West-East – Saint Lawrence Boulevard Below Prince Arthur, Montréal, Québec

Gaia is a New York artist who graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Given his American background, the theme of this mural is somewhat unexpected. But Gaia is active around the globe and immerses himself in the social and historical context of each project he tackles.

Note the text in the lower left quadrant of the mural. Translated from the French it asks "To whom does nationalism belong?" In an interview, Gaia mentioned that the division of the mural into quadrants was influenced by the flag of Québec. Three of the quadrants show aboriginal masks, inspired by the work of First Nations artists from Canada’s west coast. The lower right-hand quadrant shows the face of René Lévesque, founder of the sovereignist Parti Québécois and an icon of Québec nationalism.

For my part, I can’t help feeling that the vertical stripe in the centre of the mural represents Saint Lawrence Boulevard, the site of the mural. Saint Lawrence Boulevard (or "The Main") divides Montréal’s east side from its west side. The west side is primarily anglophone, and its residents tend to see themselves as Canadians first, and Québécois secondly; the residents of the east side are primarily francophone who tend to see themselves as Québécois first, and Canadians secondly.