What muralist and artist Kevin Ledo sees in the walls of Montreal

For Kevin Ledo, the self-described 'muralist fine artist,' Montreal has served as a canvas where his monumental portraits stare back at the city they call home. But the path to becoming one of the city’s most recognizable muralists today, thanks to his works, was far from direct.

Raised in the West Island, Ledo’s early life revolved around contrasts: the traditional values of his Azorean family and the freedoms of growing up, whether that was throwing underground raves in his twenties—a part of his life he still explores in part today under the name Yo Photon!—or teaching English in Taiwan to pay off debts and recalibrate his dreams.

“Public art has power. It’s a chance to express something meaningful, whether it’s celebrating diversity or amplifying the voices of unsung heroes.”

The moment public art became power

“I knew I wanted to be an artist, but I never thought I’d be a muralist,” Ledo says.

He headed from Montreal to Vancouver, where he exhibited paintings in galleries, and eventually to Central America, where he rediscovered his passion for creating art. It was there, painting murals in exchange for food or lodging, that he realized the power of large-scale public art.

“Murals were immediate, physical,” Ledo says. “Unlike gallery work, where you hope someone buys your piece, murals are out there in the world, accessible to everyone.”

Returning to Montreal, Ledo found himself swept up in the city’s burgeoning mural movement. The first MURAL Festival had just wrapped, heralding a new era for street art in the city. Ledo’s debut piece for the festival—a striking three-storey portrait of an Indigenous woman—was a turning point.

“That mural made me realize I had a responsibility,” he reflects. “Public art has power. It’s a chance to express something meaningful, whether it’s celebrating diversity or amplifying the voices of unsung heroes.”

Today, following years of painting cultural icons for Montreal, one of Ledo’s most recognizable works is the mural of Leonard Cohen on Saint Dominique Street in the Plateau, an image so intertwined with the city’s identity that it has become a pilgrimage site for fans of the poet and songwriter.

But for Ledo, the project was bittersweet. “I’d wanted to paint Cohen for years, even before he passed,” he says. “When the opportunity came, it felt surreal—but also strange. Cohen was such a modest person. I don’t think he would’ve wanted his face towering over the city.”

Still, the mural resonates deeply, and lives on to capture both Cohen’s legacy and locals' love of him.

“Montreal is unique. You don’t see this much public art or investment in culture in a lot of other places.”

Impermanence is part of the process

Ledo’s murals are a study in contrasts—vivid yet introspective, celebratory yet reflective. From the Daisy Sweeney in Little Burgundy and Marie Yvonne Célanire Maisonneuve above Little Portugal to painting his 2-year-old son for Plaza des Murales, his work transforms walls into monuments, each piece layered with stories both personal and historic.

Yet, as with all street art, impermanence is part of the process.

@kevin_ledo Marie Yvonne Célanire Maisonneuve est la fondatrice de l’association Le Chaînon à Montréal. #paint #kevinledo #painting #murals #murales #muralart #publicart #portait #newcontemporary #color #workInProgress #acrylicpainting #wip #montreal #chainon ♬ solitude - favsoundds

“Street art is ephemeral,” Ledo says. “If a mural lasts 10 years, that’s amazing. What stings is when something you’ve poured your heart into gets painted over too soon.”

That said, mural-making is grueling: From battling intense heat on the René Lévesque mural to recalling 12-hour days in New Brunswick, Ledo’s craft is as much about endurance as artistry.

“It sounds romantic—painting in exotic places, experiencing new cultures—but most of the time, I’m in a parking lot,” he laughs. “Still, it’s worth it. The grind, the noise, the dust—it’s all part of the process.”

Tethered to his city

Montreal, like all cities, is changing, and Ledo's aware of the pressures that threaten its identity. Rising rents are pushing out artists and immigrant communities—the very people who have long defined its eclectic character.

“Affordable housing has a huge impact on culture,” he notes. “When prices soar, the diversity of a neighbourhood changes.” He worries that Montreal, increasingly attractive to international investors, may lose the grit and dynamism that have made it a haven for creatives.

Montreal's where Ledo's family ties run deep, inspiring recent works like his azulejo-inspired tilework in the Plateau mere steps from his Leonard Cohen mural:

@kevin_ledo -Something a little different- inspired by the traditional tile design of my Portuguese heritage, azulejos, this is a contemporary take on the idea, right in the middle of Little Portugal, in Montréal. When my parents came to Canada as kids, they grew up in this area. I also spent most of my adult life in the neighborhood which is still made up of a significant population Luso-Canadians /Quebecois. It’s slightly abstracted, pixelated, different from the original Portuguese tile design, kind of a reflection of myself as a Portuguese Canadian. From close up it’s hard to see the patterns and how it relates to the original design, but from a distance and in photos it becomes apparent. A huge thanks to Dave Madokoro, a dear friend of mine who I hired on to take on the bulk of the installation. I assisted him which was a an unusual position to be in for one of my projects, but he absolutely crushed it. Thanks to the developer Forum Properties for bringing me on to this project. And a huge shout out to Artaic for their tile magic! It’s right next to my Cohen mural, hope you get a chance to check it out! #kevinledo #azulejos #montreal #artinstallation #tiledesign #streetart ♬ New Coupe, Who Dis? - Smino

Born and raised in Montreal, he returns to the city time and again, drawn by its artistic ecosystem and a desire for his young son to grow up near his grandparents.

“Montreal is unique,” he says, with a mixture of pride and a slight apprehension. “You don’t see this much public art or investment in culture in a lot of other places.”

His murals, scattered across the city, both celebrated and provocating, challenge viewers to engage with the stories that make up Montreal’s fabric.

Now a veteran in the field of contemporary mural-making, Ledo continues to balance his passion for public art with a lingering love for the studio. There, his work bridges the gap between intimate portraiture precision and expressive abstraction—something deeply personal but universally resonant. It's where realistic faces come out of bold, graphic forms, fragmented shapes, saturated hues, and translucent layers.

It's a transformation of tradition that's both timeless and contemporary—but his approach to fine art remains tentative.

“Fine art is a hard gig,” he admits. “I just paint because I love it, and then I figure out what to do with the work later.”

For all his success, Ledo remains reflective about his role as an artist in a city that has shaped him as much as he has shaped it. Montreal, with its contradictions and complexities, is both his muse and his mirror.

His murals—bold, beautiful, and unapologetically human—are a reminder that art, like the city itself, is most powerful when it belongs to everyone.

"This city’s a place where you can still feel a spark,” he says.