The world is changing….

Posted on January 7, 2025 by Mary C

The previous post, Utopia and smiley faces, showed a mural on Via Regina Margherita in Stornara. It is not the only mural on that wall. This is the next chapter in the story.

below: “The world is changing” are the first few words written on this mural. It was painted in 2022 as part of Comix Street Stornara, by Alaniz, and Wanda Hutira,

street art mural on a wall in Stornara Italy,

below: Princess Mononoke and she-wolf Moro come from an animated Japanese film. The story is about “Mononoke” (a “wolf-girl”), a foundling raised by the Goddess – Lupa Moro, protector of the forest. The plot is too and complicated for this blog post, but it involves a the war between the forest gods and the people of Irontown.

below: “The world is changing. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth and I smell it in the air.” A white wolf with many sharp pointy teeth snarls at the fox beside him.

below: Flowery and colourful, a painting by Margay Art (aka Margot) , “Coyote Mediterraneo”,

below: Human figures walking on leaves caught in barbed wire beside the leaves and plants flowing from the fox’s face. In the caption to this photo I have cut and pasted the artist’s description of the painting that I found on her Instagram page. The translation is from Google Translate so tread with caution!

“El zorro es el coyote del mediterraneo. Se mete a traves de la “macchia”, de las praderas. Su pelaje toma el olor de las plantas salvajes y sus ojos se llenan de la sed de libertad. El zorro no se detiene ni en las barreras, ni en los alambrados como muchas almas en equilibrio sobre las fronteras.
Represente a la marguerita que es la flor nacional de Italia. Al olivo y al laurel, emblematicos del mediterraneo, al roble por su fuerza, a la avena sativa por su particular modo de dispersion de semillas ( ella tambien se agarra del zorro para plantarse al otro lado del campo evitando el empobrecimiento genetico de la especie) y al opio por tener una flor que pierde sus petalos cuando la cortas ya que solo se admira su belleza cuando esta viva y libre.”
TRANSLATION: The fox is the coyote of the Mediterranean. It slips through the “macchia” (grassland). Its fur takes on the scent of wild plants and its eyes are filled with the thirst for freedom. The fox does not stop at barriers or fences, like many souls balanced on borders.
It represents the daisy, which is Italy’s national flower. The olive and the laurel, emblematic of the Mediterranean, the oak for its strength, the sativa oat for its particular way of dispersing seeds (it also grabs onto the fox to plant itself on the other side of the field, avoiding the genetic impoverishment of the species) and the opium for having a flower that loses its petals when you cut it, since its beauty can only be admired when it is alive and free.

below: At the far end of the wall, there is a mural by Eloi Angel (aka TMX) and Roseta Fuster Serquera, titled “Freedom” When we were young, we had to work. When we are older we are free from work but we have not the strength to do everything we want.

street art mural on a wall in Stornara Italy, sorting apples and putting some in a bag

Other ComixStreet murals in Stornara that I have written about

Photos taken February 2024

Utopia and smiling faces

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Mary C

trees on sidewalk beside mural on a wall, by Toni Espinar titled the big lie, triptych of consciousness

On Via Regina Margherit in Stornara there is a large mural by Toni Espinar. It’s title is: “La gran mentira” (Triptico de la Consciencia) which translates to “The Big Lie (Triptych of Consciousness). Triptych refers to the fact that the mural is in three sections/scenes, each under its own arch. The arches resemble stonework found in church architecture.

The first frame is dominated by large purple creatures with big white teeth and shiny red eyes. Green biohazard symbols are in their mouths. A gargoyle-like human head with eyes closed is at the top of the arch.

Under the word “Utopia” is a very pregnant man with a tattoo that says “Respect” on his tummy. On his shoulder is another tattoo that combines the symbols for male and female. He is looking skyward, or perhaps heavenward. Is there a comparison to Christ that can be made here? Is there a resemblance to how the face of Jesus is often portrayed?

hairy gremlins with big ears and impish grins, and happy faces, in a mural

Tiger mom seems to push little tiger son into the boxing ring. The white words above the gremlins say “La grande bugia” which can also translate to “the big lie”. Across the top of the arch it says “cambiare mondo, non follia ma giustizia”, or “change the world, not madness but justice”

part of mural, La gran mentira (Triptico de la Consciencia)

The chest tattoo is a winged red heart with the equation e=mc2, Einstein’s theory of relativity. There is also a series of keyholes on his chest.

On the far right of the mural, a school of green fish swim together.

Photos taken February 2024

Around the World in East Chinatown

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Mary C

There are seven murals around Broadview and Gerrard East in Toronto, each one depicting a famous global landmark, a project called ‘Around the World in East Chinatown’. Although it was largely funded and organized by StART, other partners include the Toronto Parking Authority, 55 Division police, and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce (East Toronto).

A crew of more than 20 artists headed by Mike Kennedy worked for about 2 weeks to complete the murals. Each mural includes the ‘signature’ of the artists. I am not very good are deciphering (or remembering) the graffiti writing but I’ve had some help identifying the artists.

below: Christ the Redeemer now watches over Gerrard East. Painted by bacon. This is the statue built high on a hill overlooking Rio de Janeiro. The statue was designed by a Frenchman, Paul Landowski and built by a Brazilian engineer, Heitor da Silva Costa, between 1922 and 1931. Made of soapstone and reinforced concrete the statue stands 30m tall and has an arm span of 28m. He stands on an 8m high pedestal.

below: Putting the finishing touches on The Great Wall of China, a collaborative effort by Nick Sweetman, Wuns, Rons, Tens, Braes and Wales. The actual wall was built in sections over many centuries and includes walls, trenches and natural elements such as hills and rivers. Parts of the wall are in better repair than others – around Beijing where more tourists visit, the wall has been fixed up and is well maintained. Measurement of the wall varies but if all the branches of the wall are taken into consideration, the total length is about 21,000 km.

below: A hummingbird flies over Machu Picchu in the next mural. Machu Picchu was built by the Incas in the 15th century in what is now Peru. It is on a mountain ridge, 2430m above sea level.

below: Machu Picchu. Painted by Bacon, Kwest, Kane and Rath.

below: In the same parking lot as Machu Picchu but on the other side, is a very large mural centered around an image of the Taj Mahal. Painted by Sight, Hone, Water, Equal and Tenser.

below: Commissioned in 1632 by the Mogul Emperor, Shah Jahan, the Taj Mahal was built as a mausoleum for his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal. She was born Arjumand Banu Begum, a daughter of Persian nobility in Agra India. In 1613, when she was 19, she married Prince Khurram (later he became Shah Jahan) as his 3rd or 4th wife. She died in June of 1631 while giving birth to their 14th child. If my math is correct, that’s 14 children in 18 years. After the Shah died in 1666, he was buried here too. Anyhow, many centuries later, the Taj Mahal is still standing in Agra India and it is visited by millions every year.

below: Teeny tiny people dwarfed by the doors of Petra, Jordan. Petra is an ancient city with immense buildings cut out of the sandstone cliffs and hills. It was once a thriving trading center and the capital of the Nabataean empire between 400 B.C. and A.D. 106 when it was called Raqmu. The Nabateans were a nomadic Arab tribe. Their empire came to an end when they were conquered by the Romans and their land annexed into the Roman Empire.

below: The whole Petra mural on the walls of an alley tucked in between the Ka Ka Lucky Seafood BBQ Restaurant and Paradise Spa on Broadview Avenue. This mural was painted by Hemps.

below: The Roman Coliseum (Rome) is now on the corner of Broadview and Gerrard. This is half of the mural and when the photo was taken it was incomplete. It is now finished – a second visit for a photo is in my future! The Coliseum (or Colosseum) is in Rome and it was built by 80 A.D, just before the Roman Empire swallowed up the Nabateans. It was built as an amphitheatre and could hold at least 50,000 spectators – people who came to watch gladiator fights, enactments of classical dramas, or other forms of entertainment.

below: The right hand side of the mural with the graffiti writing signature of the artist. If I could only easily photoshop out that garbage bin. Mural painted by Sewp, Poser and Frens.

below: Chichen Itza ruins in Yucatan Mexico and a jaguar on the side of the Sunshine Hair Studio, partially obscured by greenery. Painted by Cruz, Rons, Sadar and Rcade. Chichen Itza was the largest Mayan city covering about 5 square km. It flourished between 900 and 1050. The mural depicts El Castillo, or the Temple of Kukulcan, the building at the center of Chichen Itza that dominates the site.

And that concludes the seven new murals – Christ the Redeemer statue, The Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal, Petra, the Roman Coliseum, and Chichen Itza.

This mural project follows the success of last year’s Project Picasso in the same area. Graffiti from some of the lanes was cleaned up and a Chinese themed mural was painted on the brick wall at the back of the parking lot on Gerrard Street East, just west of Broadview Avenue. Riverdale Collegiate students helped with the graffiti clean up and contributed ideas for the mural.

below: Chinatown East mural by ACK crew, bacon, wunder, tensoe 2, and cruz1

below: Chinese icons painted in the mural – a resting tiger, cherry blossoms, red Chinese lanterns floating by, a lucky cat with its paws up, and a panda munching on a piece of bamboo.

below: A red dragon beside some Chinese characters. Does anyone know what it says?

Photos taken in 2016. As of Dec 2024, all of these murals still exist and most are in reasonably good condition.

This post also appears as “Seven New Murals Plus” in As I Walk Toronto

The Original Family

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Mary C

Sometimes there are silver linings when buildings get demolished. Until recently, this wonderful mural was difficult to get a good look at. Now that there is a vacant lot next door I was able to get a much better picture of it.

The title of the mural is “The Original Family” and it is based on an Anishinaabe creation story. The artist, Philip Cote, has been telling Anishinaabe stories through his mural painting for at least twenty years, including a series of images on the concrete supports of a bridge at Old Mill subway station (see Spirit Stories Under Old Mill in this blog).

Once construction starts on this new building, the mural will become partially obscured again.

Beverly murals and stickers

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Mary C

… The Beverly in Massachusetts that is

below: Large back and white mural by Alex Senna with feet overhanging a parking lot.

large black, white, and grey mural by Alex Senna, a male, reclining, feet in sandals

below: The large feet also sit above a line of circus themed images. These vignettes, so to speak, are also seen on the other side of the building (a theater). Some of them are shown here.

feet from mural by Alex Senna, on red brick wall, with a line of circus images below, an elephant,

below: Two clowns.

below: Magic rings

below: Another magician with his props

below: “Welcome to the Golden Theater Beautiful” on one side and “Le Grand David and his Own Spectacular Magic Company” on the other.

below: Appropriately, it was painted on a bicycle store wall. Sadly, the bike shop closed in 2018 after being in business for 70 years. The frog on its bike endures.

on upper part of red brick building, a green frog on the seat of an old fashioned bicycle with a very large front wheel

below: Mural by Helen Bur and Sam Worthington, “Uprising”

below: This mural is dedicated to Howard Lomen (1959-2004). There are words written on the mural including: “Charles Olson and Vincent Ferrini fire their poetry pistols in a dual at niles beach.” It was painted by his son Erik Lomen. Both Olson and Ferrini (in the black hat) were poets from the Gloucester MA area (just up the coast from Beverly).

below: The blur of headlights in the night, a mural by Dana Woulfe

below: A lively flower arrangement by Hailey Bonia

below: Nowhere over fast and a burning car

below: Stay Calm and Love Your Neighbourhood

below: Stickers on a stop sign including a green snail

Photos taken July 2024

mountain villages, mural village

Posted on November 26, 2024 by Mary C

Ihwa-dong is a neighbourhood, built on a hill (Mount Naksan) in Seoul. Some of the houses are literally built into the city walls. Because of its hilly nature, it is often referred to as a mountain village. In 2006 as a cultural project there was an effort to transform this relatively poor section of the city into an artistic landmark by adding public art – especially murals. Seventy artists were involved. The area became a tourist destination. It was also saved from demolition and redevelopment.

In 2016 the residents petitioned to have the art removed as they did not like the increase in tourist traffic. The local government didn’t do anything so some of the residents painted over a few of the more popular murals. There are also reports of murals being painted over in 2023 … or residents adding their own art

painting on a wall, I love seoul where the love is a red heart

below: A woman walks down (very down!) a street in Ihwa-dong

below: A small neighbourhood behind a fence. Bright red shutters.

a small street art mural on the front of a house, image is a collection of houses, streets, and fences

below: Girl with a red balloon at number 69.

street art painting, a girl in black stencil, holds the string of a red balloon

below: Little puppy dogs and a friendly kitten by the hedge

street art mural, green background like grass or a leafy hedge, 3 little dogs and a cat. one of the dogs has a long stem rose between its teeth

below: Toucan and monkeys. The black car is blocking the shiny green car but he doesn’t seem to mind.

mural on a wall, three black and white monkeys, and a large toucan with a bright beak. a car is parked in front of the mural and is blocking part of it. Also in mural, a man is getting out of a car

below: Watching time, but it’s always ten past two; watching each other but seeing nothing.

two street art paintings in black and white, on the right is an analogue clock with hands pointing to time that is 2:10. on the left are two men with binoculars, looking at each other up closely so that the ends of the binoculars touch

below: Motorcycle parcel delivery (although on closer inspection, it might be a trailer load of cardboard for recycling)

street art mural, a man in a low back motorcycle that is pulling a trailer loaded with parcels

below: A great place to see views of Seoul…. but there are a lot of stairs!

below: Up a narrow street (no not street, just stairs), more paintings on the walls

below: Doorway conversation

below: Square head sitting with a woman with very, very long red hair

below: Fish by the door of the shop

… fish on the wall

orange and white carp painted on blue wall

… and fish kissing teapots.

a real teapot hangs beside a painting of a fish that looks like the fish is going to kiss the teapot

below: A tired old faded bear sits by the road

a very large stuffed teddy bear is sitting in a rocking chair on the sidewalk beside a house. bear is weathered and faded.

below: Looking down to the layer below where people are sitting outside Espresso Bar Odeoksae Coffee. They are joined by a few silent people on the walls. To the left, two camels have wandered into the scene.

people sitting outside coffee shop, street art on walls of odeoksae coffee shop

below: Rainbow stripes and some silhouette figures that look they belong in Alice in Wonderland – a trumpet blowing rabbit and the queen of hearts.

wall is painted in rainbow stripes in the front, and in pale blue in the back. on the back are three figures in black silhouette with red hearts

below: Slouching past with his mind on other things far away….

mural of a young man walking past a brick building

below: Yellow shirts and flowers

mural on a wall of a man in yellow shirt and black pants, and sandals, standing there

below: This is Son Heung-min who is the captain of the Tottenham Hotspurs as well the South Korea national team.

street art painting of a soccer, football, player, with words super son number 7, white jersey,

below: Off to the shops with her bright red purse and blue shopping bag

street art painting on a wall, woman in blue skirt, carrying red purse, and pulling blue shopping cart

below: People on the boat, fish swimming under it.

Photos taken September 2024

Hongdae murals

Posted on November 24, 2024 by Mary C

On a small street in the Hongdae neighbourhood of Seoul is a wall of murals painted by Artime Joe

Flowers, animals and little critters on skateboards.

Play! Playground!

Next to the Artime Joe murals is this blue container that has been decorated with monstrous faces. Monsters in pinks and yellows making playful and silly faces, like kids in front of a camera. More playground.

mural on the side of a blue metal container, monsters making faces, red, orange, pink,

Photos taken September 2024

downtown Worcester

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Mary C

below: Wrdsmth – “This is my palette. A mere twenty-six deep, yet the possibilities are infinite.” … Plus his typewriter that appears in all his graffiti and street art. The mural also credits PowWow Worcester which was an annual arts festival (for a few years prior to 2021) that was responsible for bringing a number of murals to the city.

below: A tower of women, by Marka27, aka Victor Quinonez, 2016, a very vertical mural on the side of the parking garage at Federal Plaza.

below: A painting by Christina Angelina, another parking garage mural at Federal Plaza

below: Another mural that was painted during a PowWow Worcester is this cartoon-like painting by Greg Mike (2016).

below: Jason Eatherly’s trucks parked beside the old brick building.

below: One of the first murals painted in Worcester is this now slightly faded creation by Caleb Neelon

below: Calligraphy type design, part of a larger mural by Imagine, aka Sneha Shresta.

below: At the YWCA, two young girls in shades of blue on a red background.

below: Keep on smiling!

Photos taken July 2024

There were also murals by Damien Mitchell (below) and Insane that I saw in downtown Worcester but they have already been featured in a prior blog post, (Insane + One)

*****

Chicopee’s people

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Mary C

below: Chicopee mural along the ground floor level of an apartment building in the center of town.

many cars parked in front of a 4 storey brick apartment building, with murals painted across the lower level, the word chicopee in large red capital letters, a red and white tram with people, a woman on a bicycle, poppies,

below: From a different angle

red and white tram, with people, part of larger mural

below: The poppy as a symbol of remembrance. I haven’t been able to learn why it appears in at least three murals in the city unless it is coincidence). There are poppies in the Chicopee mural above as well as on this smaller painting. The state flower is the mayflower so that is not an explanation for the poppy….

below: “Work and Progess”, Commonwealth Murals, 2022

mural with title workers and progress, people in different jobs, different ages, men and women, and children

part of a larger mural, workman in a hardhat

woman, grandmother, and children in a mural

below: “Paint the Woods” by Christina Bryden, 2020 – A stained glass rose window makes this building look like a church but it is actually Chicopee City Hall. It was built in the early 1870s and the architect was Charles E. Parker of Boston. It was modelled on the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence Italy. Chicopee is on the Connecticut River.

mural by christena bryden titled paint the woods, shows chicopee city hall on the shore of a river, Connecticut river

below: USS Chicopee – During WW2 she served as a station tanker, or as an escort oiler, helping to refuel ships along the eastern USA coast or in the Atlantic. In the later stages of the war she saw service assisting the US Pacific Fleet (during Iwo Jima and Okinawa). In 1946 she was returned to her owners, Standard Oil; she ended her life as a container ship, under a few different names. She was scrapped in 2010.

black lives matter mural, portrait of three people with a word associated with each, valued, beloved, worthy,

below: A large white dog on a blue leash, a painting by Betz (half of dou, Etam Cru), aka Polish artist Mateusz Gapski. Painted March 2024 – it is on the same apartment building as the Chicopee mural at the top of this blog post. This painting was also a Beyond Walls project.

large mural of a white dog with a blue leash

Photos taken July 2024

El Punto apartments, Salem

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Mary C

The “El Punto” Neighborhood in Salem, Massachusetts now features over 75 large scale murals, by both world renowned and local artists, within a 3 block radius. It is all part of the Punto Open Air Museum, or Punto Urbana Art Project. This blog post focuses on the murals on the sides of a group lowrise (3 storey) apartment buildings in that neighbourhood. Some of these buildings are close together making it awkward to photograph the murals while still keeping in mind the residents’ privacy.

below: Avery happy woman in shades of purple, this is “Anacoana” by Ruben Ubiera, 2017

two buildings separated by a walkway, each has a mural on the side

below: “Communion with us” by GLeo – a young woman in white veil, dress and gloves.

group of 3 storey apartment buildings in el punto neighbourhood in Salem Massachusetts, home of Punto Open Air Museum, large murals on exterior walls

below: “Eternal Vibrations” by Trek6 (aka Oscar Montes). A hummingbird with long flowing colourful tail feathers, like ribbons blowing in the breeze as the bird flies.

below: One of the walkways between buildings.

below: Like the text says, “Here for the Imaginable” by Meg Zany, 2018

below: The shape of leaves, white on reddish brown, in an untitled mural by Veronica Rivera.

below: Part of “Stranger Things” by Jeff Henriquez, 2017 – three men in three different colours, with a night time scene with car lights and roads, running through them. (full mural in the next photo)