A Call for Justice and Healing, Nina Chanel Abney's First Public Art Installation in Canada Declares 'Stop,' 'Don't Kill,' and 'Love' - Culture Type

nbsp; A NEW THOUGHT-PROVOKING PROJECT from Yorkville Murals implores the community to choose joy and hope over violence and despair. “Generally Speaking” by Nina Chanel Abney is the artist’s first public art work in Canada. Installed in Toronto’s Yorkville district, the 120-foot street mural (one-third the length of a football field) is replete with the graphic shapes, text, and icons that define Abney’s urgent and energetic visual language. Her poignant messages declaring “Stop,” “Don’t Kill,” and “Love,” have occurred in previous public art installations. Abney, who lives and works in New York City, has created murals in communities throughout the world, including Portland, Ore.; Detroit, Mich.; Bentonville, Ark.; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Newark, N.J.; Coney Island, N.Y.; Lyon, France; and Gwangju, South Korea. Curated by Toronto-based Ashley McKenzie-Barnes, Abney’s current mural offers a symbolic salve for the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for racial justice that have escalated over the past year. A collaboration between an artist and curator who each identify as queer women, the work also seeks to raise awareness about cultural- and gender-based hate. The mural project is part of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art. In a curatorial statement, McKenzie-Barnes said “Generally Speaking” is “asking […]