I am reminded of the time I went to the inauguration of Omen’s mural All it Takes is a Little Heart in Ville St-Laurent, in the fall of 2014. He addressed the press and city officials with a smile, “Remember when you used to call the cops on me? Now you pay me to paint walls.” This is Omen. He is larger than life. 

After reading Sarah Thornton’s 33 Artists in 3 Acts dissection of the question What is an artist?, I sought answers from the artists represented by Station 16 Gallery. Omen was one of the first artists to whom I reached out. He is in Panama painting at the moment and posted his definition through social media: “Artists are people who take you through the world and lend you their eyes. It is more a burden than a technique. The artist has to be both egotistical and sensitive enough to want to convey this vision to the rest of the world.” These words were greeted with much enthusiasm, as is most of what Omen publishes. Fans and friends added comments: “The artist must make things in order to achieve this since what they see is often not yet named or explained in words.” “What we do as artists is a service to humanity,” chimed in another.

In early January, I settled down with Sarah Thornton’s new book 33 Artists in 3 Acts in which she poses what appears to be the simplest of questions: What is an artist? Within the first few pages, Thornton is already dismayed to have people reply: “An artist is someone who makes art.”   

I scoffed. My answer would be so much more profound, detailed and smart! Clearly, an artist is… blank. What is an artist? Over dinner, my husband, who is not involved in the art world, answered promptly: “Emily, it’s simple. An artist is a creator.” Really? This seemed too all-encompassing for my taste. One can create with no intent towards art. No, it wasn’t simple at all. 

Depuis maintenant 4 ans, Montréal se démarque sur l’échiquier international, comme étant une des destinations majeures de l’art de rue. Cette reconnaissance est grandement due à nos artistes locaux et aux différents organismes oeuvrant à promouvoir la scène montréalaise.

Du 1 au 7 décembre prochain, une délégation québécoise composée d’artistes, galeries et organismes sera présente lors de la foire internationale d’art contemportain à Miami, le Art Basel/Wynwood Walls.

For the last 4 years, Montreal stood out on the international scene as one of the main destination and a go-to place when it comes to street art. This acknowledgement is mainly due to our local artists and the various organizations working hard to promote the Montreal scene.

Next December, from the 1^st to  the 7^th, a delegation of artists, galleries, and organizations from Quebec will be present at the international art fair held in Miami at Art Basel/Wynwood Walls.

For the latest edition of A Global Street Art Story, Station 16 Gallery is excited to announce that Olek is representing Poland.  The 6-colour silkscreen print with 3D puff ink and crystalline  is the first print for the crochet artist. The extent of Olek’s crocheting abilities is nearly infinitesimal, transforming everything from cars, billboards, everyday objects, public sculptures, trains, and even people into her crocheted masterpieces. Always daring, her work is consistently witty and whimsical, often exuding political and social undertones.

Pour la dernière édition de A Global Street Art Story, la Galerie Station 16 est heureuse d'annoncer que c’est l’artiste Olek qui représentera Pologne. La sérigraphie en six couleurs avec encre 3D et cristalline est la première réalisée par l’artiste de crochet. L’étendue des capacités en matière de crochet d’Olek est presque infinie, puisqu’il transforme tout : des voitures, des panneaux, des objets du quotidien, des sculptures publiques, des trains et même des gens à travers ses œuvres d'art. Toujours audacieux, son travail regorge d'esprit et d’éléments fantasques, sous-tendant souvent des connotations politiques et sociales.

When viewing the work of Eric Clement, there are waves of nostalgia and a strong sense of familiarity; however, the final product is a completely unique creation. An infusion of comic books, graffiti, childhood stock characters, and brand imagery permeates his work, and through a variety of mediums and installations, Clement contributes an unparalleled element to the Montreal art scene.

Lorsqu’on regarde les oeuvres d'Éric Clément, on ressent des relents de nostalgie et de familiarité; toutefois, le produit final est une création complètement unique. Une infusion réunissant la bande dessinée, le graffiti, les personnages de notre enfance et la typographie. À travers une variété de médiums, Clément amène un élément avant-gardiste sur ​​la scène de street art montréalaise.

For the latest edition of A Global Street Art Story, Station 16 Gallery is excited to announce that Sobekcis is representing Serbia. Sobek and Kcis, twins who form the artist duo, use a combination of the figurative and abstract to create dramatic street art that is quickly gaining an international following.

Pour la dernière édition de A Global Street Art Story, la galerie Station 16 est heureuse d'annoncer quec’est le collectif Sobekcis qui représentera la Serbie. Sobek et Kcis, qui forment le duo d’artistes, combinent harmonieusement figuration et abstraction pour créer des pièces uniques qui atteignent rapidement une visibilité internationale.

After her prominent display at the Mural Festival last month, Kashink has continued to decorate the streets of Montreal. In the heart of the Village, located on rue Amherst & Ste. Catherine, Kashink has brought her global initiative “50 Cakes of Gay” to Montreal. (written by Alexandra Jagodzinski)

Après sa présence fortement médiatisée le mois dernier lors du Festival Mural, Kashink continue à décorer les rues de Montréal. Au coeur du village, situé sur la rue Amherst et Sainte-Catherine, Kashink a apporté son initiative mondiale «50 Cakes de Gay" à Montréal. (écrit par Alexandra Jagodzinski)

We’ve teamed up with JACK & JONES Canada on a new and exciting collaboration called 'The Originals Art Contest'. Read on and find our how you can submit to this contest!

This week we have a special blog interview with Parisian artist Le Diamantaire. Sabrina Desjardins, our newest Station16 intern, lead the interview on our behalf! Please note that this interview is only in french, with an english version to follow later this month. 

(Only in French)

Le Diamantaire est un artiste français à surveiller lors du festival MURAL, qui se déroulera de 12 au 15 juin prochains. Il s’agit de sa première présence dans un festival au Canada. L’artiste travaille avec des miroirs, qu’il réutilise en les moulant dans une forme de diamant. Le Diamantaire œuvre dans la sphère de l’installation, en disposant ses miroirs moulés un peu partout sur son passage. 

Using images of Hollywood icons and fashion models, the New York based artist DAIN juxtaposes celebrity icons, creating hybrids that dissociate the familiar to create something surreal.  Coupling male and female identity, playing with proportions and contexts, DAIN unified characters, which simultaneously complements and detracts from the whole. In his correlated images, our idealizations of these famous personalities become empty.  This month, Leanna Valente, author of Art & Fashion, was given the opportunity to interview the artist.

By Leanna Valente – www.artandfashionsalon.blogspot.com

A wall which used to hold original works from both WIA & Labrona now stands empty at the Station16 gallery.

What seemed like a regular Monday morning at Station16 gallery... turned out to be the scene of a crime. Over 50,000$ worth of original art and prints where stolen this week when Station16 Gallery was broken into and robbed! Antoine Tavaglione, Labrona, Stikki Peaches, Scaner, Whatisadam, and ZekOne, are just a few of the artists who's works were stolen...

With the help of project MU and the new MURAL fest, this last year has given Montreal a number of new murals to be proud of. Many of these murals painted by street artists from all over, artists that Station16 has been fortunate enough to work with. So, we've decided to work on a new project...