While some may immediately think of poutine and French dining when it comes to Montreal, the North American city has become home to a vibrant underground art scene in recent years. Montreal’s MURAL Festival is one of the largest and most important events to come out of this thriving art community since its founding in 2012, and the festival’s sixth edition just came to a close.
At its core the 11-day festival is meant to celebrate and democratize international urban art in a way that’s accessible to artists and revelers of all kinds; from musicians, street artists, muralists, and creators, to art enthusiasts who just want to see what’s new in urban culture. MURAL continues to diversify its lineup with the addition of even more art installations this year and showcases exquisite large-scale murals.
One notable exhibition came from Montreal artist Pony, who collaborated with Canada’s own Aldo Shoes on an interactive Funhouse experience. "The concept for the colorful 'Funhouse' was to create a sort of happy and nostalgic place where you can just be a kid again without any of the worries of being a grown-up," said Pony.
Pony was also on-site to create one-of-a-kind pieces for visitors, while teasing the artist’s upcoming collab with Aldo on its new Mx line slated to drop this fall. While official photos haven’t been revealed, we can expect the Pony x Aldo Mx to be just as vibrant and awesome as her artwork. “I really can’t say too much about it just yet, but it’s going to be amazing,” said Pony. “It represents me well, it represents my world. It’s all about hugging life and colors."
It was the perfect way for Aldo to extend its footprint into the art world while staying on the forefront of culture and fashion. "Aldo gets it when it comes to collaboration with artists," explained MURAL founder Nicolas Munn Rico. "We love how they organically connected with Pony to concept and activate their installation (The Funhouse) at the festival this year. I look forward to what's next for Aldo in the art world."
Take a look at the Aldo x Pony Funhouse installation above and look for the Pony x Aldo Mx to drop later this summer on 8/23/18. And stay tuned for additional Aldo Mx collaborations with artists from Dubai, Seoul, New York, and London.
