Posts Tagged ‘Toronto’

rise up TO

Posted: July 9, 2015 in events
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#RiseUpTO
a protest coinciding with the PanAm Economic Summit and the PanAm Climate Summit,
both occurring at the Royal York Hotel.

The meeting place was Berczy Park, 7 a.m. on Wednesday morning.  Between 100 and 200 people showed up (I’m not very good at estimating numbers) to participate.  Photographers and reporters from all the Toronto newspapers and TV stations were on hand as were reprters from a number of radio stations.

The plan was to walk down Front Street where one group would block the intersection of Front and York while another group with block the front entrance of the Royal York Hotel.  Mission accomplished.

riseupTO demonstration and march - pedestrians cross a street with the morning sun low in the sky so the people cast long shadows towards the camera. A group of protesters is in the background.

riseupTO demonstration and march - a group of photographers stand in front of marchers with a blue banner that reads

A construction worker in yellow & Orange work clothes and hard hat, stops work to take a photo of a passing demonstration in front of Union Station.

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a woman is unravelling a skein of yarn and is using it to make a barrier across a city street. She is using two hydro poles to wrap the yarn around.

a woman is unravelling a skein of yarn and is using it to make a barrier across a city street. She is using two hydro poles to wrap the yarn around.

riseupTO demonstration and march - yarn has been wrapped around hydro poles in such a way that it makes a barrier across a street. Pedestrians are walking on their way to work on one side of the yarn while protesters have blocked part of the intersection on the other side of the yarn.

riseupTO demonstration and march - a group of young people drumming as they stand in a line in the middle of an intersection blocking traffic

riseupTO demonstration and march

riseupTO demonstration and march - two woman holding a red banner that reads 'Smash Capitalism End Colonialism' They are standing in front of a line of peeople arm in arm infront of the Royal York Hotel front entrance. Some police are between the protesters and the door.

riseupTO demonstration and march

a young woman with afro black hair and wearing a Bob Marley T-shirts is speaking through a megaphone at a protest march. She is standing in front of a red and white banner that is being held up by a few other people

riseupTO demonstration and march - policemen and women stand besides their bikes as they do crowd control and direct the protest around a corner. A man is holding a black sign with white lettering that says "We find you guilty"

A security guard stands on a rooftop of a building, with taller glass skyscrapers behind him.

riseupTO demonstration and march - a line of policemen walk their bikes behind a group of protesters as they walk up Bay St. in downtown Toronto, with the clock tower of old city hall in the backbround.

riseupTO demonstration and march - protesters walking up a street, past a homeless man who is asleep on the sidewalk. One of the protesters has just noticed the man and is pointing to him.

jobs, justice and climate action

Posted: July 6, 2015 in events
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Protest, rally and march
from Queens Park to Allan Gardens,
5 July 2015

jobs, justice and climate action protest march - the lead banner of the march. It says Jobs, Justice and the Climate. It is red with white letters and is almost the full width of the street. A few drummers and dancers are in front of the banner. Many people with signs and flags are behind the banner.
jobs, justice and climate action protest march - a man is making large bubbles that float towards the front of the parade.

below:  A protester prepares to carry a large effigy of Kathleen Wynne, leader of the provincial Liberal party, with the help of some colleagues.

A couple of people are helping a woman prepare to wear a large effigy. A very large head of a woman wearing dark rimmed glasses.

below: David Suzuki being interviewed by CTV.

David Suzuki is being interviewed by a man from CTV. A few people are standing behind.

Three young women are making signs to carry in the protest march. Two are in green T-shirts. One of the signs says '73 North Americans own the same as 1/2 the continent.' Jobs, Justice and Climate protest rally and march.

A person wearing a sign that says 'Another photographer marching for #jobsjusticeclimate on his back.

At a protest rally, two women are posing for a picture. One has a large cut out around her face that makes her face look like a large yellow flower

a groupd of young people standing beside a large yellow banner that says 'Youth marching for Climate Justice' at a protest rally in front of the Ontario parliament buildings.

below: The base of Sir John A. Macdonald’s statue provides a step up for photographers
(It looks like only some of them wanted to take my picture!)

Many photographers are standing on the base of a statue while they wait for a protest march to begin in Toronto at Queens Park

Two people with protest signs on their backs. One says 'Act like you live here' and the second says 'Stop Debating, Start acting'

A group of people at a protest rally. Somone is holding up a sign with a picture of Stephen Harper neck deep in water with the words, 'What climate change blub blub blub'

At the jobs, justice and climate action protest rally, a man wearing a hat that looks like an owl head. He's carrying a sign that says 'Give a hoot'
  below:  ‘Protect Turtle Island’ signs waiting for the march to begin.  North America is referred to as Turtle Island by many Native tribes, Native rights activists, and environmental groups.

A large parachute shaped piece of fabric in bright orange and white lies flat on the ground. In it are three signs waiting for people to begin marching in the jobs, justice and climate change march. The signs say 'Protect Turtle Island'

A group of people holding a large red banner that says 'Canadian Unitarians for social justice'

Three women at a protest rally.

A young girl in a bright red Tshirt runs in front of some protesters, one of whom is holding a sign that says Hope.

At the jobs, justice and climate action protest rally, four people hold a banner that says 'TTC riders, a voice for ttc riders' and it has a picture of a street car on it as well.

below:  $15 now refers to raising the minimum wage to $15/hour

jobs, justice and climate action protest march - a man is holding a sign that says $15 Now. It is white with red letters. It stands out because most of the signs around him are all bright red.

jobs, justice and climate action protest march - a group of people at Queens Park, the back of the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald can be seen. One woman is holding a sign that says Jobs Justice Climate. Another person holds up a picture of Pope Francis. They are all getting ready to march down University Ave.

below: After the rally at Queens Park, protesters marched south on University Ave.
and then east on Dundas St.

policemen on bikes block the street as they direct a march through city streets

jobs, justice and climate action protest march - some of the people marching, a white haired man is holding an orange flag that says Socialistworld.net Some people are walking their bikes.

A man is walking in a protest march while holding one end of a banner. He is wearing a large yellow chicken head and a T shirt that says 'this is what a vegan looks like'

two women are walking in the jobs, justice and climate action march in Toronto and both are carrying signs. One has a large peace symbol and the words 'vegan for life' and the the other sign says 'animal agriculture is responsible for 91 percent of amazon rainforest destruction

A number of women in a protest march, each is holding a different coloured sign and each has a different letter - together they spell 'yes we can'. Each women is also wearing a coloured box that matches the colour of her sign and each box represents a differ aspect of social policy such as gender equality, primary education, poverty eradication, healthcare,

A diverse group of people walk in a protest march in Toronto

A man in a red shirt pumps his fist in the air as he walks in a protest march

A man is holding up a protest sign with Prime Minister Stephen Harper's head on three monkeys along with the worsd, Hear no science, speak no science, see no science.

Marchers on the jobs, justice and climate action protest march who are carrying a large orange banner that says We have solutions.

 

Two middle aged men walking a in protest. One of them has a sign that says 'radicalized by Harper'

A large number of people walking in a protest march carrying signs and banners

A man wearing a green party T-shirt is carry a large sign that says 'carbon tax yes'. There are other green party supporters with him as they walk in a protest march in Toronto

jobs, justice and climate action protest march on University Ave showing many people walking. Two are holding large white signs with orange letters. One says Let hope prevail. The other says There is no Planet B.

jobs, justice and climate action protest march - a young woman in a head scarf holds a red and white sign, the woman behind her is wearing a floppy hat and there is a sign that says Be Brave in large capital letters above her head.

lovebot takes flight

Posted: July 6, 2015 in graffiti and street art
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Lovebot takes flight over the city
with a poser bunny tagging along for the ride,
beside 289 College St.

a mural on the upper storey of a two storey building. Lovebot is flying above a city scene with a light brown poser bunny holding on to him, and flying behind him

from Portland to Spadina

Posted: July 4, 2015 in graffiti and street art
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Another walk down Graffiti Alley between Portland and Spadina.
Some new and some not so new.

uber 5000 birdie in a little space ship with a beam of light eminating from the bottom, on a red brick wall

tags and letter graffiti in blues and purples on an alley wall, with a few people walking down the alley as well

tag in reds, oranges and yellows, on green, with dark blue background

close up of a street art painting that now looks abstract, black lines on green, pink and beige
  below: Catching a glimpse of what goes on in it’s head
double doors painted in a pink, orange and red face (large face), the doors are slightly open so there is now a gap down the middle of the nose and mouth

a black and white poser bunny on a wall at the corner, around the corner is a painted arrow that is part of a graffiti painting

graffiti in an alley - 4 stickers on a metal pole. Knuts on the top, a woman in profile with the word think next, black and white drawing third and on the bottom is a green on white line drawing of a man's face

below: Batman descends on the city

A young man is spray painting part of a batman mural. The figure of batman is completed and is about 4 meters tall. A city scene is being added in the bottom corner

below: This photo was taken about 2 weeks before. The graffiti KURST and the lettering below it have been painted over. Batman has taken its place.

tags in an alley

A large bird head street art painting covers the end of a building in a lane

A white graffiti skull with the words belleding heart written underneath

a wall of a building in an alley, including the door, is cover with a red tag, a small uber 5000 bird and the remains of a greenish coloured tag.

A stylized greenish brown bull with horns is smoking a cigarette, only the head is shown. It is on a wall and beside it is a door that had a woman's face painted on it. The face has been tagged over. Dis jnt is written across the top of the door. disjoint perhaps.

  below: Dazed and confused

tag in silver and black with pink and orange highlights on a grey metal door

tags on a black wall in an alley. Between them is the word doh

messy tags and scribbles on and around a door in an alley

small graffiti piece of a giraffe standing on the ground, on concrete, in an alley

below: Insane portrait of a woman

woman's face in profile painted on a wall in an alley

  below: Another portrait of a woman, this one by Kairo

Woman's face painted by Kairo in an alley, blue background

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  below: Making lemonade

graffiti picture of a lemon wearing sunglasses and a sun hat and holding a glass of lemonade

below: This takes the place of the mural that had “I love sandwiches” that was there for quite a while (a couple of years?).  The frame with the little figures cut into it remains.

blog_portland_spadina_love_toronto

street art painting of a dog foaming at the mouth, mad dog

Woman taking picture on a smartphone, standing beside a street art piece of a man with earphones plugged into

pieboy graffiti, large green one eyed monster

below: Poser bunnies on a garage door

poser bunny street art on a garage door

blog_portland_spadina_red_collar

Faces of Regent Park

Posted: July 2, 2015 in public art
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Faces of Regent Park,
a new art installation by Toronto artist, Dan Bergeron

on Dundas West on the plaza by the new Aquatic Center

 on a concrete plaza at the entrance to a park, large glass laminate artwork that is a colourful portrait of a person -

on a concrete plaza at the entrance to a park, large glass laminate artwork that is a colourful portrait of a person - a young man

on a concrete plaza at the entrance to a park, large glass laminate artwork that is a colourful portrait of a person - a woman

on a concrete plaza at the entrance to a park, large glass laminate artwork that is a colourful portrait of a person - two people, on the left is a young man with the word camaraderie and on the right is a young woman with the word appreciate

on a concrete plaza at the entrance to a park, large glass laminate artwork that is a colourful portrait of a person - two men, the one on the right has the word pride written into the painting

on a concrete plaza at the entrance to a park, large glass laminate artwork that is a colourful portrait of a person - a young woman with the word future but spelled as f u t u r

on a concrete plaza at the entrance to a park, large glass laminate artwork that is a colourful portrait of a person - a boy

Pride Parade 2015

Posted: June 30, 2015 in events
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Toronto Pride Parade,
Bloor St. and Yonge St., June 2015

fun & games,
smiles & laughter,
community involvement
pride parade pics in no particular order

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - Toronto mayor John Tory walks in the parade while holding a large yellow and orange super soaker

Toronto mayor John Tory walks in the parade armed with a super soaker.

 

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - Cyndi Lauper is wearing a white frilly dress and hat as she rides on top of a float for the musical KInky Boots. In the background a photographer leans out the window of a building to get a better view of the parade.

Actress Cyndi Lauper rides on the ‘Kinky Boots’ float.

 

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a man in a spiderman costume stands on a garbage bin so he is above the crowd on a sidewalk watching the parade

Spiderman makes an appearance too.

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people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a man is holding a purple sign that says "Proud of Our children"

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a couple of members of the triggerfish waterpolo team stand behind a banner with their team name on it. They are wearing bathing suits only

Elizabeth May, wearing a green garland wrapped around her neck and helping to hold a green banner walks in a parade along with some other people

Elizabeth May, leader of the federal Green Party.

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people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a few people have found a higher vantage point from which to watch the parade. One man is wearing white frilly underpants and white angel wings. On his stomach is written God 'heart' you

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a group of asexual people walk past holding sings, "trans asexuals exist" and "it's not that you're not sexy, it's just that I don't care"

A group from the University of Toronto marches in a pride parade. They have a large blue banner with pink lettering that says Out in Law.

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a group of parade marchers pauses so that one man can show the camera that he's got a bare ass

Two men stand on an exterior ledge of a building, one storey up from ground level. Two rainbow flags too.

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - one of the parade marchers, while holding a French flag, stops to lift his leg over the barricades

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a group of four men in colourful and outrageous drag stop to pose for a photo

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - the #HIVanonymous characters in complete white costume stop to pose for a picture in front of group that is preaching anti-gays messages

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - the #HIVanonymous characters in complete white costume stop to pose for a picture in front of group that is preaching anti-gay messages

Anonymous characters because #HIVanonymous

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A group representing lawyers walks in the pride parade including a boy in a yellow rain coat. One of the men is carrying a sign that says We're lawyers, we'll get you off.

A group of men dressed up as different fruits, banana, kiwi, blueberry, apple and orange

Fruit having a wonderful time in support of Communityone Foundation

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people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a man in drag - long pink dress, pink socks and pink shoes laughs while posing for a picture with a large black person in skimpy costume who is also laughing
Toronto fire truck in pride parade, rainbow flags decorate the fire truck

A flower head band has fallen to the ground and is beside two people's feet, both of whom are wearing sandals.

part of a group photo taken after the pride parade. Group is Conseil scolaire viamonde, le success s'exprime en francais, an association of French schools in Ontario

A woman in a blue jacket poses beside two scantily clad women with light lime green hair

#lovewins Two young women in sunglasses walking in the pride parade join hands and make a heart shape with their fingers

A group of people holding a large rainbow coloured banner that says #oneteam. Some of them are taking selfies

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - three people pose for a photo. One in a multicoloured wig, one with a green hat and one with flowers in her hair

A crowd of marchers cheer - people at a pride parade on a rainy day -

people at a pride parade in the rain

people at a pride parade in the rain - three guys posing for a photo, one is in a banana costume

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - from the back, a threesome poses for a photo, the woman on the left is staring at the assless chaps of the man beside her

people at a pride parade in the rain - boy in ornage raincoat and sunglasses standing in front of many balloons

people at a pride parade in the rain - three Asain guys, two under an umbrella, and a third wearing a salmon coloured rain poncho and holding up a sign that says "brown queer proud'

people at a pride parade in the rain - a man in an orange Tshirt holding a sign that says "I'm proud to have a gay agenda, NDP"

people at a pride parade in the rain - a topless man in a pink hat who is helping to hold a sign that says "Get Real" Others around him are also wearing pink hats

A young woman making a face at the camera as she holds a sign that says "get real" - people at a pride parade in the rain

people at a pride parade in the rain - two guys in drag with high heeled boots and wigs, with lots of feathers on their heads, are posing in front of a crowd who are behind metal barricades.

people at a pride parade in the rain - a man dancing and holding a mic, with a funny look on his face, on a float from the Peel Regional Police, called the Heat, there are lots of balloons beside and above him.

“The Heat”, Peel Regional Police

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people at a pride parade in the rain - some women holding signs promoting the Human RIghts Commission. they are holding rainbow flags as well

group of people holding up a blue banner that says Facebooks LGBT employee group

people at a pride parade in the rain - close up of a man in a red and black leather mask that covers his whole head, behind him and slightly blurry are two soldiers, navy guy in white on one side and army guy in greenish uniform on the other side

people at a pride parade in the rain - a person dressed in a long frilly pink and white dress pushing a walker on which there is large stuffed monkey

people at a pride parade in the rain - three young women holding squeeze bottles of paint, they are covered with paint that they have squeezed onto themselves

people at a pride parade in the rain - a young woman smiling from behind a lot of balloons that she is holding.

Three young men making peace signs as they pose for a camera

people at a pride parade in the rain - an older man in a superman costume walks along a sidewalk past other people who are walking on the road in preparations for the parade. Most of them are holding umbrellas

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a policeman helps with crowd control along the barricades of the parade route
pride parade goes on behind blue metal fence, in the rain, near the end of the parade

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - the back of a woman with short black hair. She has a tattoo across the back of her neck that says Elizabth as well as a temporary colourful tattoo that includes the words #for a colourful city

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a group watches the parade from the balcony of a bar

Man wearing black rabbit ears, dressed in black leather, and holding a large carrot at a pride parade

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - man is red mask and red wig as well as white gloves has his hand over his mouth as he begins to throw a kiss towards the camera

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a nude man poses in the middle of the road while he takes a selfie. Onlookers watch.

You don’t need clothes to take a selfie!

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - an older man in a flowery wig and flowery top along with a bulky necklace stands in front of a crowd, close up shot of head and shoulders

it rained on the parade

Posted: June 29, 2015 in events
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Pride Week 2015

Most of these photos are from the Dyke March on Saturday, both of the people walking in the parade and the people who came out in the rain to watch the parade.  And rain it did.  But there were still lots of smiles and lots of laughter. 

 

Three young women standing in the rain as the watch a Dyke march parade. One is wearing a red poncho and one is holding a sign that says " Can't rain on my parade"

Three women are holding a large banner that says 'Dyke March Toronto 2015' that has been crocheted and sewn together.

Group of women riding bikes in a parade on a rainy city street as part of a dyke march, pride week event.

motorcycles in the rain, dyke march parade, down Yonge St. in Toronto

A group of women walking in a dyke march on a rainy city street. Two of the women are carrying a banner that says "Fifty + Toronto"

A couple in blue garbage bags as rainwear are standing in front of a billboard on which there is a picture of a woman.
pride dyke march, dykes on bikes, woman in bright yellow raincoat rides a bicycle that is pulling a trailer

pride week, dyke march, woman on a bike is holding a sign with a red AIDS ribbon and the words 'friends for life'

motorcycles in the rain, dyke march parade, down Yonge St. in Toronto

Two men watching a parade on a rainy afternoon. One is holding a camera and is standing behind a concrete barricade. The other man is standing on the barricade and cheering and clapping.

A group of women on bikes are riding in a dyke march, pride week. The march has temporarilty stopped and three photographers are standing in front of the riders taking their picture. The woman in front is topless and she has drawn a picture of a bike on her breasts.

pride week, dyke march, a grey haired woman is carrying a pink sign that says 'G'day from Australia' and behind her is a couple of young women sharing a gren umbrella

Three people on a sidewalk. A man in a black and grey hoodie who is looking at the two women beside him. One woman is in a multicoloured tutu and an orange sweatshirt. She is looking at her phone. The other woman is wearing an ornage skirt and a yellow sweater

Two men in colourful and glamorous drag are standing on a sidewalk in the rain. They are each holding a clear umbrella. A girl is standing beside them with an astonished look on her face.

A line of people walking in the Dyke March, pride weekend. Two women are holding a rainbow flag. antother woman is pushing a stroller. Two of them are holding rainbow umbrellas.

motorcycles in the rain, dyke march parade, down Yonge St. in Toronto
A group of people standing on a sidewalk in the rain as they watch a parade. They are standing in front of a Mind Games store .

Pride week, Dyke march, a woman is carrying a pink sign that says "womens strength and courage has nothing to do with mens balls"

a woman in a red jacket with a red purse and a pink umbrella

Rear view of two well built men who are wearing just their briefs. they have words painted on their backs, "Hero fit" and "be a #diesel hero". They are standing in front of a Trojan booth, pride week display.

A couple is at an ATM on the side of the TD Canada Trust bank. A large rainbow has been painted around it for pride week.

Two women, both smiling. One is holding an umbrella and has a bow in her hair. The other is also under the umbrella.

medicine wheel

Posted: June 26, 2015 in graffiti and street art
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Medecine Wheel is painted on the north side of the June Callwood Center for Women, Parliament Street.

It faces a vacant lot that is surrounded on the three other sides by chain link fence.
Locked gate.  No entry.

large mural on the side of a building, green weeds growing in front of it, a large man's face is the ceter piece of the mural.

large mural on the side of a building, green weeds growing in front of it, a large man's face is the ceter piece of the mural.

sign painted on a mural with its title "medecine wheel' and the names of the people involved in the painting of the mural

Hurricane Hazel under St. Phillips

Posted: June 12, 2015 in graffiti and street art, locations
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More art under another bridge over the Humber Recreational Trail, this time as the trail passes under St. Phillips Road (near Weston Rd and the 401).

Painted by Gabriel Specter and Dan Bergeron, it represents the energy of a hurricane.  Sixty years ago Hurricane Hazel was responsible for flooding of the Humber River that killed people and destroyed many homes.

below:  A purple graphic representation of a cyclone beside swirling water is the backdrop for the red slinky-like spiraling energy of the hurricane.

Mural of swirling water and a tangled spiral shape in red representing a hurrican rising from the eye of the storm upwards to the underside of the road

This spiral crosses under the road and connects the two side murals.

Mural on a concrete support of a bridge over a trail. rocks on blue, with a tangled spiral shape in red representing a hurricane rising from the rocks (or ending at the rocks) and passing upwards to the under side of the road above.

part of a mural under a bridge - a tangled spiral shape in red representing a hurrican rising from the eye of the storm upwards to the underside of the road

Fourteen murals are planned along the route of the Pan Am Path, a trail that will connect Brampton to Pickering running south along the Humber River and then east along Lake Ontario.

signs along the HUmber Recreational trail indicating the name of the trail, the cycle path number that it is, the fact that it is also the Pan Am Path, and lastly a sign that says dogs must be on a leash.

billboards at Spadina and Front

Posted: June 8, 2015 in general Toronto
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Part of CONTACT photography festival,
billboard “art” on the NE corner of Spadina and Front streets.

All the billboards are in a parking lot in what was a junky looking space to begin with.

below:  Yellow rubber gloves with the fingers tucked back in…
to look like they’ve just been taken off a pair of hands?

a billboard above a parking lot, condos in the background. A pair of yellow rubber gloves with the openings turned into a cuff are all that in the image on the board

below: The body of the handbag is a loaf of bread.

a small billboard in front and a larger, higher one in the background. In the background is a woman's hand holding what looks like a handbag but the bag part is made of a loaf of bread. In the foreground, yellow background with household objects arranged in a face like shape.

below: Clusters of sponges.  At first I thought they were candies.

billboard art - three clusters of colourful sponges on a black background

three billboards with art images instead of advertisements
Supported by Pattison Outdoor Advertising and Nikon Canada.

a billboard with a large picture of clear bottles filled with coloured liquids in reds and oranges.

“Challenging how people perceive and interact with images in public spaces”

“Each of the artists destabilizes the conventions of advertising and the cultural codes associated with consumer lifestyles.”

Me?  I’ll call them dull and underwhelming clutter.  Too harsh?  Perhaps.
I’ll leave the verdict up to you.

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