British Street Artist based in Berlin Sam Worthington aka Wasp Elder, was recently in Canada invited to take part of the Festival Inspire, an international, free, week-long, non-profit street arts festival in the city of Moncton.

The mural is based on a photography of Molly Muise, who is one of the first Mi‘kmaq women to be documented. As explained by Sam, the Mikmaq are a first nations people indigenous to Canada and it was for him an honour to meet people from the Mikmaq community who came and gave them a ritualistic blessing on site. While painting, he decided to rise their flag on the lift as a sign of solidarity to indigenous people all over the world and what they stand for:
“We must protect water from privatisation and land being destroyed, we must also continue to hold those accountable for the mistreatment of indigenous people and continue to share information and have open discussion with each other”. – Wasp Elder

A lovely mural tribute. Images  by Louis-Philippe Chiasson and Yvon Hache (aerial).

About the artist

Wasp Elder aka Sam Worthington was born in the UK in 1986. Wasp Elder is a socially engaged artist who paints pictures populated by enigmatic figures and unstressed backgrounds, enticing a sentiment of an obscure journey. His paintings present an evocative combination of solitary figures, collaged scenes, close-ups, obscured features, and potential catastrophe. Through this working process he is able to present often marginalised figures through a dignified representation. Highlighting their humanity outside of the conflict that is seen to define them.

Author: Fran

Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.