Kris Friesen
Galleries
The Bridge To The Wall Finished Mural
The Bridge to the Wall Mural in Progress
As a Canadian mural artist one of the challenges I most enjoy is the unpredictability of subjects clients might ask for. This mural project in Edmonton's Chinatown was a beautiful example of the diversity my clients lead me towards, in this case learning about Chinese culture in Edmonton and having a small introduction to Chinese brush painting, a 6,000 year old genre.
The Great Wall of China opens this mural and curves into Edmonton, leaving two horizons. This fantasy mixture of ancient and modern places shows the diversity of the city, and influence of cultures. The mural client wanted a positive outlook of what can become of an area with time. While I was obviously influenced by Chinese artists for this project I did not strictly pursue their craft with traditional mediums, yet was influenced to create a hybrid style with modern acrylics.
Kris did an amazing job in visualizing my vision of continual growth for our city.” – Phong Luu, Owner of Kim Fat Market Ltd. Kris Friesen, Artist Statement: “My vision for this mural is a fantasy landscape that combines the Great Wall of China and Edmonton to leave the viewer in a scenic daydream.
The Great Wall begins far into the first horizon on the left and meanders like a river until it finally comes into the foreground as a path in the Chinese Garden section of Louise McKinney Park.
The Great Wall starts the mural and acts as a foundation for the city: an illusion of growth and change that shows what has been built and suggests more to come in the future.
This mixture of ancient and modern places shows the diverse status of Edmonton by revealing an important cultural influence that has helped build the city.
The Places Walking Tour The Society provides executive directorship for The Art & Design in Public Places.
The Places was launched in 1999 as a community based, multi-partner initiative designed to help revitalize Edmonton's downtown through placement of publicly funded works of art.
The permanent public works of art below have been developed through local, provincial and national calls to enter.
Upon arrival in Edmonton’s Chinatown in the 1970s, his parents worked as dishwashers before they were able to save enough money to open the original Kim Fat Market Ltd on 97 St. With the reins of the family business, Luu moved the supermarket to it’s new, more spacious location on 99 St in 2009.
Luu crosses the Kim Fat parking lot and points up towards “Bridge to the Wall,” a mural painted by artist Kevin Friesen on the side of the market. It meticulously details a fantasy, which combines the Great Wall of China and Edmonton’s Chinese Garden in Louise McKinney Park, with the river valley drifting between them.
“This is us,” he says, as the portrait was spurred by his personal connection between his ancestral roots and Edmonton’s Chinatown.
It’s a vivid representation of his story and vision for continual growth in the city, as many, like Luu, moved to Canada from Asia to start new lives.
I am available for freelance. Can't wait for the next exciting project! Could be yours?