BEN JOHNSTON

WeLiveUpHere is a Non-profit organization based in Sudbury Ontario created around the idea that art can inspire, transform and help build a better community. The Heart of Gold mural was created for the community as a reminder of how special the place where they live is. Sudbury was once the world leader in nickel mining and as an homage to the area, I came up with the phrase 'City of Nickel, Heart of Gold'. The response was outstanding and a plaque has been installed beside the piece.

The mural was created in the Hispanic area of Worcester which has previously been a disadvantaged and underprivileged neighbourhood, to add a splash of colour to an otherwise run down part of town. After discussing ideas with a few locals for the messaging, we decided to use the words "Por Siempre' translating to Forever, as a reminder to always be proud of where you are from, your ethnicity and your fellow neighbours.

Ruda Fest is the first street art and mural festival based in Bogota Colombia. In an effort to add colour and positive artworks, I was invited to paint a mural with an uplifting message. I chose to create a mural that included both Spanish and English and designed the words to intertwine like a puzzle, which gave both languages equal prominence and kept the viewer looking a little longer while they worked it out.

The Toronto mural was painted for the finishing line of the Lululemon 10km race along the waterfront in Toronto. The idea was to create and vibrant and energetic artwork where all the racers who finished were able to take a picture in front of it with their friends and family. The mural could only be accessed by those who crossed the finish line, so there was a special sense of pride with those who had their pictures taken in front of the artwork depicting the city they love.

This mural was designed and created to be painted over a day while being made into a short video promoting the new Redline series by Chevrolet. The idea for the mural was to create an artwork that had any unnecessary elements stripped away and was just left with the essential elements to make it legible. I wanted the piece to live both on the wall and the car itself in order to bring it to life. The artwork is meant to be bold and impactful just like the car in front.

Collaboration with Dirty Bandits

The TOGETHER mural was created after talking to RAYCAM family centre in the Strathcona area of Vancouver, which is a very diverse neighbourhood of different ethnicities and races. We asked the kids to come up with a list of words that meant the most to them and the word the kept reoccurring was 'Together', whether they write talking about being with their friends, families or brothers and sisters. It was evident that this was the right thing to paint, so not it lives across the street spanning 30ft hight by 90ft long.

The large-scale modern mural painted by Ben Johnston and Trevor Wheatley  in downtown Toronto is a letter to the neighbourhood it inhabits. The text was chosen for its accessibility, the slogan speaks to the general public with its romantic tone, while appealing to design aficionados with its reference to Bauhaus typographic posters. 

The piece also references a romance one can have for their neighbourhood, the community the mural inhabits is going through a period of dramatic renewal. The wall sits across from a slaughter house that is soon to be a large-scale condo development. The design was a subtle nod to this change. Suggesting that although a space will change, our relationship and memories made there can live forever. Always forever. 

Drawing inspiration from the ocean, the phrase “Protect What You Love” is meant not only to imitate a wave visually but also the notion that if we protect the things we love, our world will keep going strong just like the perpetual nature of waves.

‘Better Together’ is a collaboration with Trevor Wheatley.

Mockup