Ma Culture! Mon Expression! | Youth Graffiti | Montreal at Schema : more than ethnic

Ma Culture! Mon Expression! | Youth Graffiti | Montreal

"I call it graffiti," says Selena 'Ache 1' Isles. "I use 'urban arts' as a way to make the name graffiti less daunting for the established masses." Isles, an urban artist, community worker, and educator, speaks proudly of her latest project, Ma Culture! Mon Expression!, a graffiti exhibit featuring the work of minority youth in Southwest Montréal.

Ma Culture! is the outcome of Jirafitti, a ten-week urban art program directed by Isles, with assistance from Sterling 'Seaz' Downey. Consisting of twenty workshops altogether, Isles set out to use the medium of graffiti to educate youth, aged ten to seventeen, about the history, customs, and culture behind graffiti as a form of expression. The youth then created visual representations of Montréal and their communities using anything from canvas to wooden crates, eventually collaborating with others in a final mural.

Graffiti tends to be controversial. For some businesses and municipalities that spend thousands of dollars removing it from their premises, graffiti is considered visual vandalism as opposed to an art form; however, according to Isles, it boils down to respect and responsibility:

"I based the art on respect and how the culture promotes giving and showing respect. Part of being responsible is a sense of ownership and exploring identity as a graffiti artist, providing mentorship to younger participants, and sharing expertise and skills in a positive learning environment."

A powerful, demanding form of self-expression, graffiti enables individuals to find a voice within their social space. Isles remembers finding comfort in art upon immigrating to Canada from Trinidad:

"I was the first wave of neo-immigrant artists to arrive on the scene with bright colours of my country and really create 'pieces.' You know, reflections of what I saw all around me, the pain I felt at losing my home, and the adjustments I had to make to get used to this one."

Judging from the symbols, slogans, and images reflecting life in Montréal, Isles' students articulate those same expressions in their work.

Isles hopes to pass on the torch to her students: "[Graffiti] is a solo venture that can take you your whole life to master, just look at me I say. If I have given them a way to do that now they have to take the torch from me and continue."

Telling from the success of Ma Culture! this may be well within their reach.

The community of Little Burgundy in Southwest Montréal, which has embraced the project, hopes to garner further recognition for its second-generation minority youth. "It's been a positive reception," says Isles. "Members of the community felt that the youth were taking back their neighbourhood and this was just one small step to re-beautification." Since the program started, there has been interest in future projects occurring on a regular basis in the community.

With the expectation of continued programming, Ma Culture! Mon Expression! promises to live on after the exhibit ends on August 13th. Sharing their visions of Montréal through graffiti while carving unique cultural spaces, Isles and her students are helping their community understand more than just the writing on the wall.

Ma Culture! Mon Expression!
Centre Culturel Georges - Vanier
Information : 514-931-2248
http://www.ccgv.ca
Gallery Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 10am - 8pm
Friday: 10am - 3pm

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Ma Culture! Mon Expression! | Youth Graffiti | Montreal

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