Montreal

Some of the world’s greatest works of art were commissioned and acquired by the Catholic Church, and to this day the Vatican still has large amounts of work in their vaults. Murals from the 1400s, masterpieces like the Sistine Chapel, were meant to spread the word of God. Although the Church may have lost its influence, along with many of its followers, over the last few decades, it is clear that using art to tell a story was used to it's fullest potential by the Church, and that Gawd still works in mysterious ways.

Artist Kirsten McCrea has been described as “the kind of person you would want to hang out with all day and try your best just to keep up with her.” We like the sound of that, so we asked Melissa Proietti to do just that.

Karyn Gray finds out she has a lot to learn when it comes to Montreal art scene legend Gene Pendon, known for live art installations and working with musicians, producers, filmmakers and art-minded street brands. Find out what she learned when talking to others, and the inspiring man himself.

Like a piper at the gates of dawn, psychedelic pop music has once again risen to the top of the new music scene, tweaked to modern perfection by recent crusaders like Tame Impala, Foxygen and of course, Montreal's ELEPHANT STONE. Singer/guitarist/sitarist RISHI DHIR has described their latest self-titled record as being inspired by his obsession with the perfect melodic pop song and the trippiest raga.

J.F. Mailhot has been a professional photographer for the last 10 years, as well as the co-founder, creative director and publisher for five years of the now defunct CRUX “Art of Life” magazine. Involved in high-level sports when he was younger, he developed an interest in sports photography, which is where the concept of CRUX was born. As his career and passion for publishing took shape, he explored and expanded his interests in a variety of spheres: fashion, product, lifestyle and event photography. A self-taught, D.I.Y.

Over the past decade, artists have been reclaiming their cities, redecorating their urban environments and redefining the very notion of contemporary art. On abandoned warehouses and derelict buildings, train tracks and highways throughout the world, through the cracks of graffiti sprayed walls, street art has emerged as a global movement, as artists move beyond the letter towards the image. On the fringes of society, across the vast space of the second largest country in the world, Canada has given birth to some of the most versatile and talented artists working in the street today.