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Art in the back alley

Oct 7, 01:46 AM

Art in the back alley

BY MICHAEL LEHAN & IRENE OGRODNIK

October 6, 2008

In the alley behind 854 Bloor Street West in Toronto, legal graffiti artist Mediah is working alongside ARTERY on their latest project.

An Ethiopian art mural for the Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre.

Mediah (Media with a silent h), has been creating legal graffiti art for over a decade—nationally and internationally. His ability to turn aerosol paint into artistic murals makes him a prominent member of the Canadian graffiti scene.

Robert Bailey, program manager of the LOFT Youth Program at the Christie Ossington Centre (CONC), is overseeing the mural. While professional legal graffiti artists—like Mediah—are given the chance to showcase their work, at-risk youth involved in the program ARTERY are also doing something important for themselves.

“Instead of selling stuff on the streets, they are making art,” says Bailey, who helped establish ARTERY (Artists Remain True To Empower ouR Youth) due to the lack of a visual arts program in the Christie Ossington community.

Still, while Mediah, ARTERY and other legal graffiti artists in Toronto are given permission by local organizations to paint art murals, they still face an ongoing debate within their community.

The issue about whether their work is considered art or vandalism.

Robert Markovits, who owns TheStoreFront Community, was ordered by the City to remove a graffiti art mural on the side of his building—even though he hired graffiti artists to paint it.

“I was horrified by how the City demanded I remove the graffiti art mural,” said Markovits. Shortly after, the City came and removed the mural from Markovits’ property. “It’s not right that the authority has the right to determine what is considered art and what isn’t.”

But that is not the only problem legal graffiti artists face. Many are also fighting another battle against art shows like “Street Speaks” which sold photos taken of legal graffiti art without giving any recognition or proceeds to the artist.

“Such shows don’t give artists the exposure they deserve,” says Simon Cole. Cole works with Mediah and other renowned Toronto legal graffiti artists EGR and Elicser by promoting their work in his Show & Tell Art Gallery.

Cole also helps his artists receive more exposure by promoting their work internationally—including the United States where in cities like Los Angeles, California it’s illegal to vandal legal graffiti art murals.

Even though Toronto does its best to prevent graffiti, the city also promotes legal graffiti artists through annual festivals and events Manifesto and Style in Progress.

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posted by: Michael Lehan

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