‘Wax Eloquent’: 2023
Client: BAND Gallery & Street Art Toronto | Role: Mural Artist (collab with Krystal Ball) | Project: Fencing Mural – 19 Brock Ave, Toronto
As BAND Gallery is currently under renovation the team wanted to activate their fence and engage their local community in a new way. So they reached out to fellow muralist Krystal Ball and myself to paint it. We wanted to celebrate BAND Gallery’s representation of artists who are Black and/or from the African diaspora. Thus our design features a blend of patterned fabric designs (a cultural feature across the African diaspora) with local foliage woven in. Steeped in national history and social symbolism, these fabrics are adorned to mark occasions and are a silent form of communication. The meaning, however, is often lost in Western society.
So, while the mural brightens up the neighbourhood it also creates an opportunity for learning; sharing cultural significance of fabrics from Ankara wax prints, Kente fabric, and Mali-Mud cloth.
