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.

  • N/A

    It’s like a mix between geometric language with different patterns, digital parts with organic parts… something like that. The Edmonton mural, for which Alberta is supposed to serve as the inspiration, should last forever although some colours may fade somewhat from exposure to sunlight.

  • Backstories

    This mural features a backstage scene, with props and set building materials. It’s located behind the theatre, and I liked the parallels between a backstage and an alley—all the types of objects you can find in both areas, and how each of those objects have backgrounds and stories they help narrate. Quite a few of the objects featured in the mural have symbolic significance to the building and the community, such as the fire coming out of one of the vents (for when a fire blazed out of that very spot), and the watering can for a homeless man named Whiskey, who waters the plants and keeps the neighbourhood clean, and with whom I shared many lovely chats throughout the weeks I worked on the mural. My hope is that the objects in the mural will gain extra narratives, holding different significance for each viewer, as the piece ages into its surroundings.

  • The Hero

    ‘The Hero’ mural, crafted by the artistic talents of Hardthirteen, Trevor Peters, and Annaliza Toledo, not only ranks as their largest creation but also signifies a monumental achievement for EMF. It is a striking work of art, radiating both immense presence and boundless inspiration.

  • N/A

    “The client wanted a wall that showcases the diversity of their surrounding neighbourhood as well as the city as a whole.”

  • Nest

    While the nature of my work is to live within the surreal, a world that I often describe as an escape from reality, it’s an incredibly fun challenge to interpret a very real theme or issue within the realm of my work. Often the elements that make it more fantastical, actually make it universally relatable, as it allows more people to see themselves in the work than a purely literal interpretation of the subject matter would allow. For this piece, “Nest”, I worked with the themes of inclusion and community and pondered what a safe space looked like for all of us. Whether it’s a home, a person, community, or even a sense of calm we find within ourselves; I wanted to create a piece that felt like the place someone would go when they need a safe haven. Wherever it is, I hope you find your “Nest.

  • Goddess Victory

    Painted by duo PichiAvo on one of the most visible walls of Edmonton Downtown.
    This big-sized horizontal wall, covered in graffiti, represents goddess Nike (Victory) leading a chariot horse.
    Four storeys tall and stretching 36 metres across.

  • CAN AND WILL

    When presented with this location for Rust Magic I knew immediately that I wanted to use a can motif—reflecting not only the business in the building (City Cellars), but also as a nod to the nearby “Brewery District” and the decommissioned Molson factory one block over. Most importantly, I wanted to use cans to demonstrate the wonder of aluminum recycling. Aluminum recycling is one of the only aspects of modern recycling that actually *works*—it’s a process that’s over 95% efficient (!!!), can be repeated indefinitely with no loss in quality, and about 75% of all aluminum produced worldwide since 1881 is STILL IN PRODUCTION TODAY. That is wild! It means that a tallboy or club soda you buy at the store today may have aluminum molecules from a can produced in the Molson factory next door, or from any other time and place. I’ve described this concept by creating a gradient of cans, where each can borrows a bit of colour from each of the ones beside it, suggesting a pattern of shared aluminum molecules stretching from the past into the future. On the second wall, two giant cans hold glimpses of our future: a “ship in a bottle” (though here it’s a can), a metaphor for an uncertain destination at the mercy of climate change’s hostile tides; and a bright green can hosting a thorny, scrappy plant, suggesting a tentative hope. So much of our current relationship with the environment is increasingly unstable, and even our best “green” intentions serve as a bandaid solution at best. However! Aluminum recycling is a tiny beacon in a largely broken industry. So, keep recycling those cans!