him on Facebook to hold up a frame, and the Jeremy this weekend. Same feeling. Same reason. It never left, I just moved on from doing that.

Everything compounds. The small stuff you do when nobody’s watching, when you don’t know if it’s going anywhere — it’s still building something. You just don’t see it until someone hands it back to you, years later, without even meaning to.

Thank you and .ca for the show. And thank you to every early client/collector who stood by me to take a picture when I asked, letting me believe this was possible.

10 years apart. Same pose, Same picture, basically. Just different reasons.

And lastly. Thank you BallpointPen.

08/15/2026

What an incredible opening night! A massive thank you to all the friends, colleagues, and well-wishers who came out to celebrate and show support. And a special shalla to those who already collected a piece or two to take home.

If you missed the opening, don't worry! We are still live for the rest of the weekend. Come by, check out the works in person, and let's chat about art, stories, and process.

📍 Location: Youngplace, 180 Shaw Street, Toronto
⏳ Remaining Hours:
Saturday: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Sunday: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Drop by, let’s talk art! 👇🏾

07/12/2026

It is a beautiful day to spend with your family, soak up the atmosphere, and celebrate 65 years of incredible Canadian art at Nathan Phillips Square. Come by to chat about the work, explore the installations, and enjoy the vibrant energy of the city’s heart before the fair wraps up at 5:00 PM today.
See you soon!

Location: Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto
Booth: E 512
Time: Open until 5:00 PM today, July 12th.

06/07/2026

It’s Another Day For Riverdale ArtWalk.

Check Me Out 36
Out here 10am - 5pm.

05/19/2026

It’s officially outdoor art show season and I’m thrilled to announce my first stop this year : the Riverdale ArtWalk!

This is just the beginning of a few outdoor shows I’ll be doing this season, and I can’t think of a better way to kick things off. Come find me June 6 & 7 at Jimmie Simpson Park, Toronto.

I can’t wait to share new works with you!
Hope to see you there! 💕

05/03/2026

On March 3rd, I got a random message that stopped me mid-installation of my solo exhibition. It was from Jessica, An Elementary School Teacher at Forest Hill Public School. She had shown her Grade 5/6 class my works, In The Eyes, Lost As A Boy, Lost As A Man, and Joy In Bloom, and her students had used Joy In Bloom as the inspiration for their own art projects. She shared a photo of their finished pieces (Next Slide) on the bulletin board, and I had to put my phone down for a moment just to breathe.

I was in the middle of hanging my own show. And somehow, the most powerful moment I had was seeing how they all interpreted my painting on that bulletin board in Kitchener.
I knew immediately that the original Joy In Bloom belonged there.

What followed was weeks of coordinating around exhibitions, exhaustion, and life happening in between. But on April 8th, I walked into Forest Hill Public School and stood in front of over 200 students to share my journey as an artist. We talked about my journey, concept to completion. About finding your voice. About why art matters.
The questions those kids asked me? Unforgettable. I had a very amazing day.

There is no greater honor for an artist than watching your work spark a fire in the next generation. To Jessica, the staff, and every single student at Forest Hill, thank you for reminding me exactly why I do this. This is why I create. 🙏🏿🎨

My name is Emmanuel Akolo, and I invite you to Follow me on this amazingly crude and raw journey of mine.

Special thanks to and for the amazing visuals.
for logistics and support.
for the prompt framing.
Grateful for the ongoing support of the Ontario Arts Council, your belief in my work makes moments like these possible.

Address

5943 Sylvia Place
Niagara Falls, ON
L2G 1S9

Telephone

2347030465967

Website

http://www.akoloemma.com/

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