Labrona is one of Canada’s best-known street artists. He has been present on the Canadian and international street arts scene for nearly twenty years. Labrona was born in Magog (Quebec) in 1972 but grew up in Ottawa (Ontario).
He moved to Montreal in 1997 to attend Concordia University’s art program, from which he graduated in 2001. It was during his time at art school that he was introduced to the scene. Montreal graffiti. He says he received two educations at once, one in art school and the other in train stations and on the streets, painting with his friend and mentor, Canadian street art legend other aka Troy Lovegates.
His artistic influences are many, but he cites the countless nights he spent painting with his friends as the most important. Her father, who is an accomplished architect and artist, played a huge role in her development. As a child, he loved comic books and skateboarding and was very influenced by the colorful graphics that adorn the bottom of the boards. At university he spent a lot of time in the library leafing through books, but he was especially impressed by the works of the German Expressionist, the Mexican muralist and Byzantine and Flemish religious iconography, of which we find traces in his job.
In 2004, Labrona appeared in one of the most important books of his time on the street art and graffiti scene: Graffiti World. This book allowed him to be widely recognized for his work and he was quickly contacted by galleries all over the world. He has exhibited his work in galleries throughout Europe and North America and has had major exhibitions in Los Angeles, Paris, New York, London and Montreal.
Labrona now spends most of her time creating work in her studio and commissioning murals. Last summer, he and his friend Troy Lovegates were hired by the cities of Toronto and Ottawa to create large-scale public murals. He has also participated in many international mural festivals in recent times, which has allowed him to travel and paint large-scale works. He has participated in the Living Walls Festival in Atlanta and Albany, the Wall Therapy Festival in Rochester, the Painted Desert Project in Arizona, the Montreal Mural Festival and many more.
Recently in his studio he has been working on a series of works that re-imagine the works of the old masters in his own colorful style.
