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.
Comments (28)
I'm a huge fan and regular viewer of that graffiti wall. I like how the wilderness mural will end up being splattered with urban graffiti...it's already started and they can't stop it. I'll think of it as a symbol of the best thing about living in Toronto...living in a great urban setting while being only 1 hour away from cottage country and nature. Do we have Grizzly Bears in Ontario though? Not sure about that mural people.
The folks at Funktion Gallery probably know the deal with this -- they've held an event called ComeUnity at this locale in the past.
I saw only the silhouette of the trees last week and liked it a lot better than what was there previously, which was fading away and growing haggard looking.
It'll be interesting to see what the final product will look like at minimum. I'm looking forward to it.
Will the mural painting crew paint over the graffiti that has been painted over their mural background?
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.
themes are usually picked by the graf artists and probably has little to do with the municipality etc. either way, the artists taking part in this keele wall are heavy hitters in the toronto scene and are recognized internationally.
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.
I have lived in the area for years and loved the graffiti that was there previously. I don't even want to call it "graffiti" because it often has a negative connotation. It's art. And it was a helluva lot more interesting than that replica of a Kodiak sweatshirt.
I think whoever's doing the mural will probably remove the added graffiti...But who is to stop more artists from adding their personal touches to the mural once it is completed?
these guys are called the HSA.. Humble Servants of Art.. and they are by far the best graphers in the city..
a few of the guy are named
Bacon, Kane & Recca..
Plenty of graffiti crews in Toronto will pick a theme for a big wall like this, when they're starting fresh. It's a good way to keep a bunch of pieces unified for large scale projects. If you see a group of painters working together, especially for a legal/commissioned wall of this size, that's usually how they'll work.
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.
Must be frustrating when you're trying to make something look nice and a graffiti artist comes along and tags it. Bit of irony.
See now that’s a horrible way to look at it.. Graph can be/usually is beautiful in its own right.. what you need to differentiate between ‘Tagging’ and ‘Graph’
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..
I will re-post what Ace Six had to say. Read it again people. He knows what he's talking about.
"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'm painting the wall.
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.
The shots you got of the old pieces are by the same people.. so you’re really just collecting their art.. They have been painting that Midas wall for years..
HSA have never disappointed.. Too all you doubters.. wait and see.
I had decided I didn't like what was there thus far (the wildlife theme)..but now that I have found out that it's the same artists working on this latest project, I'm eager to see how it turns out in the end (and feel like a bit of an ass for jumping the gun and commenting when I didn't really know what I was talking about) :P
Bygones.
so it was uncool when you thought it was by 'the man', but now that you know some members of the 'community' are doing it it's somehow cool, and people who would tag over it are inconsiderate.
some people who advocate for 'street art' seem like complete muppets.
Not at all. I still don't like the wilderness bit. I'm hoping however, that it will transform into something I like since I've generally liked the graffiti that has been in that particular area in the past and knowing it is by the same artists,I trust that I will like the outcome. Maybe I won't.
yeah what ace six said. And it's graf it doesn't stay up for long in the public domain because the public often fights it, and it's not respected by punk ass kids; HSA is like the modern day Group of 7, so if you want in on the "action" you gotta buy something on canvas etc.. One of the HSA has a show at Show & Tell Gallery right now; dumb asses! The Keele wall gets done up like almost every year. Fresh for 2009 yeeeah!!!!!!
skams little throwup looked good. three throwups already on the wall today around 3pm. walls got potential.
quality lol, I like this, I saw something like this on http://www.hire-a-graffiti-artist.co.uk
Why doesn't the wildreness artist use that lovely lift and put the mural at 18'-10' high? Seems like a longevity solution to me. KEEP THE ARTWORK OUT OF REACH. I do it all of the time for my digitally printed work... and then, of course, go splash on an anti-graffiti coating....
It's all about the elevation....
Matthew J. Orley of Copley, OH
it's funny to see the comments on here from regular joes, then see the fierce rebuttles by all the ancient graffitti boys...On another note, Ace, pleasure seeing you at the wedding in April. Cheers.
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