The candy-floss-pink building straddles a busy corner in Nanaimo, British Columbia’s historic “Old City.” Inside, up a narrow flight of stairs and down a short hallway, one can find Bueno, a sleek and modern boutique offering original designs in prints, bags, stickers, knick-knacks and other gift items. A keen eye has curated each product display area—colours, shapes, and patterns placed just so and perfectly complementing one another. This is the domain of artists.
Built in 1912, and originally a Merchant’s Bank of Canada, the Free Renaissance-style building itself is, in fact, a “Rattenbury.” That is, it was designed by architect Francis Rattenbury, of Empress Hotel and Parliament Buildings (Victoria, British Columbia) fame. The artists behind Beuno are in esteemed company. For one of these partners, Bueno—co-owned by Sebastian Abboud—and UFF Screen Printing are the real-life manifestation of a dream, and in his studio, printmaker Mauro Dalla Costa spends his days earning a living screen printing original and commissioned designs by hand.
Uff
Mauro’s story started in the city of Santa Fe, Argentina, a seven-hour drive north of Argentina’s bustling capital city, Buenos Aires. For the skilled printmaker and musician, this vibrant city was the place he called home. While pursuing an education in music and performing with various bands of different genres, such as reggae, pop, and electronic, Mauro’s path to a happy and successful future suddenly became clear. It began when Mauro set off to design and print T-shirts for his then heavy-metal band Miserimonium. With the help of a friend who had his own small press and screen, Mauro began learning the art of screen printing and soon fell in love with the medium. From then on, he spent his spare time practising the art by mixing and applying ink, pushing the ink through the mesh screens, and creating intricate and durable designs by hand. Layer by layer, colour by colour, he found his passion—and his new business.
Overwhelmed while staring at the long list of potential business names and attempting to choose the perfect one, the word simply came out: “Oof!” And there it was, the perfect name—UFF Serigrafia or, as it came to be called in Canada, UFF Screen Printing. After establishing his business, Mauro wanted to use this new platform to unite people. With this idea in mind, he founded a community of screen printers in Argentina. Screen printers from all over the country would come together to discuss their art and build connections over a barbeque in the sunshine.
Finding freedom
Some years later, after a visit to Calgary opened his eyes to the possibility of a life in Canada, he decided to emigrate. In 2017, after researching the immigration process, searching for a job in Canada, and going through the visa application process, Mauro, his wife Maillen, and their cat Neko left Argentina for Canada. With two packed suitcases in hand, they were ready to start their new life in the place they would soon call home: Nanaimo, British Columbia. This journey did not come without its challenges. As the distance between himself and his family and friends in Argentina increased, so did the need for a sense of local connection. During Mauro’s first year in Nanaimo, he suffered a great loss with the passing of his father. To move forward without the support system he had had in Argentina was incredibly difficult. Adapting to everyday life in Canada was also an immense challenge. For someone who had spent their whole working life self-employed, working a full-time job for a larger company was not an easy adjustment. Of course, the job itself was not the only challenge. Apart from missing family and friends, learning the English language was also a great obstacle.
The structure of his workdays and way of life also changed when he moved to Canada. In Argentina, due to the excessive heat during the day, businesses close at 12 p.m. and reopen at 4 p.m., staying open until late in the evening. During this closure time, people eat lunch, meet with friends, and relax because the heat is too overwhelming to work. Mauro remembered this aspect of the business culture back home and thought about the freedom he could regain if he could continue his entrepreneurial career here in Canada.
After gaining the confidence to leave his full-time job, Mauro reopened UFF Screen Printing here in Canada, where he works with various artists and companies to bring their visions to life for merchandise, album covers, posters and many other screen-printed works of art. With the new life he created for himself in Nanaimo came a great sense of freedom; this freedom is what made Mauro truly happy here. “I love my freedom. I love to be able to print something in the day, go to visit a friend, drink a coffee, and come back to print.” Every day, he works for himself and no one else, something he had always wanted to do. With this independence, he can spend his life doing what he loves: art. “I love the freedom, and I love the art and the connections with people.”
Tranquillity island
Working on his own terms has also allowed him to build the life of his dreams, surrounded by new family and friends, with easy access to nature all around: “It’s beautiful here. This place is amazing.” The picturesque landscapes, waterscapes, and majestic forests that are ever present on Vancouver Island were part of the reason Mauro chose to live in Nanaimo. He has always loved nature and is passionate about the environment and climate issues, a concern he applies to every aspect of his business, from using sustainable materials to minimizing energy usage during operations.
In Nanaimo, Mauro also has a newfound sense of security. “I chose Canada because it’s safe. My wife can go around. I don’t have to call her every ten minutes. She’s okay. You know, in Argentina, when she goes out by herself, I have to make sure that everything is okay. Here in Canada, I can sleep deeply.” In Argentina, Mauro lived with bars on the windows of his home, waking to every sound in the night. Now, he says his life is peaceful. “I can take my car and go to the forest or see the ocean in five minutes. That is a dream. The freedom that I have now is amazing. Even if the money that I was making is not the same, I am secure with my salary every month and can pay my bills. I have ups and downs all the time. But at least this is mine, you know, and it’s my decision if I go wrong; if I do bad, this is my fault.”
What’s important
Mauro has a simple dream that is well on its way to coming true. He desires not to be immensely rich or hugely famous but to be happy and to do what he loves. “Many people want to create a big business full of money and all that. For me, if I can print in my house, I can pay the bills. I’m okay. I’m with my cat and my wife. I sold all my life in Argentina. We sold my bed, my kitchen, my fridge—everything in my house was empty when we moved. All those things make you realize that material things are just nothing. It’s more about the people around you. If I have good friends, and if I can visit Argentina or have some friends come here, that’s enough.”
He would also like to create a printmakers association here in Canada, like the one he had back home in Argentina. “[In this association], we can teach, put together many artists, and maybe do workshops and also some art, do art galleries. What I love is to connect with artists. I love to print posters for all our artists. I love to print for tour bands. I do a lot of merch because I really connect with musicians, and they know about the art—they have more knowledge. They appreciate the work that you’re doing, that it is all colour by colour and handmade. And that is a big thing; when both of us understand our positions, that is great. It’s a better connection.”
Mauro’s message to recent immigrants or people from around the world who are thinking of starting a new life in Canada is not to be afraid and to take a leap of faith. Where that leap of faith lands could be a great challenge, but it could also turn out to be something wonderful that you never could have imagined. “The experience of living here changed my life. Trust more in yourself. Don’t be afraid to say what you think. Because sometimes we are immigrants, and we are afraid to lose our jobs, our visas or whatever, and you silence many things in your life, in your jobs, in many occupations. But the best advice that I can give is, do it for yourself. Do it because you want to do it. Because otherwise, you’re going to be working for a dream that is not yours.”
