Visitors to Crescent Heights will have, over the past week, seen a brand new mural by local artists Rawry and Pohly take shape on the blank wall next to BBQ Express on Centre Street.

That canvas, now turned into a giant artwork of a lucky red pig with a golden nose and crown against a pink backdrop, is symbolic of prosperity and wealth in Chinese culture—and more than a nod to some great BBQ—and is the first mural-sized work by the pair that reflects their usual artistic style of single characters on stylistic backgrounds.

It is also a very visible representation of the connection that the artists, Kevin Chow and Jamie Mason, have to Chow’s family who have long lived in Crescent Heights.

“We’ve actually been eating at this barbecue house for over a decade. Long before we moved here, Kevin’s dad used to come and visit his grandma, who lives kind of just around the corner from it. He would go to that barbecue house, buy a bunch of barbecue pork and duck for us, and drive it all the way to Regina, Saskatchewan, where we used to live,” said Mason.

“Every time he would do that, we would have this big splurge of barbecue pork and duck for like a week.”

When the pair moved to Calgary, they continued to visit BBQ Express, which then turned into a conversation about turning a graffiti-covered wall next to the restaurant into something more reflective of the community.

Chow said that it was also, on a more personal level, a memento of that very personal connection that his family has to the area.

“It’s my grandma’s favourite barbecue house. So, it’s a chance to do some art so that whenever she comes down for friends, she can look at the piece and we have another memento for her. One of the things that we are doing is just trying to make our grandparents proud. As the favourite grandchild—hopefully—I think I’m working my way through the top of that list,” he said.

Third mural on centre street for artists

Unintentionally though, Rawry and Pohly murals have become a major part of the public art scene on Centre Street. The pair completed a pair of murals on Centre Street in Chinatown, which reflect one of the major historic artworks of Chinese culture, Bianjing Gate to the City.

Although Mason said that generally she and Chow tend to paint where it is that they spend the most time at.

“We’re always driving on that road, hanging out with grandma, and, you know, checking things out,” Mason said.

“Additionally, the areas that we have focused on with our artwork are also the areas that we just spend the most time in, we volunteer the most in, so we’re always in those areas. That’s one of the major reasons why we identify where we would like to put artwork is we just happen to be there anyways, because that’s the area we love and spend time, and Crescent Heights especially.”

Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong said that the new mural was an important way to recognize the impact that Chinese culture has had on Calgary, outside of Chinatown.

“We spent the last couple of years recognizing the 100-year centenary of the Immigration Act. That story can’t just be a one-year story, it’s got to be a story that resonates forever. If we can demonstrate art not just in Chinatown, but outside of the Chinatown area, I think that resonates that the Chinese culture has been part of Calgary for over 100 years,” he said.

The opportunity to share that culture outside of traditional settings, like libraries, museums, and galleries, was important.

“Art should be expressed anywhere and everywhere,” Wong said.

The mural is going to be officially revealed to the public with a free pork BBQ on Oct. 6, starting at noon.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for the community to come together. On Sunday at noon, we will be having a whole barbecue pork pig presented at the mural, and it will be portioned up with some rice for people to have for free. The pig was kindly donated by the owners of BBQ Express,” said Chow.

“They were equally excited to have this brand new art piece on their wall, and they wanted to contribute to that. So, a special thanks to them for helping us add some more flair to the grand opening of it.”