Up your Instagram game!! Or just go mural/wall hunting and admire the beauty that Calgary has to offer.
I live in beautiful Calgary, Alberta which in 2018 was ranked as the 4th most livable city in the world! I find that, although this city is no New York (duh), it has a lot to offer! I enjoy wandering around the city, simply walking around and taking pics with friends, finding cute spots to take photos, and my favourite is wall hunting. Over the last few years, I've gotten known for this (feels weird saying this...but it's what I've noticed haha) and I receive DMs from friends wondering what wall they should go to to take photos 😂.
I admire the little things, like murals or interesting store corners and wall textures that add quirk and character to a certain building. If you haven't already, I suggest you take a walk downtown Calgary, grab a friend and your phone, and just enjoy the sun and keep your eyes open for spots where you can take your IG shots.
And now, without further ado, below are some of my favourite walls in the city. These are colourful and vibrant and they'll definitely spice up your feed a little. I will write another blog with even more walls, I have a photo library with 100+ photos and I cannot post it all at once SO we are starting with the 6 I recently discovered. I suggested the wall-exploring idea to my brother, he was on board, and we spent a few hours wandering around and taking pics. I also filmed a vlog of my day, you can watch it here!
Alright, let's get to it. The order of the murals is the order my brother and I saw them in. They're all around the same area, we parked our car by Societe Coffee Lounge (great coffee by the way! I reviewed it here) and we walked around to all the walls.
This is a geometric, bold, and vibrant wall and it's a perfect backdrop for an all-white or all-black outfit. It was the first stop of our day! On the Beltline Urban Murals Project website, it says that Rhys and Shane’s approach to work involves using hard edge geometric abstraction with a combination of colourful bold shapes and patterns. Their work is motivated by the desire to create a unique feeling, message and idea. They aim for their work to be fun and inviting, while stimulating curiosity and positivity.
Find it at 1402 11 Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta.
2. Cinta Vidal
This one was my brother's favourite, and it's such a cool mural. I mean LOOK AT IT. It's almost like an illusion playing with your mind. It's super funky and I love it! On the Beltline Urban Murals Project website, it says that Cinta Vidal creates complex acrylic artworks that defy gravity and structural conventions, while also examining how a person’s internal perspective may not consistently match with the reality around them. She has even done massive scale works with a broom-sized brush.
Find it at 1112 & 1115 9 St SW Calgary, Alberta.
3. Reza Nik
This one was my favourites because of the curves in the mural, the bold colours, the patterns, and its overall energy and vibrance. I walked past this mural a lot and always admired but, and I'm glad I finally took a moment to take it all in and take some photos. On the Beltline Urban Murals Project website, it says that Reza utilizes his creative and critical thinking to explore liminal spaces, the nuances of our built environment, and the importance of questioning absolutes.
Find it at 834 11 Ave SW Calgary, Alberta.
4. Ilana Pichon
Another cute and colourful wall! I like how vibrant the colours are and how everything sticks out. Blue is my favourite colour and there are so many shades of blue in this mural, my eyes gravitated towards it rigt away! On the Beltline Urban Murals Project website, it says that
Ilana holds a Master’s degree in architecture and accredited training in print and graphic arts. As an immigrant and a traveler in addition to her formal architectural training, putting down roots in a new place are at the heart of her practice.
Find it at 1103 7 Street SW Calgary, Alberta.
5. The Kid Belo
David Brunning is known as TheKidBelo and he is a Calgary based graffiti artist and large-scale muralist. His mural is colourful and simple and as seen on the Beltline Urban Murals Project website, David’s abstract paintings derive inspiration from his years as a street artist, including his years of travel and everyday observations. His paintings are known nation-wide, reaching globally from New Zealand to Columbia.
Find it at 815 10 Ave SW Calgary, Alberta.
I love every single colour in this mural. I'm obsessed with the colour palette and overall with every shape in this. It's vibrance and full of energy, and there's also something elegant to it. I'm not sure how to describe these to be honest, I'm really trying here 😅, but overall I'm really digging Mateusz Napieralski's mural.
On the Beltline Urban Murals Project website, they share that Mateusz’s visual vocabulary is directly inspired by geometry, shapes, bright colours, patterns and forms he finds in nature and his surroundings. Mateusz is most creative when blending graphic design, illustration and moving image together. He is very interested in blurring the lines between different mediums and disciplines: crossing digital with physical, and experimenting with combining these two realms together.
Find it at The Camera Store 802, 11 Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta.
To explore more YYC murals check out the Beltline Urban Murals Project website! You can explore so many more murals from their 2017-2019 projects and their website makes it super easy to see where on the map all the murals are so you can plan your downtown trip easily.
I'd love to see your mural photos, so feel free to tag me @jana.janevska in your IG shots! I'll also be posting all my photos soon☺️.
I have way too many photos with walls, so stay tuned for another blog!
Until next time, explore Calgary and keep your eyes open for dope spots to take pics!
- Jana with a Y
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