Mural by Michel Rabagliati vandalized | A new illustration of the gap between muralists and graffiti artists

The mural by cartoonist Michel Rabagliati vandalized and covered with graffiti, in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, once again highlights the significant challenges linked to cohabitation between muralists and graffiti artists in the metropolis and elsewhere in Quebec.

“We know that there is a form of cohabitation, because the two exist together, but it is not perfect at all. It’s a fragile balance, especially as the muralist movement has grown. 20 or 25 years ago, graffiti was all the rage, but today, we are completely elsewhere,” says Pierre-Alain Benoît, general director of the MURAL urban art festival.

A little earlier, Thursday, in a Facebook publication that quickly went viral where a photo of his mural vandalized by graffiti appears, the cartoonist Michel Rabagliati had aroused the indignation of many citizens. The mural made a link with its series of comic strips of the character Paul, well known to Quebecers, in an enchanting holiday setting.

“It sickens me, it disturbs me and it shocks me because it was a nice mural that everyone loved,” said Mr. Rabagliati, reached by telephone on Thursday.

According to the author, “there is education to be done, because vandalism is unacceptable.” “It’s like blowing out windows or peeing on the bus and thinking someone is going to pick it up. For me, it’s also a selfish gesture,” he insists.

In his eyes, the abundance of graffiti “has really become like the Wild West”. “I find that since the pandemic, it’s scary, they are everywhere. We’re going to have to draw a line at some point,” he continues.

A possible dialogue?

According to Mr. Benoît, the situation illustrates that a gap still exists between graffiti artists and muralists. “During the festival, each year, we are keen to give a place among our projects to expressions of the graffiti scene. The goal is precisely to create a dialogue, to create bridges where there are not always any. But it’s a long-term job,” he says on this subject.

This is not the first time that the storefront of Bouquinerie du Plateau, located at the corner of rue Saint-Hubert and avenue du Mont-Royal, has been the subject of graffiti or vandalism.

Tags have regularly been affixed there over the last ten years, most often on already existing murals, each time arousing indignation among the population and among local elected officials.

At the development company on avenue du Mont-Royal, general director Claude Rainville strongly denounces the situation. “It always shocks me when I see murals like that being vandalized. At one time, there was a sense of respect between graffiti artists and muralists. There, that seems to be less the case,” he says.

“We’re talking about murals that contribute to the atmosphere and distinctive character of the neighborhood. It’s sad. It’s like destroying someone else’s work. But you have to keep trying. However, we must not stop making murals,” insists Mr. Rainville.

Montreal will clean up as soon as possible

On the political scene, Jeanne-Mance district councilor Alex Norris reiterated Thursday that “mural works of art are a daily richness of all Plateau residents.” “It’s always extremely disappointing to see works vandalized. Michel Rabagliati is a great Montreal artist and our teams will make sure to clean the graffiti on his work as soon as the weather permits,” he assured.

“Several factors can determine whether graffiti is placed on a mural,” says Pierre-Alain Benoiî. It can be based on the history of the wall, the artist of the mural, the location, the state of mind of the tagger. And the pandemic was a time of resurgence of tags on murals, because there was less action on the streets, so a phenomenon was perhaps created at that time. »

The manager calls on merchants who want to have murals to provide a “transparent varnish which makes it easier to clean the works instead of having to repaint them later, in the event of graffiti”.