An 80,000 square foot mural is expected to shatter the record for the largest mural in Canada next month.

World-renowned street artist  ‘ RISK  ‘ will paint the old St. Joseph’s Hospital on Paris Street during the fifth-anniversary edition of the urban art and music festival, which runs Friday, August 16 to Sunday, August 18, in Downtown Sudbury.

The mural overlooking Ramsey Lake will be four times bigger than the current record holder.

Up Here 5 worked with guest curator and contemporary graffiti-sculptor KWEST to attract ‘ RISK ‘, who’s known for his large-scale, intensely colourful pieces of public art.

“We are thrilled to collaborate on this exciting project for Sudbury. This will likely become the biggest piece of contemporary art in Canada,” said Angelo Butera, CEO and president of Panoramic Properties. “It’s our pleasure to provide the canvas to Up Here and their team.”

The Power Up Project is also back for a third straight year, providing electrical utility boxes as canvasses for Up Here 5 will shatter six more local artists.

‘ RISK ‘ is one of the biggest names in the American street art and graffiti scene. His career spans over 30 years of an intense dedication to spray paint. He made a strong impact on the evolution of graffiti as an art form worldwide by pushing the boundaries with his unique letterforms. He was one of the first writers in Southern California to paint freight trains, and he pioneered writing on freeway overpasses.

“His work is eye candy. He transforms spaces. When people drive past it on Paris, or see it from across the lake, it will look like a dream factory,” said Christian Pelletier, festival co-founder. “It’s going to tell the world that Sudbury is one of the coolest, most creative places to live.”

The mural locations for Up Here’s other muralists—TRAV MSK, Laura Peturson, and Matti Lehtelä—will be announced shortly.

For the complete artist lineup, visit uphere.com or download the official Up Here app. For insider tips and behind the scenes stories, stay tuned to the Up Here blog at uphere.com/blog.