You may have to search for them, but the murals
that decorate the city are well worth the effort
I feel murals, public art, have
the potential to be billboards of the people -Xóchitl, Street Artist
Words and picture by Sarah Spisak
SINCE 2016, the Rust Magic International Street Mural Festival has brought together local and international artists in an effort to make Edmonton a top destination for urban street art. Many of the murals created by these artists are tucked away in alleyways and parking lots. And ,while some of the works may be hard to find, they are well worth seeking out.
LA based street artist, OG Slick, has done murals around the world and brought his signature ‘slick hands’ to Edmonton this summer creating this mural across 104th Avenue from MacEwan University.Originally from Saskatoon, Edmonton artist, Jordoh, is the creator of this piece on the side of Atomic Zombie Tattoo Studio. Jordoh is also the founder of Graffiti Salad, an Edmonton art company specializing in murals.Aja Louden and Evan Brunt are local artists. Louden is known for his free-hand spray portraits. The two collaborated on this piece behind MacEwan, at 106th Avenue and 108th Street.Nelson “Dédo” Garcia is a Juno award-winning artist and classically trained animator from Vancouver. He is also part of the duo Nomadic Alternatives with fellow artist, and partner, Xóchitl. This piece is in the alley behind Atomic Zombie, at 124th and Jasper.Sandwiched between Jordoh’s and Dédo’s pieces on the Atomic Zombie wall is this work by Vancouver street artist and musician Take5, who was paralyzed from the chest down after an accident in 1995.Oneq is a self-taught artist from Okinawa, who is known for her modern pin-up art. She visited Edmonton this summer to create this mural at 10344 105th St.This piece by Vancouver artist and writer Xóchitl can be found on the side of Acajutla restaurant on 107th Avenue. “Edmonton holds nostalgic, childhood memories, including many difficult memories of racism and exclusion.” -Xóchitl.Pichi and Avo met in 2007 through the street art scene. The artists are from Valencia, Spain, and have created murals around the world. The pair created this mural after Rust Magic crowdfunded to get them here. You can find this piece at 103rd Avenue and 105th Street.A duo from Calgary, Nasarimba have been creating collaborative art since 2015. This year, they created a wrap-around piece on the Habesha African Market on 107th Avenue.Mast is a street artist from Brooklyn, who is known for his aggressive lettering and has been doing street art since he was a teenager. You can see his “Escape into Action” mural in the parking lot at 102nd Avenue and 105th Street.
