WANDA KOOP, one of Canada’s most celebrated painters, has spent over four decades transforming the vastness of space into a sensory experience. Her monumental paintings and mixed-media works often blend video, music, and dance, turning each exhibition into an immersive environment. Koop, much like the poet Charles Olson’s metaphorical whale that threatens to engulf North Americans, has inverted that imagery—she consumes and reinterprets space, creating expansive and intimate works.

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Russian Mennonite immigrants, Koop moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she continues to live and work. Her early promise was recognized when she was still a University of Manitoba’s School of Art student. Since then, her explorations into the nature of painting have garnered international acclaim, with over 60 solo exhibitions held across Canada and worldwide, including in Germany, Brazil, China, and Italy, where she exhibited alongside the 2001 Venice Biennale.

Koop’s art is not confined by geographic borders or traditional forms. A dedicated traveler, she has absorbed global cultures—whether motorcycling through the U.S. in her youth, navigating the St. Lawrence Seaway, or living in cities like Paris, Rotterdam, Tokyo, and New York City. These experiences permeate her work, each piece synthesizing movement, space, and narrative.

Her accolades are numerous: She has been appointed a Member of both the Order of Manitoba and the Order of Canada and received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals, along with an honorary doctorate from Emily Carr University. Her works are featured in prestigious collections such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Musée des beaux-arts, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Shanghai Museum of Modern Art.

Beyond her artistic achievements, Koop has been a force in her community. She co-founded the Rotterdam Apartment Cooperative to support artist exchanges between Canada and the Netherlands. In 1998, she launched Art City, a storefront art center that pairs contemporary artists with inner-city youth, fostering creativity, belonging, and life skills in a historically underserved community. Koop’s commitment to art extends beyond the canvas, shaping the lives and spaces around her.

More of her work may be appreciated on her website.