STREET ART | GRAFFITI | PHOTOGRAPHY

Toronto’s Graffiti Alley Gets Its Street Cred

Is this the Renaissance of graffiti and street art

Graffiti Alley, Toronto, Canada — All photos by the author Darren Weir

Take a step from the busy street into a concrete alleyway, the traffic noises are suddenly muted by the buildings. And instead of the expected gray drab underworld, the alley bursts with color, energy, and creativity wherever you look.

Bombed with color and creativity — Darren Weir

Even garbage cans and metal doors are covered in layers of spray paint from countless artists. Some are just simple tags but if you look closer you will see the creativity hidden below.

Graffiti bombed — Darren Weir

Graffiti Alley is a three-block, one-kilometer-long stretch in downtown Toronto from Portland to Spadina, parallel to Queen Street. And it has been bombed with graffiti, end to end. Some of it is old school but many new-school artists are taking over. It’s a constantly changing canvas.