Silvia Pecota
Toronto-born, Silvia Pecota, is an award-winning artist and photographer whose work covers the four corners of the world. She has exhibited in Canada, the United States, Germany, Italy, the former Soviet Union and Afghanistan. Since 1985, her photographs have appeared internationally in several top publications.
From her travels to the Canada’s northern territories, Silvia saw the needs of remote hamlets and, as a result, organized numerous hockey drives for children in Nunavut. This experience inspired her to illustrate her first children’s book, “Hockey Across Canada”, which became so popular with elementary schools that in 2005, it was translated into Inuktitut: “Haakiktun Akianganun Kanatami”.
Furthermore, her photographs of the Inuit produced a body of photographic work that resulted in several international exhibitions. For the 2007 Canada Winter Games in the Yukon, Silvia created a series illustrating traditional Inuit and Dene games entitled, “Northern Spirit Through Northern Sport / Le Sport du Nord dans l’Esprit du Nord”.
In 2006, Silvia was also honoured in a national Canadian book (published by the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Toronto), celebrating 32 of the most influential Canadian women of Italian origin.
Since 2001, she has focused her work on the “soldier” and from 2003-2005, was selected to participate in the Canadian Forces Artist Program giving her the opportunity to take photographs on various bases across Canada as well as in Haiti (2004). Being embedded with the troops, she was able to document their efforts, appreciate their dedicated service and witness the sacrifices soldiers endure when putting themselves in harm’s way. Silvia made five trips to Afghanistan (between 2006-2013) and the experiences from the Afghan Mission and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), have inspired over 80 compositions, six large format art calendars (between 2009-2018), as well as producing various end-of-tour gifts and medallions for the soldiers.
In 2007, she sculpted a relief, dedicated to the Fallen, of which there are two bronze copies. One is displayed at the Royal Canadian Air Force Museum in Trenton, Ontario while the other, which had been on display at the Canadian Cenotaph in Kandahar (Afghanistan) is now part of the Afghan Memorial Hall (DND) in Ottawa.
In 2012, Silvia was commissioned by the Class of the United States Army War College to create artwork representing “Fallen Comrades”. She was the first female and non-American artist to have been selected in its 110 year history.
Since 2013, she has been commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mint to design several commemorative coins of which two coins were nominated for the International “COTY” (Coin of the Year) by Krause Publications in the “Inspirational Category” for 2016. As well, Alberta Motor Vehicles selected Silvia’s artwork, “Fallen Comrades: PPCLI”, for a license plate that won best License Plate in North America for 2014 (ALPCA) .
In 2014 she designed a monument for the city of Windsor, Ontario (located at Reaume Park) honouring more than 250 fallen Canadian soldiers and peacekeepers from the Afghan and UN Missions.
Silvia’s exhibition and book entitled “Remembering Our Fallen” launched in November 2015 at the
Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery in Toronto. Her 72 page book includes over 50 images that illustrate 22 poems she has written dedicated to the Fallen military from Canada’s Colonial Wars to the present day.
And in November 2018, there was the unveiling of the “Book of Remembrance” for Norfolk County, which she designed to commemorates the soldiers of Norfolk who died since WWI to the Afghan War.
On 5 February 2020 at CSIS HQ in Ottawa, where over 20 prints of her artwork were on display representing the historical legacy of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) that included the The Special Operations Executive (SOE).
In May of 2024 was the unveiling of a 10 ft x 22 ft Wiarton Mural (Wiarton, Ontario) that she created. It is dedicated to the history and memory of the Veterans from the War of 1812 to present day.
And on the 1st November 2025, was the unveiling of a bronze sculpture she created that is dedicated to the Fallen. It is incorporated in the kiosk of “The National Memorial To The Fallen” (Kingston, Ontario).
Her artwork is also frequently used for book and magazine covers and continues to dedicate her efforts in creating artwork that honours the history and culture our country of Canada.
