In a social media post, an American artist who painted the iconic Wharf Street orca mural asked his fans whether or not he should return to Victoria in order to give his piece a touch up.
Robert Wyland, best known as just “Wyland,” is regarded as the “Marine Michaelangelo” of artists for his prolific renderings of marine life on murals around the world.
Between 1981 and 2008, he painted over 100 murals which became known as the Whaling Walls—one of the largest scale public art projects in history. The Whaling Walls are estimated to be seen by over one billion people per year.
The Victoria Wyland mural is on the north side of the historic Yates Block building which was originally commissioned by James Yates himself and built in 1882.
This building is now perhaps best known for the Wyland mural dubbed “A-5 Pod,” which was his 13th in the Whaling Walls project.
It was completed in 1987, nearly 100 years after the building was built.
On January 19th, Wyland showed off the mural in its original, pristine state, turning to his Facebook following to ask whether or not he should come back for touch ups.
“My mural in Victoria, British Columbia needs some love,” Wyland wrote.
“What do you guys think? Should I go up there and repaint it? Appreciate your feedback. Aloha.”
To this, some Victorians began responding they’d love the mural to get some “much needed TLC.”
Now, Wyland’s latest project is creating 100 “monumental statues” in cities throughout the world, which does indeed include several whale species in regions where they are known to dwell. He says that 10 will even be underwater.
In addition to being a profoundly talented and prolific artist, Wyland is also an avid environmental activist and philanthropist.
What do you think of him coming back to Victoria? Let us know in the comments!
