Portrait series honours victims of Quebec mosque shooting
CTV
Five years after the shooting at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, an artist is honouring the memory of the victims through a series of portraits.
Large scale paintings of the six men killed in the hate-fuelled attack were drawn from snapshots of their lives. Each image reveals a glimpse of what was lost on that January day, when a sacred place of prayer was filled with terror.
"I wanted a way to depict the humanity of the men in a way that was slightly creative, but mostly respectful," artist Aquil Virani told CTV News.
The day after the mass shooting, Virani attended a vigil in Montreal, where he picked up a paintbrush as a way to process his emotions. He began painting and also asked others to complete his work of art with messages of support for the mosque and the victims.
"Ultimately, what I was trying to do in a way I remember was give people a chance to express themselves so that you didn't feel so powerless," he said.
