These are photos of a solo show of stencil work by street artist, I Heart. It was up for two days in June before the City of Vancouver had it painted over.

I’m not sure why they were in such a hurry to erase it from the walls of the Granville Bridge underpass when plenty of previous graffiti had been left up there for years. Was it such a big deal that the artist hadn’t asked permission to do this? I’m sure only The City cared about that. This unexpected bit of street art elevated the space, and gave passerby something to think about, talk about, and interact with.

This was clearly a thoughtful exhibition of work but the City of Vancouver did not deal with it in a thoughtful way. Apparently we are better off with looking at drab grey walls than art.

I would love for Vancouver to have a thriving street art scene the way Toronto does. I think it’s an important part of the cultural landscape, and it’s a way to bring art to the public and make it accessible. I’m trying to figure out how to make this happen.