Montreal is full of beautiful street art designed to captivate, inspire, and trigger reflection. One of the latest works of art can be found on rue Grand Trunk in Pointe-St-Charles, a popular graffiti wall. Tasia Valliant, Jenna Morgan, and Patman are the artists behind the new mural depicting George Floyd.
Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police officers has led to mass protests against police brutality and racism across the world.
Thousands of people have marched through the streets of Montreal to call attention to systemic racism in Quebec and demand law enforcement reform.
The Montreal artists decided to come together and create this mural as a way of contributing to the Black Lives Matter movement.
They told MTL Blog that "after watching countless videos of what’s been taking place around the world, we felt we needed to take action."
"As allies and artists, we have the ability to create a lasting emotional response in those who see it," they said.
"Images can be extremely powerful and George Floyd is a symbol of equality and justice for the present and future."
Morgan and Valliant currently have two other pieces on that same wall and told us that they hope to "create many more permanent murals, as we have received such positive feedback."
The Montrealers want their art to "speak for itself" and hope that people can "look into themselves to reflect upon what actions they have taken to make a change, in regards to this movement."
They went on to say that "it takes having uncomfortable conversations and expanding knowledge about injustice."
They hope to inspire action as they see the world is "wanting change to happen."
You can find the new mural on rue Grand Trunk just blocks from Charlevoix metro station.
