VAN: Local Artists Create Anti-Bullying Murals For Stickboy Premiere

We’re all about exploring our city in search of meaningful messages, creativity, culture, and pretty much anything that helps broaden our minds and open our eyes to the bigger picture. Deep, we know…. So when we heard news of a truly inspiring collective of four of Vancouver’s most prominent mural artists using their creativity for a cause, all in the name of raising awareness about bullying, we were instantly intrigued.

Bullying is something that I’m sure we’ve all faced at some point in our lives, and these artists hope to inspire discussion with a series of powerful outdoor paintings on construction boardings and exterior walls of buildings in Vancouver. Talk about interactive pop-up art.

The murals are part of an awareness campaign and a component of a collective marketing effort conceived by DDB Canada and the Vancouver Opera. This is all leading up to Vancouver Opera’s world-premiere production of Stickboy by Neil Weisensel, with libretto by world-renowned spoken-word artist Shane Koyczan.

Commissioned artists include Nick Gregson, Carson Ting, Ben Tour, and Ola Volo. They will create the murals that Vancouverites will be able to take in on the Downtown Eastside, Cambie Corridor, and on the exterior walls of two additional Eastside buildings.

The four artists were invited to respond to the story of the opera that centres around exploring the inner life of an overweight young boy transformed by bullying. They were asked to interpret the “monster” that lives inside the opera’s central character, a sensitive boy who reacts violently to repeated acts of bullying over a prolonged period of time.

Look for the work to begin today on three of the four murals (with Ben Tour’s already having been completed). You’ll find them at the following locations downtown:

– Nick Gregson: Hoarding at 101 East Hastings Street

– Carson Ting: Exterior of 1000 Parker Street

– Ben Tour: Exterior of Bomber Brewing, 1488 Adanac Street

– Ola Volo: Hoarding at 3106 Cambie Street

Artwork will be displayed until showings of Stickboy come to an end. The play runs from October 23 until November 7 at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre.

Learn more about Stickboy and this innovative project here.

What are your thoughts on the provocative murals to be showcased around Vancouver? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.