Vancouver Mural Festival 2019

The conclusion of the Vancouver Mural Festival has left the city with beautiful vibrant hues and thought-provoking artwork. This years event ran on from August 1st - 10th, with most of the murals displayed throughout the Mount Pleasant area as seen on the map. Along with accessible public art, a street-party amidst food trucks, beer gardens, and live music had been arranged for the community to come together & enjoy. Create Vancouver Society, the non-profit organizers of the annual event is positively dedicated to the burgeoning cultural & artistic scene. If you've read our blog on artists to follow on Instagram, you'll understand that we at Secret Location are deeply fascinated by all forms of art.

Source: Vancouver Mural Festival on Facebook. Mural by: Ben Johnston.

Source: Vancouver Mural Festival Facebook. Photo: Gabriel Martins.

The Mural Festival provides renowned and developing artist, both locally and internationally to showcase their style of work, establish their name, or voice their opinion to the community. One such artist is known for his bold illustrations and use of colours, almost mimicking propaganda style is Shepard Fairey. The inspiration behind his 20-story mural in Vancouver brings a focus to the environment and the destructive nature of irresponsible consumption.

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I just finished my "Earth Justice" mural in Vancouver, which is a call to respect and nurture the planet with the understanding that our individual and collective actions dramatically impact current and future generations. The earth has a delicate balance of interdependent eco-systems, which cannot withstand the current volume of Carbon emissions, pollution, and environmental destruction. I included the breaking chains in this mural because if we are to move away from the path of destruction, we need to break free from the status quo of fossil fuels and other patterns of consumption that are unsustainable. True justice for the earth and future generations of all species can only be achieved by respecting the fragility of the eco-systems that sustain life. The future is in our hands, and our children's quality of life will largely depend on the example we set for them now. The good news is that the city of Vancouver, which supported this project, believes in greening and furthering all areas of environmental responsibility. I hope other cities follow Vancouver's lead! Thank you to Christian Chan, Matthew McMurry from @UltraVioletArts and the @BurrardArts Foundation for facilitating such an amazing wall for the mural. Thanks to my crew of Nic Bowers, Dan Flores, Rob Zagula, Luka Densmore, for their hard work on the wall. Also, thank you to Jon Furlong and Zane Meyer for their photo and video documentation respectively! Photo by @jonathanfurlong. -Shepard ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⁣ #FACINGTHEGIANT #OBEYGIANT30TH #vancouver #obey #obeygiant #shepardfairey

A post shared by Shepard Fairey (@obeygiant) on Aug 8, 2019 at 12:58pm PDT

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“Homecoming” for @vanmuralfest at 5th Ave and Manitoba St in Vancouver. Thank you so much to @brotherjopa for the first finished snaps of my first mural! And to @obeygiant for stopping by! I’ve had the best time with the best team, especially my amazing assistant @oxana_gaida❤️❤️❤️

A post shared by Kathy Ager (@kathyager) on Aug 8, 2019 at 10:59am PDT

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Sending a HUGE thank you to everyone who came out today! We are so blessed to have such a beautiful and diverse community come together in celebration of the arts. This stunning mural called "The Matriarch" by @siobhanjoseph was sponsored by @lushcosmetics and can be found on 7th and Main Street. Photo sourced from @yvrstreetart

A post shared by Vancouver Mural Festival (@vanmuralfest) on Aug 10, 2019 at 10:09pm PDT

The 25 new mural-masterpieces will be up for at least 2 years which still leaves room for those that haven't seen these exquisite art-pieces, whether you're planning a trip to Vancouver or living locally, to have an up-close and personal experience. Be sure to capture an amazing photo since after the minimum requirement comes to an end, you may never witness the piece in-person again as each mural has different agreement in terms of maintenance, restoration, and length of display.

Source: Vancouver Mural Festival Facebook.

Source: Vancouver Mural Festival Facebook. Photo: PennyProductions.ie