DJAB x En Masse

Your favourite art collective and mine (with love here), En Masse have been getting busy.  In fact they've been blowing up since their giant coming out party during Nuit Blanche that February of 2009.  More recently, members of the collective have returned to lend their artistic hands to La Maison Simons' streetwear division DJAB for their spring 2013 campaign.  Given the direction of a Japanime/manga smorgasbord, the artists veered from their characteristic black and white images to throw down a very colourful mural.

a composite of the mural (can you see the seam?)

RRAWR! Godzilla battle for Tokyo

Not quite Hello Kitty

Treeline

Detail: steady hands, steady circles

Anyone remember the DJAB Escape Artist series?  It was a limited edition series of t-shirts designed by serveral grafitti/lowbrow/street artists back in 2008.  Many of these artists have also contributed their talent on En Masse walls. It all comes full circle sometimes...

Redpath Silos x Allez-Up

Not too long ago I got to peek at a transformation taking place in the sud-ouest.  The historic Redpath Silos are birthing to the newest incarnation of the Allez-Up climbing gym in a mere few weeks.

The new facility is the white addition which measures about 55 feet in height is nestled in between the four silos.

 Walls by Walltopia taking shape in the dark

The skeleton of the lead wall (which is nearing completion), the gym's come a long way since 2x4s...

 On top of the roof! A look at the Nordelec, Allez-Up's former location

 Oh man, and the view!  An awesome vantage point of the downtown skyline.

 Looking up close at the massive PBW tag, can I even call it a tag? It's huge!

Looking out from inside on top of the silos

Want some more? Can't get enough? Here's a video by François Lebeau about the transformation.

Les Silos Allez UP from Allez Up on Vimeo.

Alleyway Art

Alleyway art lingers in every corner.  A storm trooper and Darth Vadar in suits by Stikki Peaches (more here and here!)  In the back wall, one of my favourite grafitti artists OMEN, shows off his portrait skills.