In July 2025, sixteen youths from The Esplanade neighborhood came together to create a mural at the St. Lawrence Market, under the guidance of established artist Jieun Kim and emerging artist Tina Abdelbasit.

The mural, titled Across Dimensions and unveiled on July 19th, explores the theme of living together while coming from different spaces, with our beloved market at the heart of it all, a central gathering place in our shared community. The participants were involved in every step of the process, from the initial design brainstorming to the final unveiling of the mural.

ARTIST STATEMENTS:

By Participants

As young artists from the Esplanade, we came together to imagine a universe that reflects our own - one filled with diversity, beauty, and connections. Our mural, Across Dimensions, is a galaxy where every planet, alien-astronaut, and sparkle represent the people in our neighbourhood.

The St. Lawrence Market is at the heart of our mural, just like it’s at the heart of our community. It’s where people meet, share stories, shop, and connect. For many of us, it’s a place of nostalgia - something that’s always been there, holding us all together like gravity in our own local galaxy.

Every detail in the mural expresses a part of who we are. From the planet with purple trees that symbolizes our personal growth, to the swan planet that represents beauty and protection, each element was designed by us, with care and imagination. Even the alien with the tentacles at the top of the mural is a symbol - a quiet protector, watching over our cosmic community.

We see ourselves as small sparks in the vastness of the universe and together, we shine.

By Jieun Kim:

This mural is the result of a joyful collaboration with the local youth. Over the course of two weeks, we held workshops to explore what community, diversity, and what shared spaces mean to us. Together, we imagined something playful and unexpected: what if St. Lawrence Market existed in outer space?

The design began with simple sketches. Birds representing freedom, planets symbolizing diversity, and the sun and sky as expressions of joy. These ideas grew into a vibrant, imaginative mural that feels like looking through a portal into another world.

By Tina Abdelbasit:

St. Lawrence market is a source of joy and a symbol of togetherness for the community and this mural is a way for that joy to be reflected. The participants were able to channel their positive memories and associations into the design growing their sense of community pride. Through the process of painting the mural, they were able to share this pride with the rest of the community.