Roughly 85 people showed up to hear Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough mayor Michael Applebaum, city councillors Richard Deschamps and Susan Clarke, Terri Ste. Marie, director of Prevention NDG, and graffiti artist Fluke, who spoke on behalf of A’Shop, a Montreal artist-run collective with a focus on graffiti culture.
The mural was created using some 400 aerosol spray paint cans rather than paint brushes, and stands six stories tall. It depicts the agricultural roots of NDG as well as points of interest in the city, including Saint-Joseph’s oratory, the two metro stations and the Orange Julep.
Inspired by the work of 19th century Art Nouveau Czech artist, Alphonse Mucha, the mural was created by A’Shop artists Fluke, Antonain Lambert, Dodo and Bruno Rathbone in collaboration with Prevention NDG’s Guillaume Lapointe.
“This magnificent fresco underscores the Ville de Montreal’s preoccupation with matters of cleanliness, beautification, collective participation and alternative solutions to graffiti. Montreal increases its number of murals, year after year, as it invests in its community’s way of life,” Deschamps said in a press release. “Aside from embellishing neighbourhoods, murals garner the respect of residents and passer-by and serve to enhance the feeling of safety in our neighbourhoods. It is definitely an added value.”