Painted at the foot of Mont Royal in Montreal, a temporary mural by French artist SAYPE is a unique addition to the city’s annual MURAL Festival. Photo courtesy MURAL
Painted at the foot of Mont Royal in Montreal, a temporary mural by French artist SAYPE is a unique addition to the city’s annual MURAL Festival.
One of the first of its kind in Canada, the mural was painted in Mount Royal Park over the course of one week, using completely biodegradable paint. The piece is also the latest in SAYPE’s “Beyond Walls” series, which has engaged natural canvases all over the world since 2019, including Paris, New York, Asia, and the Middle East.
This particular project is based on a premise: the world is polarizing, and a part of the population chooses to isolate themselves. However, SAYPE says he is “deeply convinced that it is together that humanity can meet the various challenges it must overcome.”
The premise sparked the inspiration to share a positive message of solidarity and collective effort around the world, and symbolically create the largest human chain ever realized.
“The City of Montreal is proud to have supported MURAL and to welcome SAYPE for the creation of this temporary artwork,” says Ericka Alneus, city councillor and member of the executive committee responsible for culture and heritage in Montreal. “By granting them access to Mount Royal Park to carry out such a remarkable project that—despite its magnitude—respects the integrity of the natural environment and showcases it, the MURAL team offers us a major artwork with a meaningful theme.”
