London mural a tribute to his parents, and every other immigrant who sacrificed for family | CBC News
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When the last drop of paint hits the bricks, David Strauzz’s mural will depict a young couple side-by-side as they look ahead to a life together in a new country filled with hope and uncertainty.
The portraits in spray paint are inspired by Strauzz’s parents, who had to flee an oppressive communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1973. At the time, David wasn’t yet born, and his mother was pregnant with his sister.
His parents left everything behind because David’s father, through his work in film and photography, had run afoul of a Soviet-controlled government. He could stay and remain under the thumb of a regime that stifled free expression or escape to Canada where his family could live free.
“They risked everything to provide freedom and opportunity to my sister and I,” said Strauzz. “Now I’m here painting an ode that honours their legacy and their struggle.”
After the family landed in London, Ont., David’s father went to work for General Motors. David would go on to graduate from H.B. Beal Secondary School and OCAD in Toronto while building a career as a mixed-media artist with a specialty in portraiture and large outdoor murals, often done in spray paint.
WATCH | David Strauzz explains why he’s painting a mural in London:
Mixed-media artist David Strauzz was born in London, Ont., but now calls Prague, Czech Republic, home. He returned to the Forest City to paint a mural in honour of his parents and other immigrants who have made sacrifices for their families. The mural is painted on the north wall of the Benz Gallery on Adelaide Street North.
And while his parents gave Strauzz and his sister a “beautiful life” in Canada, it came at a great sacrifice. His parents had to struggle to make it in a country where they didn’t speak the language and had no family support.
“The communication with our relatives in Czechoslovakia was nonexistent,” said Strauzz. “The letters that we received were opened and taped because the secret service over there was filtering and monitoring everything. It makes me want to cry. I didn’t have any relationship with my grandparents and aunts and uncles.”
Interestingly, Strauzz now lives in the Czech Republic, a place he describes as a “great country,” not the oppressive place his parents felt compelled to flee. He returned to London this week to paint the mural on the north wall of the Benz Gallery on Adelaide Street North.
By design, Strauzz’s mural isn’t an exact depiction of his parents. He wants the subject of the work to be a bit generic so it can stand as a tribute to anyone and everyone who made a similar journey for the sake of their families, whether they fled Nazi Germany, the Pinochet regime in Chile or, more recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Strauzz lost both his parents to cancer; his father’s death came last year.
“One half of the mural is an ode to my parents but also to all the immigrants who came to Canada and struggled in the first few years to learn the language and be part of the Canadian culture and be part of this beautiful, free country,” he said.
Strauzz describes his work as “urban impressionism.” The figures appear in cloudy washes of colour that at first glance seem to have no definition. Only after looking for a few seconds does the detail and shape of the faces become apparent. Again, this is deliberate.
“It takes some patience, it takes some perspective to see who I’ve painted,” he said. “It’s no different than when we meet people, we might through social media think that we know everything about who we meet but it takes time for us to truly understand who they are. That’s what I’m trying to promote, patience and understanding.”
Strauzz hopes to have his mural completed by Thursday, though working outdoors means he’s at the mercy of the weather. You can view his work on the north wall of the Benz Gallery, which is located at 1038 Adelaide St. N. near Victoria Street.
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