Part of the fun of the 麻豆传媒映画Mural Festival is wandering the streets and trying to interpret the meaning behind the brightly coloured artworks.
The clouds didn鈥檛 for a second dull the vibe on Saturday as thousands of people crowded Mount Pleasant to be inspired by the new works, get creative, and enjoy a little music. 听
This year 40 artists worked on close to 30 walls with the help of 60 volunteers,听 so there was a lot to see.
While we got lost in the colourful back alleys we had the chance to speak to some of the artists about what their masterpieces meant to them.
Here's what we found out:
ARTISTS: Ciara Havishya and Zox Svetorovich
Mural: Chasms
On Saturday, tattooists Ciara Havishya and Zox Svetorovich were working to complete their mural Chasms on Seventh Avenue. Bringing the walls near the outside of the Elysium caf茅 to life.
Havishya, who owns Sticks and Stones tattoo parlour, said this was their first time creating a mural.
鈥淲e just wanted to see if we could take our skills as tattooists to a different scale and a different medium," she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a really rewarding experience."
The 24-year-old said, for her, the piece was about separation and grief.
鈥淭he birds are carrying twigs and flowers to build nests for better days,鈥� she explained.
鈥淭he chrysanthemums are symbols of prosperity and unfolding and evolution and wisdom. I think it is all about the wisdom of moving on.鈥�
She said people would no doubt view the mural in their own way.
鈥淚 think other people will see something that鈥檚 really beautiful,鈥� Havishya said.
鈥淭he darkness is there but there鈥檚 also a lot of light.
鈥淪o that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 hoping they鈥檒l see.听
鈥淭he dark grey walls are like our (Vancouver鈥檚) dark grey winters and then I hope the bursts of summer sunset freshness will bring some joy to people鈥檚 days.鈥�
Havishya said the mural would probably take nine days to complete.
ARTISITS: Phantoms in the Front Yard
Mural: Strange Bedfellows
One of the first eye-catching murals you鈥檒l see at Seventh Avenue and Ontario Street is Strange Bedfellows.
The piece has been likened to a 鈥榃here鈥檚 Waldo鈥� picture, and you鈥檒l understand why when you see it.
Pennylane Shen, curator of the festival and of the mural, said the seven artists behind the piece - Jay Senetchko, , , 听 , , and Andrea Hooge 鈥� have been working together for nine years.
She said each artist had a different style but they were all focussed on figurative art 鈥� people and portraits.
鈥淭he mural is an imagined exhibition of a Phantoms in the Front Yard art show,鈥� Shen explained on Saturday.
The mural features both well-known 麻豆传媒映画artists and imagined characters.
鈥淲e hope that people recognise some of the figures and that it鈥檚 engaging and fun.鈥�
Shen said the building the mural was painted on would also play host to the group鈥檚 10th year exhibition in 2019.
Artist Senetchko said the mural was 鈥減rimarily visually fun and interesting.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 constantly new things to discover and you鈥檙e trying to figure out what it鈥檚 about,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t is also a representation satirically of some of the amazing, lovely and wonderful but also terrible and lonesome things that are engaged in the art world.鈥�
He said his main attraction to doing murals was that it was one of the most obvious ways of being socially engaged with art.
鈥淚鈥檓 dedicated to trying to inject art back into the social fabric of things,鈥� he said.
鈥淭his is a very easy way of doing it because you have constant social interaction with the public.鈥�
The artwork took about 600 people hours to finish.
听鈥淎 lot of paint, a lot of time but a lot of fun too,鈥� Senetchko said.
ARTIST: Linsey Levendall
In an alleyway off Seventh Avenue, you鈥檒l find South African born artist, illustrator and conceptual designer Linsey Levendall鈥檚 incredible piece.
Levendall flew in from Capetown to be a part of the event, but has also spent seven years living in Saskatchewan, where he spent most of his time mastering different art techniques.
鈥淚t鈥檚 my first time doing a mural,鈥� the artist who boasts 65k Instagram followers said.
鈥淚 usually paint in oils.鈥�
He said he wanted to create a piece that made people stop and process things a little bit more.
鈥淚 think people get caught up a lot in the humdrum of everyday life,鈥� Levendall said on Saturday while putting the finishing touches on his work.
鈥淭he city swallows you up.
鈥淣o body has the time to just drink in their surroundings so I wanted to do something that was a little bit more feeling based instead of just decorative.
鈥淪omething that makes people stop and think a little bit more.鈥�
Levendall said his artwork was based on a pastel drawing he created about two months ago.
鈥淚 really enjoyed that piece of work that I was exploring at that time,鈥� he said.
鈥淓veryone has their own interpretation of what it is.鈥�
Levendall described the festival as an incredible experience and a great learning opportunity.
鈥淭his festival itself is very cool, in the sense that they鈥檝e given a platform to emerging artists,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been nice to see so many artists doing it for the first time.
鈥淚t says a lot about Vancouver, that they鈥檙e willing to take a chance on artists and let them express themselves."
He had no doubt the event would grow bigger and better in years to come.
鈥淧eople feed off the energy,鈥� he said.
鈥淓veryone has been exuding positivity. That鈥檚 what colour does. That鈥檚 what art is supposed to be doing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about inspiring us a little bit more and appreciating our environment a little bit more.鈥�
ARTIST: Alexia Tryfon
Mural: Argos
At first glance you might see a wolf running free in the wilderness, but this mural is actually inspired by Greek mythology.
Artist Alexia Tryfon, who was born and raised in Cyprus, said the piece - in an alleyway off Seventh Avenue - was based on the story The Odyssey by Homer.
鈥淔or me it鈥檚 more about bringing Greek history into 麻豆传媒映画and on to its walls,鈥� she said.
If you鈥檙e curious鈥� The story goes like this:
鈥淥dysseus leaves from his home and leaves his wife Penelope for 10 years to fight in the Trojan War,鈥� Tryfon explained.
鈥淗e named his crew the Argonauts after his dog Argos 鈥� the fastest, strongest, most cunning, loyal dog.
鈥淯pon his return to his home he finds his castle has been taken over by reckless suitors and they try to take his wife, Penelope.
鈥淗e tries to enter the castle by disguising himself as a beggar.
鈥淲hen he enters the only one who knows it鈥檚 him is his son.
鈥淎s he goes in he sees his dog Argos and he is broken and destroyed. He is on his last legs and he鈥檚 dying.
鈥淥dysseus passes by and Argos sees him.
鈥淚n his last moments Argos picks himself up and wags his tail to greet his master 鈥� saying you鈥檙e finally home.
鈥淏ut Odysseus can鈥檛 touch him, because that鈥檒l give away his disguise and he鈥檒l be killed. So he has to ignore him and walk by. As Argos falls and dies, Odysseus sheds a tear for him.鈥�
Tryfon said her mural was Odysseus on his next adventure.
鈥淎rgos is now part of the oceans and the skies and they protect each other. Together they are stronger.
鈥淚t can read different ways to many different people but that was my interpretation of it.鈥�
She said she hoped people were inspired by the day.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like walking in a giant art gallery,鈥� Tryfon said smiling.
鈥淚nstead of walking the street, people are starting to walk the alleyways.
鈥淚t鈥檚 opening up different parts of the city.鈥�
The piece took about a week and a half.
For more information about all the festival events, visit
