Contemporary

Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world.

  • 3D Foil Balloons

    8×8 ft hand painted Interactive Balloon Mural at Emerald Hills Shopping Centre.
    Client requested an ‘Instagrammable Wall’ with interactive balloons. With the rest being left to my creative freedom, I decided to elevate this popular mural idea with foil balloons that give a 3D effect.
    The mural is painted in a trick-of-the-eye abstract style where from up close it appears to be just blocks of colour but from a far the illusion of floating foil balloons is seen.

    Artist: Alixandra Jade

  • Manchester Square East Mural – The Lady of Manchester Square

    24 x 24 ft hand painted mural on the east side of Manchester Square.
    Given creative freedom, I carried over similar subject matter and colour palette from the west mural for a unison feel while creating a completely different tone to better suit the location of the wall. All along, with the same goal of complimenting the aesthetic of the building.
    The mural is painted in a trick-of-the-eye abstract style where from up close it appears to be just blocks of colour but from a far a woman’s face, peonies, and butterflies can be seen.

    Artist: Alixandra Jade 

  • Manchester Square West Mural – Floral Wall

    70 x 24 ft hand painted mural on the west side of Manchester Square.
    Client requested that the mural bring beauty and positivity to the community while complimenting the aesthetic of the building. The rest was left to my creative freedom.
    The mural is painted in a trick-of-the-eye abstract style where from up close it appears to be just blocks of colour but from a far the illusion of flowers over grown on the wall is created.

    Artist: Alixandra Jade

  • Renaissance of Mother Gaia

    Jacquie believes colour is the universal language of emotions; it is light and energy, an electric current to the human brain, known to possess healing properties to change our thoughts and the way we feel. This mural speaks of regeneration and the power of resilience through a year of deep challenges. Through experiences of loss, grief, and uncertainty of the future, we also find ourselves at the wake of a new light and social consciousness. She hopes this mural serves as visual therapy to encourage wellness and mental wellbeing.

    Artist: Jacquie Comrie

  • Reflections

    The design for Lakeshore Residences reflects Toronto scenes, buildings, and local biodiversity that make the city’s Lakeshore a rare treasure. The sky and lake mirror each other, while translucent windows from iconic buildings show peaceful vistas of the skyline. As you walk along, look for some of Lake Ontario’s fish, birds, and aquatic plant life that are shown at-scale.

    Organization: PATCH Project
    Client: Greenland Group
    Date: January 2020
    Photo: May Shi
    Artist: Pam Lostracco 

  • You Are Essential

    Created as part of StreetARToronto’s Front Line Heroes project, this mural celebrates our interconnection and honours the critical role that every single person is playing during the pandemic and moment of global reimagining. I offer this message of gratitude as part of a practice that helps me stay connected to the richness of life, the goodness in people, and the generosity and abundance of mother nature. It can feel challenging to stay connected to the positives when there is so much injustice, inequity, environmental devastation and pain. Practicing gratitude as often as possible is one thing that helps give me the strength to show up and keeps me grounded and hopeful that collective actions will lead to a better future.

  • Pin Cushion

    This new piece titled “PinCushion// Stay Afloat” is about the current state of our city as many businesses are forced to either close or struggle to remain open due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The design includes my signature elements of suspended geometry complimenting a flock of birds migrating through the landscape as a sign of ever-constant change. The organic nature of these objects floating carefully above what looks like “needle’ pointed mountains is a reference towards how careful and cautious businesses must be now (and this also relates to us) in order to stay above. To stay afloat and more importantly to stay alive.
    Artist: Andre Kan

  • Grandmother

    Womxn Paint, 2018, Toronto, On. 15’ x 20’ (300 square feet)

    Created for the Womxn Paint festival in downtown, Toronto, a festival celebrating women in street arts, while revitalizing Toronto’s laneways.

    Artists: Lacey and Layla Art (LALA)

  • Grow old with me

    Grow old with me, the best is yet to be, Underpass Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

    The “Mural Routes, Multipli’city Project” is a project to revitalize and brighten up urban underpasses to encourage public community engagement and make areas safer for the Toronto community. For this project the artists elected to represent age diversity in urban environments, celebrating the elderly who help shape communities and lives as the wise story-tellers and most experienced members of society. Lacey and Layla’s mural is a celebration of ageing, and a reminder that with age and experience comes to a new joy and sense of humour the redefines the expression young at heart. Lacey and Layla Art (LALA)

  • Northern Crossing

    Joeys Restaurant Bell Tower, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 90 x 9 ft.

    Northern Crossing is an exterior mural commissioned by the Joey’s Restaurant Group for their location in Edmonton at Bell Tower. This mural is a celebration of the beauty and wonder of northern Alberta’s wilderness.

    Artists: Lacey and Layla Art (LALA)

  • Quoth the Raven, Nevermore

    “Quoth the Raven, Nevermore” 900 ft2, acrylic paint, Nelson, British Columbia, 2020. Funding Body: Nelson International Mural Festival.

    This annual mural festival is held in the charming mountain town of Nelson in British Columbia. The mural was inspired by the surrounding natural splendour and allure of the rich forest and wildlife. This colourful depiction of the raven will be the personification of the winged mystery that has captured the imaginations of cultures globally and for centuries. This adaptable and highly intelligent bird has appeared in myths and stories as the wise teacher, the trickster, the creator and the companion.

    Artists: Lacey and Layla Art (LALA)

  • Colour Outside the Lines

    “Colour Outside the Lines”- 1800 ft2 acrylic paint, Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, 2020. Funding body: StreetARToronto. Budget $33,000.00.

    In November of 2018, the artists developed and held art workshops with elementary school children of The Mississauga’s of the New Credit First Nation to collaborate on a vibrant mural intended to highlight the beauty and whimsy of children’s imaginations. This mural was installed on unceded land near a historical Indigenous burial site in Scarborough.

    Artists: Lacey and Layla Art (LALA)

  • Pillars of the Community

    “Pillars of the Community”, Rogers Place Arena, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 2016. Approximately 2,227 square feet (67.5 ft x 33 ft)

    Pillars of the Community is a public art project that reflects the diverse culture, character and spirit of Edmonton’s inner-city community. Working together with Boyle Street Community Services- an inner-city initiative to combat homelessness and poverty- the artists photographed people from all walks of life to capture the very real essence of the Edmonton core. This project is about the honesty of urban life- the daily faces, the overlooked and the under-praised that all contribute to the vast culture of this urban wilderness. The use of colour and lines draw connections and help to highlight Edmonton’s reality – complex, urban, vibrant and yet still connected.

    Artists: Lacey and Layla Art (LALA)

  • Passage

    “Passage” created for the Wall2Wall Mural Festival in downtown Winnipeg, MB in 2019. Location “The Forks” Market, 864 square feet (36’x12’ x 2 murals)

    “Passage” is a diptych about time and place, place in one’s life, one’s city, and one’s heart. With this project, we wanted to paint an idea, rather than an individual, a representation of the complexity of human life, evoking a conversation on issues of loneliness, community, compassion and the challenges we each pass through in our life. This elderly figure, who has lived a life full of both trauma and triumph gazes deeply into the beauty of a prairie sunset. These tunnel walls at The Forks is the perfect location to represent the love and comfort provided by proximity to nature. We hope that viewers passing by this project will find a connection, both with their own relationship to nature and their compassion for humanity.

    Artists: Lacey and Layla Art (LALA)

  • Langland Farms

    “Langland Farms” 2,300ft2, acrylic paint, Bruce County, ON, 2019. Funding body: Langland Farms.
    This mural project was undertaken to highlight the beauty of farm life while repurposing an underutilized farm structure and creating an outdoor gallery for this small rural community. It can be seen from a major route of travel in the area and has since become a local tourist attraction, highlighting the dedication of local families to rural life.

    Artists: Lacey and Layla Art (LALA)

  • To be Seen

    “To be seen” was a project created during the 2019 BUMP mural festival of the Beltline district of Calgary, Alberta, approximately 5,000 square feet.
    “This mural is a celebration of the people of inner-city Calgary, a walk-through portrait of real people from the community that contribute to the daily experience. This is an important concept to us, one we repeat often- that authentic people, coming from all backgrounds and living all walks of life deserve to be celebrated and visible. Life in our urban environments are over-saturated and over-stimulated, and therefore we try to use public art as a reminder of the importance of each and every individual, from the baker to the banker to the impoverished. We hope “To be seen” will help encourage a little more humanity, to take the time to recognize and appreciate the unique individual in those around you. We’d like to thank the Mustard Seed, The Albert Tower Seniors residence, street photographer @calgarystreets, and BUMP festival for their aid with this project.” 

    Artists: Lacey and Layla Art (LALA)

  • Leif: 1993-2019

    “Leif (1993-2019)” 1900 ft2 acrylic paint, Montreal, Quebec, 2020.

    This project was undertaken as a memorial to honour and celebrate the life of Leif. The funding of the production materials and equipment was fundraised with the help of Leif’s family and the artists donated the entirety of the production of the mural.

    Artists: Lacey and Layla Art (LALA)

  • Look Closely

    “Look Closely” was a self-initiated project funded by us, and subsidized by a personal art auction and kind donations by patrons, friends and family. Our intent with this project is to celebrate and promote age diversity and the beauty and wisdom in growing older in the bustling heart of Montreal’s trendy and young Plateau neighbourhood.

    Artist: Lacey and Layla Art (LALA)

  • Chinatown Hummingbird

    This 18 x 35′ mural on the edge of Ottawa’s Chinatown was commissioned by the Somerset St. W/Chinatown BIA and the City of Ottawa. The Peonies were requested as they are good luck in Chinese culture. Medium: Spray Paint and Acrylic on Brick. May, 2020.

    Artist: Dom Laporte

    Assistant: Anais Labreque

    Photo Credit: Reg Albino