Art isn’t only found hanging on gallery walls. It’s all around us, especially in Toronto, where street art and murals can be spotted on almost every corner. Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue’s Graffiti Alley sees countless visitors a year, from locals and tourists alike. You’ve walked the stretch and seen the work that lines the alleyway; now you’d like to explore some of the other public art in the city. Take a self-guided tour of some of the boldest works in the city, displayed in full view.
Geary Avenue
Toronto-based, Colombia-born artist, La Pupila, has created beautiful murals across the city, including more than a few in the neighbourhood of Geary Avenue. At Dupont Street and Dufferin Street, she collaborated with the artist Muys to create “La milpa,” a beautiful mural depicting the faces of three women with crops of beans and other plants. The piece honours the resilience of Indigenous matriarchs and hopes to inspire others to embrace the strength of community and interconnection. She also collaborated with artist AlfAlfA on “Breaking the borders,” reflecting the universal right to seek a better life regardless of nationality or documentation and reminding viewers that immigrants aren’t to blame for today’s crisis. Her latest collaboration with skateboarding community Sisters of Shred honours women in sports with a dreamy, colourful landscape on the west side of 222 Geary Ave. La Pupila’s striking art style jumps off the building. Go take a tour through “Toronto’s coolest neighbourhood and see it for yourself!
Little Jamaica
Little Jamaica is known as a culturally rich neighbourhood and a creative hub. Its community is also known for producing more reggae music than any other area outside of Jamaica. This is what Adrian Hayles depicts in his work, “Reggae Lane”, at Alameda Avenue and Eglinton Avenue West. The mural showcases both local reggae artists as well as the legends of the genre in bright yellow, red, and green, reminiscent of the Rastafarian flag.
Village of Islington
The Village of Islington is known as Toronto’s Village of Murals, with 28 murals spanning over 15,000 square feet, stretching from Kipling Avenue to Islington Avenue, along Dundas Street West. The murals highlight the people, places, and events that help comprise the history of this area. Highlights include a depiction of Islington’s volunteer fire brigade creating an annual skating rink, a psychedelic homage to the passenger pigeon (extinct since 1914)
Kensington Market
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Kensington Market is one of the most vibrant neighbourhoods in the city with colourful characters and murals alike. You may have seen the iconic mural of the Mona Lisa holding a banana that’s been on display for 43 years on the side of a brick building at 54-56 Kensington Ave. But if you haven’t visited in the last three weeks, you may not know that the original artist, Peter Matyas, restored and expanded on the work, adding colour to the previously black-and-white work, as well as a bushel of fruit.
While you’re in the Market, check out the beautiful portrait of a woman that can be seen behind the emblematic Garden Car.
Ossington Strip
Considered by some to be Toronto’s second Graffiti Alley, the Ossington Laneway between Queen Street and Humber Street was turned into a corridor of public art in 2018. This hidden gem in Toronto comes with its own heartwarming story: apparently a year after its creation, a few of the murals were vandalised, but the original artists returned the space, repainting and reinvigorating it. Since then, most of the murals have remained untouched, whether it’s a cute depiction of a family of raccoons hanging out outside a home (and doing some self-portraiture in the form of graffiti) or an abstract explosion of colour. The whole of Ossington outside this laneway has some incredible street art by known and unknown artists — stroll between Queen Street and Dundas Street West and you’ll discover some of the most beautiful murals and graffiti pieces in the city. Look out for Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” mural situated next to Boehmer restaurant, and the large “Jimmys” mural sprawled alongside the building of Jimmy’s Coffee, featuring portraits of famous Jimmys (like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page).
The West Toronto Railpath
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The Railpath sprawls through the Junction Triangle neighborhood and is known as a “constantly evolving canvas” for all types of art (as well as an inspiration for artists). Key artworks to look out for include Frontier by John Dickson — these four large sculptures are inspired by the changing landscape of the area, evoking the industrial history of the site. Each sculpture is between five and six metres high and has perforated galvanized steel surfaces (creating a flickering effect when viewed from the Railpath). Keep strolling along the path and you’ll find a few buildings filled with colorful murals that reflect the neighborhood’s spirit — this is part of the city’s “Create Your Path” initiative with StreetARToronto (StART) to make the pathway more welcoming. The Dundas West/Dupont Underpass mural (by artists Bacon and Que Rockford) is an iconic mix of Indigenous, abstract, and graffiti art. Check out the Wallace Lofts mural (371 Wallace Ave) painted by members of Toronto’s infamous Buck Teeth Girls Club, and you can’t miss Gradation — this mural by artist Lynnette Postuma covers 12,000 square feet of a building along the trail! Postuma painted 14,508 cinder blocks in variations of blue and green to better integrate the building into its landscape.
Underpass Park
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This park (under the Eastern Avenue overpass in the West Don Lands) was previously a run-down area that has been transformed into an art-filled community space. Everything from the pillars and walls is now covered in vibrant murals. Look out for portrait murals by Troy Lovegates and Labrona (featuring portraits of local east-end residents) and Mirage — a permanent installation by Paul Raff Studio — featuring 57 reflective polished stainless-steel panels suspended from the underside of the overpass. 29 Lower River St.
The Bentway
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This space, nestled under Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, offers year-round artistic, cultural, and recreational activities and events, including murals and public art installations that explore the changing landscape of Toronto. The most recent live project was more unconventional art than street art (but still super cool) — Dominoes, by Station House Opera, featured 8,000 human-sized dominoes spread across a 2.5 km route throughout downtown neighbourhoods!
Everything you need to know about Graffiti Alley
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Tourists travel from across the globe to check out this three-block, 1 kilometre stretch of alleyway on Rush Lane that’s filled with gorgeous graffiti. Seriously, it’s like an open-air art gallery. Stroll between Spadina Avenue and Portland Street, just south of Queen West in the Fashion District, and you’ll encounter colorful murals, graffiti tags, and ever-changing pieces, including Allan Ryan’s famous Yellow Bird murals, Elicser Elliott’s portrait art (look for murals of people mixed with dreamy elements), and Kwest’s 3D graffiti, inspired by sculptural/geometric shapes. Lonely Planet once called this alleyway the most popular place to check out street art in Toronto, so it should be one of the first places on your bucket list for cool Instagram snaps.
