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aving been the first and largest South Asian Market in North America, Vancouver’s Punjabi Market is a household name. The city’s Main Street neighborhood is home to an iconic cultural hub. Recently, the team behind Punjabi Market has been hard at work to revitalize its presence in the community. For the first time in its 51-year history, a series of murals have been painted between 49th and 51st Avenues on Main Street.
By Naina Grewal The Punjabi Market Regeneration Collective
THE NEW COLORS OF THE
ET RK KE AR BI MA AB NJJA PU UN P
has established Murals in the Market, in partnership with Vancouver Mural Festival, as an initiative to help facilitate storytelling through public art by collaborating with local BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists to deliver a series of murals in Punjabi Market.
The Punjabi Market Regeneration Collective has established Murals in the Market, in partnership with Vancouver Mural Festival, as an initiative to help facilitate storytelling through public art by collaborating with local BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists to deliver a series of murals in Punjabi Market. With Jas Lally as the Curator, the murals have been painted by five artists – all community gems who bring unique, diverse sets of experiences.
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SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2021 Reflecting The South-Asian Lifestyle
GUNTAJ DEEP SINGH’S THE GOLDEN LAND
social media. “My artwork is many times inspired from my roots in Punjab. When I was contacted for the mural, my Adorned with nostalgia, idea or intuition drove me to earthy tones and golden hues doing something quintessentially showcase the land of Punjab. Punjabi, but also relatable to Earthenware, traditional dresses and jewelry, hopscotch, those not from Punjab,” bhangra, and a splash of the recollects Singh. farming culture complete the The Punjabi-at-heart artist masterpiece to perfection. The painted the wall of Mr. Toor’s emotion is in the details and Punjab Food Center. Toor’s idea audiences are left speechless as they bask in the glory of was aligned with Singh’s as they their childhood memories. both wanted something that reminded viewers of the olden Born and raised in Punjab, Guntaj days in Punjab. Singh simply Deep Singh moved to Canada wanted to recreate a moment in 2017. His first place in the from the past, remembering city was in the Punjabi Market childhood visits to his village area. It felt like a place close to with his father. Resembling his home, leading him to get involved personal immersive experiences, with Punjabi Market through he set on a mission to recreate
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the community-like and familylike vibe he recalled. Evidently, the mural attracts people even if they don’t completely understand it. There is something about it which is simple and allows one to be able to relive the simplicity of life that once was in Punjab. Singh shares his passion for experiences and conversations that are sparked through art. With his mural of a Punjabi village during the harvest season, he desires to evoke the feeling of utopia-like fragments we all experience and how they are found in a shared moment. Singh expresses, “When I first moved to Vancouver, I wasn’t sure which route to take. I thought I’ll figure it out. I never expected to pursue art in such a big way. The credit goes to the art community in Vancouver for being so welcoming and giving me so much courage and drive.” For the painter, art is a way to calm down and express himself. The painter believes that when art is considered important, you have a lot more people come out and do it. For sure, the Vancouver art scene is thankful that an artist like Singh has been able to find his artistic safe haven in the city.
