#vancouvermurals

Commonly referred to in literature as the Fraser River Indians, the Sto:lo are a group of First Nations people historically living for millennia on land now part of Vancouver B.C. In 2017 estimates held the remaining Sto:lo population to be fewer than 9,000. That same year Vancouver Mural Festival continued "Highlighting Indigenous Artists"—an effort begun a year earlier—and invited environmental consultant and Sto:lo Tribal Council team member Carrielynn Victor to create this mural on E 4th at Main St in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. With ancestors from around the world, @VanMuralFest says Victor's desire to make progressive change through art is fueled by her "passion to leave positive imprints within the earth and the people."  @carrielynn_victor/

A few years older, with skills far more developed, in 2017 AA Crew (Virus, @Tarsizm and Dedos) took advantage of @VanMuralFest efforts to be more inclusive of graffiti artists and decided to "attempt to capture the essence of a certain era where the child mind gets to play, but also be conscious of its actions." On E Cordova St in Vancouver, BC the crew created this message about our relationship to machines and advice to viewers to not be so attached to our gadgets and devices.

With a distinctive style, bold design, and intense colors drawing viewers to walls around the world it's little wonder that Okuda San Miguel is among the busiest and most recognizable urban artists. Rich with symbolism the Madrid-based artists compositions often deal with societal conflicts and existential themes but seem to be viewed from a parallel universe giving the viewer room to find hope. In 2017 Okuda visited Vancouver, British Columbia for @VanMuralFest and at Alberta St and W 4th Ave created what appears to be a glimpse into the magic that remains in the Canadian wilderness.  @okudart/

Growing up on Vancouver Island, watching his father create architectural drawings and watercolors, Drew Young acquired an insatiable appetite for creating things. Young told @Booooooom he spent a year at Victoria College of Art "doing the regular degenerate doings one does in their late teens, i.e. misdemeanor arrests, smoking, drinking, and doing graffiti"—he now lives on the mainland in Vancouver, BC. Young says he's an "over-thinker" and his figurative work ends up sucking him into a time-consuming world of building characters and narratives, but invited by a friend to explore floral painting he has freed himself up work with big shapes of color and given himself permission to work more abstractly. In July, 2018 Young created his largest composition to date (3,000 sq ft) on W 3rd Ave for the Vancouver Mural Festival.  @drewstuff/  @vanmuralfest/

Born and raised in Tokyo, Taka Sudo told Sunrise Artists he "relocated to Canada for the skiing and stayed for the art scene." Working in a wide variety of mediums Sudo attributes his unique style to the influences of those dramatically different Transpacific environments, but says his greatest inspiration comes from the diverse group of creative people he's met along the way. In 2016 the first Vancouver Mural Festival was organized in Mount Pleasant—Vancouver's oldest neighborhood outside of downtown—as a celebration of the diverse cultures of the area and, at least in part, as a means of reconciliation with the First Nations on whose territory the city has been built. Taka Sudo created this mural on Broadway between Main St and Kingsway for the inaugural event and thanks to the quality work and the impact on the community @VanMuralFest has become a summer mainstay.  @takasudoart/

Irving Nayvet Cano Gómez says he burst into the world of graffiti at 16, with no knowledge of art or academic guidelines but an abundance of creativity and a childhood interest in modeling clay figures. Now in wide demand, both in galleries and for murals, Cano has set himself apart by marking his work with flourishes of his Oaxacan roots and art that "highlights the durability of his Zapotec culture of more than two millennia." In 2017 Cano was in Vancouver, BC for @VanMuralFest and painted this sax player on E 3rd Ave at Main St in collaboration with @Ari_DeLaMora who painted a Oaxacan dance scene at the far end.  @irvingcanoart/  

Founded in 2013, the 42,000 sq ft @MakerLabs is Vancouver's largest "makerspace" with communal work areas including a wood shop, metal shop, computer-controlled router table, laser cutters, sewing machines, and an electronics area. In addition to the creativity encouraged within the walls, MakerLabs' outer walls have also served as an important hub for the @VanMuralFestival and the variety of artists it brings together. In 2016 for the inaugural festival Brazilian artist/designers Douglas and Renato, aka Bicicleta Sem Freio—literally translated "Bicycle Without Brake"—brought their colorful rock n'roll-inspired imaginations to this E Cordova St wall.  @bicicletasemfreio/

#abroadwithacamera I have started going to the office for a couple half days a week. On my way home I walk from Railtown through Gastown. I took the back alley to view the #muralsofgratitude and this one impacted me the most. #vancouvermurals #gastownmurals (at Gastown) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDrXMEKhctE/?igshid=18jptexbblllp