Street art Toronto has been lax - the same few styles again and again, with weirdo sticker art, perplexing stencils and wheatpastes, and odd fake celebrity signatures fading out of sight. Old guard graffiti freaks are growing up and, tired of being buffed, moving on to galleries, over-working their straight jobs, or (well, hopefully not) serving time - and new creative talents are spending their efforts online instead of on the streets.
That's a shame - but it's not all Anser faces (no diss to Anser, who's been a comfort for a decade now) out there in 2014. Take Denise St Marie and Timothy Walker (TIMEANDDESIRE)'s new sign installations. You might've already done a double take of these ominous signs, playing permits, urban animals, or their Recursive Series on Toronto streets this summer.
The Recursive project, popping up along Queen West and in Grange Park and focused on "the mundane, the obvious and the banal," isn't new for the artists - it's part of TIMEANDDESIRE's growing sign making practice that includes deriding boring walls, creating dance-zones (Nuit Blanche), an appearance at Land|Slide last year, and installations in the US and Asia.
The art-speak on their website is the usual collage of public and private space this and shifting viewpoints that, but a statement isn't necessary understand the value of these cheeky signs.
The lesson? Keep your eyes on your smartphones for more updates on Toronto street art. Just kidding - but let us know when and where you see these clever pieces, and if a F*ck It sign has given you that life changing advice you needed.
by Aubrey Jax via blogTO
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