Toronto’s Graffiti Alley – See Legal Street Art for Free
About Toronto's Graffiti Alley
One of my favorite places that I visited during my trip to Toronto was Toronto’s, Graffiti Alley. Located near the Kensington Market, Graffiti Alley is the designated home to legal street art and can be seen for free.
Grafitti Alley began as a location for illegal street art, but thanks to the Queen Street West Business Improvement Association, the alley became a haven for legal street art in 2011.
Although the main portion of Graffiti Alley is located where Rush Lane intersects with Agusta Ave, there is additional artwork on some of the streets that border this area.
During my visit, one of the locals was showing his friends the alley. I asked him how often the graffiti changes. He said that most of the artwork stays the same, but it does occasionally change. I also learned that many of the artists are well-known around Toronto and the world.
Toronto’s Graffiti Alley – See Legal Street Art for Free - Table of Contents
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A Virtual Tour of Toronto's Graffiti Alley
Before my visit, I did some research on Toronto’s Graffiti Alley. I was hoping to find examples and descriptions of the various artwork and murals. Finding information was difficult, and I was left to interpret much of the street art on my own.
Below are photographs, (and descriptions if I could find them) of quite a few of the graffiti murals that visitors will find when walking the streets of Graffiti Alley.
Elicser Elliott's Bald Eagle Over a Burning City
I couldn’t find almost any information on this particular graffiti mural, so I am not going to attempt to interpret it on my own. All I know about this mural is that the artist is Elicser Elliott and that the bald eagle is the official bird of the United States. It appears to be in front of a city that is burning, and the eagle looks like it is giving the woman a high five.
A Tribute to Handsom Ned
Handsome Ned was a Canadian country singer and songwriter who died of a drug overdose in 1987. This mural was painted by Leanna Gennuso, as a tribute to Handsome Ned. Following his death, thousands of fans lined Toronto’s Queen Street for his funeral procession.
A Toronto Street Car
A Lady Walking Her Dog
Winter in Toronto
Winter in Toronto was created by graffiti artist Allan Ryan. Ryan chose to create a mural commemorating winter as Toronto has a long, cold winter, which locals must embrace. Torontonians embrace the winter by playing hockey and ice skating. Failure to enjoy winter in Toronto leads to being miserable for half of the year.
Chicks, Lobsters, and Cheers
In this graffiti mural, artist Uber5000 promotes Saint John, New Brunswick. This unique area of Canada is located on the Atlantic Coast and is well represented in this mural.
Black Panther
This beautiful black panther mural was created by well-known graffiti artist Nick Sweetman. The panther was part of a campaign to “paint [Toronto] black.”
A Tribute to Toronto Rappers King Reign and Son of Soul
Created by Elicser Elliott, this artwork commemorates Toronto hip-hop artists King Reign and Son of Soul, who passed away in 2016. This particular mural is hard to photograph as it often has a car parked in front of it.
Black and White Woman
I could not find any information on this mural, but I thought it was one of the most impressive in Toronto’s Graffiti Alley.
Colorful Fish
Cat with Boombox and People
Mercedes Benz with Toronto in the Background
Two Hands on a Colorful Garage
Hammerhead Shark
D'Andre Campbell Memorial
Tribute to Toronto
This mural was painted by artist Uber 5000 as a tribute to Toronto, Canada’s largest city. If you look closely, you will see many references to Toronto including: Darwin the Monkey, Air Canada, Drake, a Toronto Bluejay, and the CN Tower.
COVID-19
I could not find the name of the artist, but this mural compares the COVID-19 Pandemic to the Resident Evil video game and movie series.
A Tribute to Mike Kennedy
This mural was painted in 2017 by Nick Sweetman in honor of his friend Mike Kennedy who passed away. They included his dog in the mural.
Ukrainian Dove of Peace
This mural is promotes peace in Ukraine and features a dove behind a bird in Ukrainian flag colors.
Inspirational Message
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