Arts
Keele Graffiti Wall Getting a Wilderness Makeover
The Keele graffiti wall, an urban art treat for subway riders passing between Dundas West and Keele stations on the TTC Bloor-Danforth line, appears to have been given a clean canvas and a new mural is in the midst of being painted.
blogTO reader Amanda T emailed us to let us know that she's not particularly happy with the sudden covering of the eclectic mishmash that was there before, nor the choice of theme for the new project being started. "I can't imagine the artists who contributed to this wall over the years are taking it lightly. And if the owners were going to commission something... really? A wilderness silhouette?" she writes.
I just so happened to be in the area, so I stopped by to check it out. I wasn't able to confirm whether or not the new mural was commissioned by the owners of the building, nor were any artists on site to fill me in on the new project. But I did meet a giant, roaring grizzly bear.
Just one end of the mural, which appears to be set up to span the entire wall, has any extensive work done on it - trees, birds, and the roaring grizzly bear.
It also appears that at least one graffiti artist has already disregarded the "mural in progress" notice and covered over a section of the new background with some work reminiscent of what graced the wall before.
I guess we'll just have to wait and watch to see what develops on the wall in the coming days. Or is anyone reading this is more in touch with the goings on in the Toronto graffiti scene, perhaps they can catch us up to speed with what's being done here and whether it has the support of the graffiti community or not.
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It'll be interesting to see what the final product will look like at minimum. I'm looking forward to it.
torontos graffiti scene is one of the most vibrant and creative in north america (along with san fran, montreal, nyc) and has influenced a lot of smaller cities in canada.
a few of the guy are named
Bacon, Kane & Recca..
I don't know who's doing this wall right now, but most likely it's just a mural/graffiti crew doing a wilderness theme. The graffiti that's there is part of what will eventually be the finished product. The rest will end up on top of the existing background, have a matching color palette and maybe even integrate with the background elements a bit. Check out the festival paintings along the queen st alleys or back behind the drake and you'll see a lot of artists taking a similar approach - all sharing a theme, color palette, and style.
Totally legal.
Tags are ugly and are just someone wanting throw up their name, no forethought put into it at all.. ..
whereas Graph is something that is planned out.. as any ARTIST would.. which includes the Graphed version of their names.. it’s all done on purpose..
so it’s not ironic at all..
"are you guys really that clueless? HSA crew is re-doing the mural. those pieces are part of that mural along with the bears, background, etc. it's all the same people, yes they have permission, and yes they have the support of the graffiti community."
There are not 2 groups of artists. The wilderness and the graf are one. Now do you all see why it's art?
Hopefully this one won't receive the Spit treatment that the last one so dishonorably received.
I've been painting this wall for 19 years now with full permission from the BIA, the community and the Midas corporation.
The old work underneath this was there for 4 years and was fading, chipping, peeling and getting trashed. We decided it was time to re-paint it.
Yes, its a wilderness theme.
Yes, there will be graffiti style lettering on it.
Yes, its a huge wall and will take quite a lot of time to complete, so everyone just relax, it will be nice.
thx.
HSA have never disappointed.. Too all you doubters.. wait and see.
Bygones.
some people who advocate for 'street art' seem like complete muppets.
It's all about the elevation....
Matthew J. Orley of Copley, OH