BY: Unknown LOCATION: Dufferin Grove PHOTO BY: Jeremy Gilbert FIELD NOTES: Billboards: A harmless source of income for property owners or an eyesore and intrusion on public space? Billboard takeovers: vandalism that’s not necessarily well executed or a relief from the near-constant harangue of messages telling us to shop? The funny thing about many of [...]

BY: Unknown LOCATION: Parkdale PHOTO BY: Jessie Arseneau FIELD NOTES: It’s nice to see a defunct telephone, one of many in the city, being used for street art. As for the Virgin Mary, to be fair, she’s a pretty popular lady and probably has a huge backlog of calls to make. It’s not easy being [...]

BY: Unknown LOCATION: Kensington Market PHOTO BY: Scott Snider FIELD NOTES: Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990s, those dastardly villains Boris and Natasha have been on the down-low, giving Rocky and Bullwinkle plenty of time to kick back and relax. And so you may be wondering, “Where is that scamp, Rocky?” Turns [...]

Between the Lines is a documentary looking at graffiti in Toronto that will be released in 2013. In the meantime, Torontoist has partnered with the filmmakers to develop Graffiti Talks, a series of web shorts profiling some key figures in the Toronto graffiti scene. Some are sympathetic, some offensive; hopefully all are thought-provoking. Does graffiti [...]

BY: Elly Dowson and Christine Liber LOCATION: The laneway between Kenwood Avenue and Wychwood Avenue, near St. Clair and Bathurst. PHOTOS BY: Christine Liber FIELD NOTES: While we at Torontoist appreciate all the quirks of the urban canvas that bring our city to life, we understand not all graffiti is to everyone’s tastes. When Elly [...]

BY: Unknown LOCATION: The Fashion District PHOTO BY: Michael Alstad FIELD NOTES: Ever get that feeling, first thing in the morning, when you’re getting ready for the day ahead, that there’s a loveable monster sneaking up behind you to give you a big hug? Me neither, unfortunately. One of the many joys of street art [...]

SPOTTED BY: Twitter user Carla D. WHERE: The back of 533 Richmond Street West. WHEN: Monday, April 23. WHAT: Mayor Rob Ford has been pursuing an aggressive anti-graffiti agenda, the focus of which is encouraging people to report vandalism when it appears on walls. The trouble is that when a defaced wall is reported to [...]

Today in a laneway near St. Clair and Lansdowne Avenues, Mayor Ford stood behind a podium in front of a semicircle of reporters and talked about the latest development in his campaign against graffiti vandalism, which he has pursued with near-obsessive fervor (seriously) since shortly after he took office: a smartphone app called SeeClickFix that [...]

BY: Nick Sweetman LOCATION: Woodbine and Danforth PHOTO BY: Nick Sweetman FIELD NOTES: At 105 feet long and 15 feet high, this renegade mural shows the creative potential of the many bare walls around Toronto. From the artist: “This seemingly abandoned construction site, slated for condo development for years, occupies a huge piece of land [...]

From legitimate expressions of art to outright vandalism, the rationale graff writers give for doing what they do runs the spectrum. We bet you’ve never heard this one before, though: graffiti as art therapy. You won’t read about it in the medical journals, or see it on Dr. Phil, but west-end graff writer SODA espouses [...]

BY: Unknown LOCATION: College and Ossington PHOTO BY: Bella Manu FIELD NOTES: Looking for a change in scenery? Here at Vandalist we encourage strolling through Toronto’s numerous alleyways. They are our constantly evolving galleries where walls and garage doors play host to a bevy of creativity. You never know what you’re going to find! This [...]

Between the Lines is a documentary looking at graffiti in Toronto that will be released in 2013. In the meantime, Torontoist has partnered with the filmmakers to develop a series of web shorts, profiling some key figures in the Toronto graffiti scene. Some are sympathetic, some offensive; hopefully all are thought-provoking. Graffiti tends to be [...]