It was a random walk down a few alleyways in Toronto in 2016 that began my obsession with street art. At that time, this website was already well-established… but this was the first time I had taken so many pictures of murals that I felt the need to give them their own article. You can read vol. 1 here. Fast-forward almost 10 years, and this has become perhaps my favorite series on this website.
Well, today is a special one. It’s time for a return to—NOT ONLY the city that started it all for this series on street art—but the EXACT PLACE in that city. Almost 10 years later, we’re back into Toronto for vol. 2, and we’re going to start in the same area where I originally fell in love with collecting murals: Kensington Market.
Also, full disclosure, there’s also a bit of a nearby neighborhood called Ossington in today’s gallery.
Before I get into the gallery below, I want to highlight one mural in particular that was actually the cover photo for Toronto vol. 1 that I published almost a decade ago. This is a Peter’s Big Adventure first. Aside from some of the more famous murals in my hometown (Columbus, Ohio), which long-predate my infatuation with street art, I don’t think I’ve ever returned to the same mural after so many years away. Honestly, it’s not at all a given that these murals will even survive to the end of a given week! Such is the nature of this art form that they can often be painted over without warning. If you want to see a painful example of this, look no further than the “Mural Mile” in St. Louis, Missouri.
So, if I come back to the same city even a few years later, I can reliably do entirely new street art compilations. Usually, it’s only the super famous murals whose permanence is guaranteed, like the iconic Maradona mural in Naples, or the original George Floyd Mural in Minneapolis. The mural that adorned the cover of my first street art article in Toronto vol. 1 is definitely not in that category. I don’t even know who painted it! But I came back all these years later, and here she is…
Did I mention that this photo walk was in JANUARY?? My hands were so cold that I was getting medically worried. It was even worse than last winter in Stockholm! It was about -19°C (-2°F) BEFORE factoring in the windchill. And yet, my hosts Nik & Mika valiantly braved the cold with me for hours to track down these murals, even though one of them was like 8 months pregnant at the time! That child will not fear the cold, that’s for sure. Lots of love to them. ❤️
Now that I’m a bit more experienced (and motivated) in my search for murals, I was able to unearth a whole lot more than I did the last time. After so many other street art features, I felt like I was seeing Toronto through new eyes. And I can confidently say that this city is one of the street art capitals of the world! All of the gallery you’ll see below came from just a few square city blocks. There’s some incredible works of art here! And, also contained below is the first picture of a dick that somebody put enough effort into that I was willing to include it one of these galleries. As we walked, we laughed amongst ourselves that there are only 3 certainties in life: death, taxes, and that people will draw dicks on things. 😂
Anyway, enough words. Now pictures:
TORONTO. So much art. Such a cool place.
As always, I’ve made an attempt to credit the artists responsible for these murals. However, I usually can’t track down everybody, so if you notice an artist is missing, please reach out and let me know so I can update this article! Especially if you know who did the mural I mentioned at the very top of this article. That one has become kind of special to me.
Ixchel Jabon (@ixchel.ink)
Sadie Rock (@sadierock13)
88 (@the80eight)
Alex Pinto (@howmanypints)
felipink (@felipink_art)
D.Terra (@d.terrastencils)
Adrian Hayles (@adrianhayles)
Beastfrumthaeast (@mr_tensoe2)
We’ll call it a day on this article, but hold onto your hats. Volume 3 is on the way shortly! In the meantime, here are a couple of links to dive into the Street Ar(t)chives for some independent exploration. Track of the day comes to us courtesy of my hands-down favorite Toronto export: Valley.
I think this post takes the cake for the farthest total distance traveled within a single street art post. These murals were SPREAD OUT. The Twin Cities is a massive place. And on this particular weekend, it was hotter than the devil’s butt crack. I hope you are reading this in a nice climate-controlled space because when I think back on this weekend… I feel sweaty.
Well, I won’t bury the lead. Let’s see some STREET ART, EH?