'We painted the change we desired in the City': Local art collective revitalizing east London through murals

Mural painted by 'BACON,' displayed along the east side of the Western Fair horse track building. (Reta Ismail/CTV News London)

If you've driven down Dundas Street in Old East Village (OEV), you may have noticed a number of murals — they are a part of a collective of artists' works, taking part in The Summit 'Urban Arts vs The World' happening during the Western Fair.

A local advocacy group is behind the mural campaign called the 'Wet Paint Initiative' that has put up 62 murals in east London through sponsorships and funding grants.

"Through the wet paint initiative, we painted the change that we desired in the city," said curator Ken Galloway.

The project began three years ago, when Galloway says he returned to London to try and fix "ladders of opportunity" for young artist.

"Young people should not have to run from the police to chase their dreams, you know, and we're trying to create the lanes, in which they can do so, in which they can run as fast as they can on their own volition," explained Galloway.

Over the last three years, Galloway said they've completed a number of projects including the Wet Paint Initiative, the Wet Paint Express where artists painted live urban art at the Western Fair, and they created a downtown revitalization effort called the Refresh Sesh.

Galloway said the main goal is to turn neighbourhoods like OEV into a more vibrant place.

Art Initiative Ken Galloway as seen in front of murals in Old East Village on Sept. 17, 2024 (Reta Ismail/CTV News London) "I just love them, I think they're just so uplifting, the colors, bring attention to us. You know, aside from the bad things that bring us attention," said Roxanne Talbot, owner of Foxy Roxy's at Maymos in OEV.

Artists from London and across the world are part of the Art Initiative, painting large-scale murals on buildings around the city.

"For not only people new to the city or people that have been here their whole lives to see that there is there are people that are very excited about doing stuff like this and want to create beautiful stuff for everyone to see on a street level," said Nick Farmer, a graffiti artist whose work is part of the Wet Paint Initiative

Galloway said many of the murals are a reflection of the changing landscape of the city.

"We are just people that care deeply about the Western Fair, the Old East Village, about our City of London," explained Galloway. "You know, in a matter of years, in a matter of days, we are changing the Old East Village from a neighborhood that lagged far behind when it comes to the urban arts and that's definitely made some mistakes in the past, in the recent past, to a globally recognized leader."