Rob Ford 'Inspired' art appears on downtown streets

01/24

Caption

Spud's Rob Ford head with protruding tongue and red eyes in the alleyway south of Bloor Street and west of Ossington Avenue.

02/24

Caption

Spud's Rob Ford head looks like a worm with a snake tongue at St. Clarens Avenue just south of Bloor Street.

03/24

Caption

'Blank Rob Ford' graffiti and someone has sprayed in 'Fuck' as seen on an overpass on the south side of River St just east of King Street East.

04/24

Caption

Spud's Rob Ford head in an almost unreachable spot. Seen across the railroad tracks, facing south on Wellington Street West just west of Strachan Avenue.

05/24

Caption

An outline of Rob Ford in an alley on McCaul Street just south of Baldwin Street and near the Ontario College of art.

06/24

Caption

A close-up of Spud's Rob Ford head with protruding tongue and red eyes in the alleyway south of Bloor Street and west of Ossington Avenue.

07/24

Caption

A red stencil that simply says Rob Ford and looks like it's bleeding, found in the alleyway south of Bloor Street West and west of Ossington Avenue.

08/24

Caption

Promo for Spud's Rob Ford graffiti exhibit on the railpath bridge over Queen Street West at Dufferin Street.

09/24

Caption

A poster depicting Rob Ford as an evil pig, as seen on the Ryerson University campus during an Occupy Toronto rally.

10/24

Caption

The 'Listen Bird' says 'Dump Ford' on top of a building at Queen Street West and Dunn Avenue.

11/24

Caption

A close-up of the 'Listen Bird' says 'Dump Ford' on top of a building at Queen Street West and Dunn Avenue.

12/24

Caption

A 'Major Robber Ford' poster seen on the Ryerson University campus during an Occupy Toronto rally.

13/24

Caption

A construction sign has been graffitied while on the fence of a condo construction site on Sherbourne Street just south of Queen Street East.

14/24

Caption

The 'Listen Bird' says '330 lbs of Pure Bull Shit!' on an abandoned building between Queen Street West and Argyle Avenue.

15/24

Caption

Rob Ford caricature on an event poster on the north west corner of Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue.

16/24

Caption

Someone made a small addition to the pig pen sign at Riverdale Farm that warns '...Rob Ford may bite'.

17/24

Caption

A Spud sticker of Rob Ford is seen on a Toronto Sun newspaper box at the the north east corner of Ossington Avenue and College Street.

18/24

Caption

Close-up detail of graffiti that reads 'Fuck Rob Ford' as seen on an overpass on the south side of River Street just east of King Street East.

19/24

Caption

A variation on Spuds Rob Ford head, with tongue sticking out and a speech bubble. Located in the alley south of Bloor Street West between St. Clarens Avenue and Margueretta Street.

20/24

Caption

Spud's Rob Ford head seen on top of a building at the corner of Ossington Avenue and Humbert Street.

21/24

Caption

Spud's Rob Ford head adorns a poster that says 'SPUD4MAYOR' across the background. Located on the back of a street sign on the southeast corner where King Street West meets Roncesvalles Avenue.

22/24

Caption

Graffiti artist Spud's Rob Ford head done as a yellow stencil. Found in an alley just east of Fennings Street and north of Queen Street West.

23/24

Caption

A white squirrel painted on the pavement farts out 'Ford' at the Centre for Mental Health and Addiction at Queen Street West and White Squirrel Way.

24/24

Caption

A white squirrel painted on the pavement farts out 'Ford' at the Centre for Mental Health and Addiction at Queen Street West and White Squirrel Way.

Report current story

Toronto's Mayor, Rob Ford, has inadvertently inspired many graffiti artists to create very public works of art throughout downtown depicting the mayor in an unfavourable way.

Since being elected Toronto's Mayor, Rob Ford has declared a "War on Graffiti" and opposed funding to the Arts as well as supporting cuts to many cultural and arts programs. He has seen to the removal of many public murals, some of which were commissioned pieces on private property, and doesn't seem to distinguish between what is graffiti tagging, what is art and what is a mural.

In this ongoing series of images we witness the backlash of local graffitists and artists who have taken over the walls and free spaces in the city core. Every style of street art has been represented, from paste-ups to stencils, giant posters and murals. Toronto graffiti artist Spud has taken up the cause and his Rob Ford heads adorn the city at every turn. Even Canada's infamous 'Listen Bird' artist has weighed in with several pieces in the west end neighbourhood of Parkdale.

This third volume of images is now into Ford's 2nd year of his four year term as mayor. We're still only at the beginning of what I'm sure will continue to be a very busy 2 more years for the mayor, me and Toronto's graffiti and arts scene.