Contemporary Archives - Mural Routes

Quick Dip

Emily May Rose (she/her) is an award-winning artist and illustrator based in Toronto, Canada. Based on her own experiences, Emily’s work features a cast of recurring characters (most notably her weed-smoking, pizza-eating raccoons) to depict humorous situations that are relatable to many of us who are trying to survive in an urban environment.

GMC 2020 Riverside Mural

This mural is a mix of ideas that have come together from the inspiration of the artists involved. We wanted to create a piece that explores our growth and journey during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the question, “When everything stops, what keeps going?” The Girls Mural Camp 2020 officially got underway in mid-August 2020…

The image shows a large, vibrant mural painted on the side of a building against a bright blue sky with some clouds. The mural features a striking combination of natural and symbolic elements. On the left side, there are large, detailed flowers including an echinacea flower and three brightly coloured tulips. A bee is visible on the echinacea flower, emphasizing themes of pollination and nature's interconnectedness. In the centre, a graceful swan swims with several fluffy cygnets on its back, set against a background of blue water. To the right, a purple echinacea flower appears, with a swallowtail butterfly perched on it. Further right, a realistic depiction of a human skull adorned with golden crown speaks to the strong theatre culture. The mural is composed of many small, colourful hearts, giving it a pixelated effect from a distance. In front of the mural, a person stands in a mostly empty parking lot, wearing a black jacket and light blue jeans.

Heart of the Community

This mural embodies the idea that love is abundant and transformative when acknowledged. Composed of 25,000 individual heart pixels, the piece symbolizes the many small contributions that collectively shape a thriving community. Each heart represents an act of kindness, a shared experience, or a connection—woven together to reflect the unity and diversity within Stratford. Beyond…

Terre commune / Common ground

How can one represent in a single image a community’s attachment to its territory? The mural “Common Ground” offers us the vastness of the local landscape: the river, its islands, and its mountains. It evokes the diversity of its population united by the French language. A land of possibilities where the child embodies the unlimited…

A vibrantly coloured mural depicting an alien machine of many parts painted onto a garage door. Screens and wires attached to each other fill the entirety of the mural, with only a small amount of background colour showing through. The pieces of machinery are coloured in vibrant hues of turquoise, blue, purple and orange and feature bold outlines. Many of the pieces have cute, stylized faces on them as if they are alive. While they are machines, they drip and flow together almost as if made of clay. In the lower left corner is the signature of the artist painted in turquoise, it reads "Earth to Elize".

Strange Connections

‘Strange Connections’ was created as a part of the 2024 KJ BIT Collective Laneway Mural Jam on September 14th, 2024. It was the artist’s (Earth to Elize) first ever Aerosol mural. The theme of the Mural Jam was “connection”. This piece celebrates connection and collaboration through the depiction of a strange, flowing alien machine. It’s…

Moving Elevation

This was commissioned by the Citadel + Compagnie with a grant from the City of Toronto. “Citadel + Compagnie is a dance organization with its home, The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance, embedded within the Regent Park community of downtown Toronto. Through its creation, curation and cultivation of contemporary dance, Citadel + Compagnie’s mission is…

Joy

Commissioned by the City of Wood Buffalo for the Wood Buffalo Mural fest.

A long wall alongside train tracks featuring two large features, one looking up at a flower with a tear in her eye, the other mesermized by fire in their hand.

Allow me to be human in public

Painted by fatspatrol for Up Here Festival Year 10 themed “Are we there yet?”

This image features a modern building with dark grey panels and large windows reflecting clouds. In front of the building is a vibrant mural painted on a wall, displaying a pixelated design of two lush ripe strawberries, two strawberry leaves, a strawberry flower and a mushroom in bright colours against a pink and dark purple background. Instead of a typical pixel, the pixels are hearts. The mural includes a text in light pink cursive font stating, "little by little, a little becomes a lot." A circular wooden bench sits in the foreground on grass, enhancing the urban park setting.

Little by Little, A Little Becomes a Lot

“Little By Little” is a community mural project led by local artists Bareket Kezwer and Julia Prajza, designed as a gift of love to the West Toronto Railpath. Drawing inspiration from the power of collective, incremental actions and ancestral healing knowledge, this initiative aims to transform a prominent urban space into a canvas that celebrates…

Mural with Japanese plank bridge and blossom trees

Harmony Across Horizons

Celebrating Burlington’s Twin Cities Public Art Project – Sponsored by the City of Burlington Vinyl Wrap June 2024 Harmony Across Horizons serves as a visual celebration of the unique bond between Burlington and Itabashi, promoting the values of peace, unity, and global understanding. The design encapsulates the essence of Itabashi’s meaning, “plank bridge,” while celebrating…

L’envol (the uplifting)

For over 20 years, the Centre-Femmes La Jardilec in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli had dreamed of adorning its facade with an activist mural. Following a collaboration between the center’s members and visual artist Tania Hillion, the Centre-Femmes now boasts a mural that celebrates the strength and diversity of women. The mural “L’Envol” (The uplifitng) highlights the invisible burden…

$A photograph of a mural featuring a mom doing groceries with her son on a bike that defies physics. a buff dog is standing up on the back looking at a bird hidden in a chard. an orange cat with wings walks out of an apple house towards the rainbow forest.$

Surprise

Commissioned by Karma Food Co-Op through a Call for Submissions process and supported by StreetARToronto, Wandy Cheng painted this 52 feet wide x 14 feet tall wraparound design at the front entrance to attract new members to the laneway. The immersive environment made up of local produce during a parent’s commute may also resonate with…