Monday Mural

I'm linking up at Monday Mural

January 2020 - Toronto ON

Something a little different today...
We went to the Market Gallery at St. Lawrence Market this week to see their new exhibit.

Street Art Toronto You've Changed Exhibit
Presented by: StreetARToronto
Toronto is home to some of the best mural, street and graffiti artists and art in the world. This exhibit showcases the ways these artists and artworks have transformed Toronto's streets, laneways and parks into a city-wide art gallery. Featuring videos, special displays and photographs that showcase more than 100 StreetARToronto (StART) projects between 2012-2019, the exhibit tells the story of how local street artists have taken Toronto street art to a level of international renown.

I have featured many of these murals over the years, but I was surprised how many there are east of us that we need to check out.

Some of the ones shown above.

Three Sisters on Dundas W.

The Lovebot character was created by Toronto artist and designer Matthew Del Degan, consisting of a geometric, faceless robot with a red heart logo (called the "hero heart") on its torso. The character is used as a symbol for the "Love Invasion," a movement that aims to share love and kindness globally. He invented the idea for the campaign and character after moving to Toronto and noting the uninspired actions of city subway passengers and realizing he personally felt that people needed to express more compassion.

Del Degan chose to add the heart to the robot's design to signify that people of the city have ability to love and be kind to one another. He decided to use concrete as the Lovebot's artistic medium, which he felt referenced Toronto’s urban architecture and history.
Lovebot mural here.

You can see the Musica mural that inspired this cushion here.

Click here for You've Changed.

These represent the murals at Underpass Park.

Some of the above.

This utility box had a changing display.

Click here to see some of the life sized murals featured in this display.

I featured this mural a few weeks ago.

College St.

June 2018 - Toronto ON

This is a 17,404 step walk, not planned just happened.

Heading to the Banksy exhibit we stopped for coffee.

Drake Commissary packs a restaurant, store, bar, takeout counter and catering kitchen into 8,000 square feet

Click here for our full Banksy experience.

After the exhibit we wandered along Bloor St. West. Click here for more Bloor West.

Bloor St. West is a trendy area mixed with old immigrants, a curious mix of new and old.

Finally I found the Monkey's Paw, having walked by it several times.
Monkey’s Paw is known for its oddball books — all used — hard-to-find special editions and enticing window displays.
The owner won’t even buy anything published before 1980.

The draw for me was at the back of the shop, you will undoubtedly spy the world’s first – and so far only – Biblio-Mat. The Biblio-Mat is a homemade random automatic book dispenser that will release a unique tome for a mere $2.

For a change we turned down Dupont (Little Portugal) and then onto College, known as Little Italy although it has become more mixed with other ethnic representation.

You have to look down the alleys and laneways for interesting murals.

Totoro (Japanese anime creature)piece by artist Skam.

In a vintage store.

Fun painted building.

There is no shortage of eating spots.

Or interesting architecture.

Traditional Portuguese bakery.

Burgers, anyone?

Vegetarian "butcher" shop...

Cafe Diplomatico is in every tourist guide as a must do in this area. AND they do gluten free pizza and pasta.

Soccer fever was evident as all the bars were full in the middle of the day.

Self-explanatory.

In your travels around Toronto, you may come across a small imprint, or a sticker, of a robot with the outline of a heart on its chest. Meet “Lovebot,” designed by graffiti artist Matthew Del Degan. “We are not robots in this concrete jungle,” he assures me. “We have the ability to love.”

We turned south at Spadina, Chinatown, which I've featured many times.

West on King St. and then we cut through at the CBC building and caught this view.