Unsanctioned street art and interventions that transform public spaces into canvases of protest, satire, and advocacy. From ad-space takeovers to mixed media sculpture, explore the deeper narratives hidden in plain sight.
About Lionel
Press and Media
Collect Art Prints
- All
- ad-hack
- paste-up
- available
- series
- installation
Where Are You Sleeping Tonight?
A public bench outside Wellington Housing Services in Guelph, crafted from belongings typical of the unhoused serves as a poignant reminder of the urgent need for housing, inviting passersby to reflect and converse on this critical social issue
Year – 2022
Materials – Found objects, rip-rap stone, 2x4x10″ wood
Location – Wellington and Guelph Housing, Guelph, ON
Be the Light
A site-specific paste-up illuminates a public stairway in Guelph, Ontario, with dramatic lighting, urging passersby towards a higher calling: to embody the change they wish to see in the world.
Year – 2022
Materials – paper, stenciled spray-paint
Location – Norfolk Street Guelph, ON
Demolition By Neglect
This installation on McQuillan’s Bridge was created to raise awareness of the slow demolition by neglect threatening this historic structure. By wrapping the bridge in vibrant orange, the artwork symbolizes both the urgency of preservation and the community’s deep connection to this beloved heritage landmark.
Year – 2024
Materials – Polypropylene orange tarp and twine
Location – 733 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON
Coordinates – 43.547165, -80.197353
You Are Here
Reinvisioning Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” with a divine whisper, “You Are Here,” placed at the sacred intersection just before creation’s touch. It is an invitation to acknowledge our inner light, our connection to the infinite, and to embrace our role as unique manifestations of the universe’s profound energy.
Year – 2024
Materials – wheat paste collage, acrylic, spray paint, diamond dust
Size – 24×30” 60x76cm
FreeBANKSY
Showcasing the irony in safeguarding Banksy’s illicit graffiti, this piece presents Marcel Marceau as Bip the Clown, rendered in Banksy’s renowned stencil approach, on the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery wall, already protected by Plexiglas. It explores the paradox of criminalizing yet preserving street art, juxtaposing acts of rebellion against the backdrop of formal art conservation.
Year – 2022
Materials – stenciled paint, wood and plexiglass frame, glue
Location – Queens Rd, Bristol UK
Size – 24×36” 61x91cm
Doctrine of Discovery
The Doctrine of Discovery Inter caetera by Pope Alexander (1493) reveals the image of Pope Francis in the headdress gifted by Chief Wilton Littlechild on Treaty 6 territory, in the central Alberta First Nations community of Maskwacis, after he apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system on Monday July 26 2022.
Year – 2022
Materials – hand finished digital print
Size – 47×68” 120x172cm
Credit – original photograph by Todd Korol, Reuters
Welcome Home Good People
An abandoned road sign on the outskirts of Guelph subverted into a beacon of optimism. Transformed with paste-up symbols, it welcomes home with a message of hope and anticipation, celebrating the promising journey ahead and fostering a sense of community among neighbors.
Year – 2021
Materials – digital print
Location – Northbound Hanlon Expressway entering Guelph
Reign of Colour
In this, the first art installation by Lionel, paint vividly drips down a wall, merging into a silhouette of Guelph’s skyline, dominated by a large Catholic church. The piece, titled “Reign of Colour,” juxtaposes the city’s identity with the colonial legacy of the Catholic Church in Canada’s residential schools
Year – 2021
Materials – Acrylic paint, spray stenciling
Location – Norfolk and Macdonell St. Guelph, ON
Hope and Hatred
In this poignant artwork developed for Pride celebrations, a Jewish man embraces his Muslim boyfriend amidst the backdrop of the 2020 Human Rights World Report detailing the atrocities of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Their tender bond symbolizes hope and love amid hatred.
Year – 2021
Materials – digital print
Size – 47×68” 120x172cm
Make Russia Great Again
This hand-finished ad-hack depicts Vladimir Putin in a Trump-esque ballcap post-Ukraine invasion, symbolizing the alarming ascent of authoritarian populism across the Atlantic. It critiques political dynamics, highlighting similarities between leaders and sparking dialogue on the global impact of rising authoritarianism.
Year – 2022
Materials – hand finished digital print on paper, acrylic paint
Size – 47×68” 120x172cm
Thin Blue Line
The Thin Blue Line symbol holds deep significance for police, symbolizing service and sacrifice. Yet, for many, it signifies division and oppression, particularly for Indigenous and black communities. Its appropriation in white supremacist movements adds to the pain it represents, reflecting systemic injustices and racial tensions.
Materials – hand finished digital print on paper, spray paint
Size – 47×68” 120x172cm
Do NOT Feed the Bear
Inspired by the brutality of encampment removals across Canada the beloved Begging Bear sculpture by Carl Skelton is temporarily encased as if for eviction, adorned with ‘aggressive solicitation’ tickets under the Safe Streets Act and eviction notices mirroring those given to Toronto’s homeless.
Year – 2021
Materials – Wood, paint, paper tickets and notices
Location – Donald Forster Sculpture Park, Guelph, ON
Credit – Carl Skelton (Begging Bear)
You Are Here (series)
Inspired by Michelangelo’s divine touch, this inspirational advocacy serves as a transcendent reflection of spiritual connection. It places you between the profane and the sublime, urging viewers to contemplate personal divinity. Reproduced as a bus stop ad-hack, paste-up, and painted mural.
Year – 2019
Materials – hand finished digital print on paper
Size – 47×68” 120x172cm
Give Peace a Chance
This impactful paste-up pairs the iconic lyrics of John Lennon’s peace anthem with a tightly cropped portrait of the musician, embodying a fervent call for peace in Ukraine.
Year – 2022
Materials – hand finished digital print, wheat paste installation
Size – 47×68” 120x172cm
Credit – John Lennon, Apple Records
Post No Bills
A bit of fun during a global pandemic. Reimagining the “post no bills” directive by showcasing 48 closely cropped images of individuals named Bill, William, Will, and Billy… transforming construction hoarding into an urban puzzle for children confined at home.
Year – 2019
Materials – digital print on paper
Size – Each poster 11×17” 28x34cm
Post No Bills Poster
Inspired by “Post No Bills” paste-up, this limited-edition print presents an abstract interpretation featuring images of Bills, Williams, Wills, and Billy…. It captures the playful essence of the street installation in a unique visual composition.
Year – 2019
Materials – digital print on bond
Size – Poster 18×24” 46×61 cm
Welcome
Norwich, Ontario, faces a homophobic controversy as its welcome sign, adorned with yellow tulips, unexpectedly becomes a pride symbol, offering a powerful yet understated message of inclusivity and resistance.
Year – 2023
Materials – acrylic paint
Location – Southbound Highway 59 entering Norwich
No Vaccine for Climate Change (series)
Through a series of bus stop ad-hacks, diverse symbolic visuals portray the dire consequences of climate change. These stark images juxtapose the recent optimism surrounding vaccines combating the global pandemic, emphasizing the absence of swift solutions for addressing climate change.
Materials – digital print on paper
Size – 47”x68” 120x172cm
Egregious/Exalted
A double-sided bus stop ad-hack contrasting words of praise with criticism, embodying the journey from rejection to redirection towards better paths. This piece reflects on the hidden blessings in disguise, urging viewers to find value in every twist of fate.
Year – 2022
Materials – digital print on paper
Size – 47”x68” 120x172cm
Credit – Freddy Fri, 20/20 Entertainment
Mariupol
Channeling the horror of Mariupol’s atrocities through the lens of Picasso’s 1937 masterpiece, “Guernica.” It creates a haunting parallel between the Spanish Civil War’s devastation and contemporary conflict, vividly capturing the universal anguish of war and the loss of human life.
Year – 2022
Materials – digital print on paper
Size – up to 47”x68” 120x172cm
Peace
This intervention turns bus stop ads into peace advocacy canvases, disrupting daily commutes with poignant messages for harmony. It leverages urban environments for reflection, urging collective strides towards a peaceful future.
Year – 2022
Materials – hand finished digital print, spray paint
Size – 47×68” 120x172cm
Credit – Bruce Springsteen, CBS Records
Truth is Not Treason (series)
On January 5th, 2022, Julian Assange marked 1000 days in the UK’s highest security prison for his journalism, capping over a decade of various forms of detention for founding WikiLeaks, a platform for whistleblowers.
Year – 2022
Materials – hand finished digital print
Size – 11×17” 28x34cm
Declaration of War
Contrasting Vladimir Putin’s menacing nuclear war insinuations amid the Ukraine invasion with the harrowing aftermath of Nagasaki’s 1945 nuclear devastation, serving as a grim warning of nuclear warfare’s dire consequences and the possible global significance of this regional conflict.
Year – 2022
Materials – digital print on paper
Size – 47×68” 120x172cm
Never Again (series)
This provocative piece juxtaposes reinterpreted Nazi war propaganda with Russia’s Z symbol, seen on equipment in the Ukraine invasion, to draw stark parallels between past and present conflicts. It serves as a stark reminder of past and present conflicts, urging a reflection on the cycles of war and the importance of peace.
Year – 2022
Materials – digital print on paper
Size – 47×68” 120x172cm
Ward4
By collecting and displaying campaign posters from “ward 4” candidates across the province, the artist crafts a narrative of political ambition and community identity, highlighting the universal quest for representation.
Year – 2022
Materials – found objects
Location – Guelph, ON
Credit – Tom Petty, Warner Bros
I’m Sorry
Paste-up propaganda dripping with regret and political irony. With bold letters screaming contrition, it features Doug Ford’s smiling face, Beneath, a laundry list of his true political costs. A parody of accountability, reminding us that in politics, apologies are cheap, but the consequences are costly.
Year – 2023
Materials – digital print on paper
Size –11×17” 28x34cm
Anti-apartheid in not Antisemitism (series)
The statement “anti-apartheid is not antisemitism” highlights the distinction between opposing apartheid—a policy of racial segregation—and anti-Semitism, which is prejudice against Jews. It emphasizes that one can be against apartheid and its racial injustices without harboring any prejudice or discrimination towards Jewish people, a crucial clarification to prevent misunderstanding of intentions and principles.
Year – 2023
Materials – digital print on paper
Size – 24×36” 61x91cm
Happy Valentines
On February 14, 2024, Show Up Guelph launched the “Happy Valentines” campaign with 100 hand made posters across the city, designed by Lionel. The Palestinian flag’s red triangle transformed to a heart, with “Happy Valentines” written in the red paint running down the page.
Materials – butcher paper, spray paint, latex interior paint
Size – 47×68” 120x172cm
Free Banksy Artefact Edition
Marcel Marceau’s Bip the Clown appears in Banksy’s distinctive stencil style on a faux segment of wall, humorously extracted from the original building where the art was applied. This piece mocks the commodification of Banksy’s work, merging the fleeting essence of street art with the irony of monetizing what was designed to be ephemeral and, for anyone else, illegal.
Year – 2023
Materials – stenciled paint, wood, plexiglass, paper collage
Size – 28×46″ 71×117 cm
contact (at) lionelstreetart.ca
