As a multi-disciplinary artist they work with an array of modalities: painting, mixed mediums, murals, and 3D art installations to name a few. In 2024, they applied to participate in The Utility Box Public Art Program. This program was initiated by the City of Calgary in 2010 and, after a brief pause during its transition to Calgary Arts Development (CADA) in 2021, it is once again offering a creative platform for local artists and fostering community pride.
The program turns ordinary utility boxes found across the city into vibrant canvases featuring artworks by local artists. Contemporary Vice painted two boxes located in the Victoria Park neighbourhood. Contemporary Vice’s boxes are filled with fun, playful, and eccentric characters, with soulful positive messages woven into the imagery. “I approached this project with child-like wonder. When I was a kid I loved drawing on walls and would often get in trouble for it,” laughs Contemporary Vice, “and so, now, being invited and paid for doing exactly that is kind of a dream come true.”
They created stories using the themes of Day and Night along with the powerful imagery of the sun and the moon; symbolic of the dance between darkness and lightness, together, to create meanings in our lives. “My art tends to catch people’s attention because it is bright and energetic. It invites them to get up close and as they come closer they start to see all the little hidden positive messages that deepen the overall meaning and enhance the visual experience for the viewer.”
“One of the utility boxes that I painted is right outside the Mustard Seed. While I was working onsite, a couple of the residents came down and gave me a card and expressed their appreciation for the beauty that my painting was bringing to their doorstep. Inside the card it said, ‘You have made a difference to a community that is usually ignored.’ This meant a lot to me to know that my painting was bringing some positivity and beauty to these people’s lives.”
“I feel that Calgary’s art landscape is growing rapidly and more opportunities are being created for art to thrive and in turn make a difference in people’s lives. It’s beautiful to see a richness in the art scene emerge from a culture that has been primarily focussed on the oil and gas sector and the stampede. Funding opportunities like these, from CADA, helps ease the financial instability that often goes along with being a full-time artist. It also allows me to continue making and sharing my art. I’m ecstatic to nurture the sparkle of imagination through public art; murals, live painting, exhibitions, and more. I’m passionate about uplifting others and illuminating spaces with creativity. I look forward to more opportunities to work with CADA as my artistic journey unfolds.”