Edmonton artist enlivens ETS transit centres

By Steven Wagers

EDMONTON —Transit centres have never been the most glamourous places. They are plainly decorated with the classic ETS blue and white. Often there are bits of garbage skirting around the pavement in the wind, and when spring hits they turn into lakes of murky brown water.

Even though he can’t make the massive puddles disappear, Gabe Wong is trying to make some bus centres a little bit nicer through a city art program.

The Beginnings of an Artist

Wong has always taken an interest in art.

He credits his uncle for helping him to do his first sketches as a child by supplying him with the tools he needed to practice his gift.

Even so, drawing was still more of an activity than a potential career path for him at an early age.

“It was always a hobby,” said Wong. “I used to do comics with my friends up until my first year of university.”

For a time, it looked as though Wong was heading for a vastly different future after taking computing science at the University of Alberta. He finished two years of his degree and then made the switch into graphic design as the difficulty of the work load started to take a toll on him.

“It wasn’t for me,” laughed Wong. “[Computing Science] is a really difficult program. Kudos to anyone who stays in it. If I did well I would probably be a computer programmer.”

So far the change has been a good one, as Wong has started delving into freelance design, and putting his mark on the world of art.

Wong gets the Selection

As an up-and-comer it can often be difficult to get recognition. This is no different for a young artist, but Wong is starting to get his name out there with the help of the Edmonton Arts Council and the ETS.

According to city policy, one per cent of municipal construction projects is set aside for public art.

The city put out a call for art and the jury selected Wong for the project. The Edmonton native won the opportunity to have two large murals installed on the walls of two of the city’s newer transit centres, Lewis Farms west of the Anthony Henday and Meadows in the southeast.

“It was pretty exciting,” said Wong. “A little nerve-racking because I didn’t really know what I had gotten into. I’m happy. It really got me into a new realm of creativity.”

What makes Wong’s achievement even more impressive is that the contest was open to anyone in Canada, and he was able to set himself apart from the rest of the group in order to get his work put on display in his hometown.

Although Wong jokes that his selection was a fluke, Kristy Trinier, the public art director with the Edmonton Arts Council isn’t buying it.

“I think that Gabe came up with a really original contemporary mural idea,” said Trinier. “The jury assesses on artistic merit and feasibility. [They felt Wong] knew how to produce the artwork and his artwork had the highest artistic merit out of the group.”

Wong’s victory shows that Edmonton has some real talent when it comes to art.

“I think it’s a good sign that the local artists are absolutely at that level, [where] they can hold their own in a national competition,” said Trinier.

The Pieces

The two murals Wong has at the transit stations are called Parade 1 and Parade 2.

As of today only one of the murals is accessible to the public as the transit centre in Lewis Farms is still under construction with expectations that it will open in April.

The mural at the Meadows transit centre displays the vast diversity of Alberta wildlife.

The animals that spend their days walking the earth take up the lower half of the mural, with everything from bears and caribou, to mice and squirrels all facing the same direction as if in an eternal march. The birds of the sky form the top of the image, leading the way for the beasts below them. A Canada goose flies solemnly in the middle.

Wong said he wanted to show all the incredible life that inhabits the province.

“The pieces are a response to urbanism,” said Wong. “It’s really about how many people recognize the biodiversity in Alberta and the prairies and recapturing a sense of curiosity for the natural world.”

Some issues have been raised by bus-goers though. Travis Miller, though not overly fond of the art, said the biggest mistake was not having the mural facing the road. As it is, the mural is on the back of the transit centre, so fewer people can see it in passing.

Shitl Soni another public-transit-user said she enjoys seeing the art at the public place.

“[The mural] is wonderful,” said Soni. “I like the [picture of the animals] being shown on the ETS station.”

The Year of Wong

While a commission for two murals is quite an accomplishment, Wong already has his eyes set on a third work of art to be done at the Eaux Claires transit centre later this year.

This time around, he drew inspiration from a different source. He plans to create a work that deals with the idea of creation in order to “give justice to one of the strong points of Canadian-Albertan culture.”

The piece will use special tiles which will make the image seem to change depending on the light getting through. In other words, the image will look different to someone looking at it from afar than it would to someone examining it from two feet away.

For the Love of the Game

Although the recent projects haven’t provided a big increase in business, Wong said there are reasons other than money for doing what he does, and that is why he enjoys it.

He mentioned the challenge of the large scale projects as being a point of interest, but in the end it boils down to one thing: “It’s a chance to be creative on your own terms.”