Kevin Ledo Canadian, b. 1978

Kevin Ledo lives and works in Montreal, Canada. He finished his studies of Illustration and Design at Dawson College in 1999, and since then his artistic practice has crossed back and forth through the boundaries of mural, street art, fine art, and art installation, focusing on the human form interlaced with geometric abstraction. 

Ledo’s realistic figures merge with a graphic display of orbs, halos, and vector lines, suspended in a minimalistic environment, experiencing moments of contemplation, intimacy, joy and wonderment.

Ledo grew up in a mix of urban and ethnic cultures in Montreal, raised by Portuguese parents from the Azores Islands. While art and painting have always been part of his life, his artistic practice officially started in 2005. Firmly grounded in classical painting techniques and materials while plugged into contemporary perspectives, Ledo also brings his elegant, often stylized approach of realism to walls, both indoor and outdoor; using everything from oil and acrylic paint, to spray paint, and gold leaf.

The subject and approach to Kevin Ledo’s artwork changes according to whether it’s public art or his personal explorations in fine art. While there is a common visual thread between these different activities, his public art has several different considerations that are taken into account before creating, such as the neighbourhood the mural is set to be in; the history of the area and the audience. Ledo’s public murals are often celebrations of people and diversity and aim to relate to the communities they are found in.

On the other hand, Ledo’s studio work serves to help himself to understand his own mind and the mind of others; exploring the constructs that make up one’s character, flirting with metaphysics, individual divinity and beauty. In the studio Ledo functions intuitively and follow his hunches, coming to understand what the work is about as it unfolds. Whenever possible, Ledo photographs the subjects he uses as reference for his artwork.

He traces his influences and inspiration to a multitude of forces including iconography, psychology, Buddhist philosophy, music, graphic design and photography. His work has given him the opportunity to fulfill another passion, which is to travel around the world and learn from other cultures. He had the chance to live in other countries such as Taiwan, Vancouver, Costa Rica, Guatemala and China.

Some of his most notable artworks have been exhibited in the Mode Museum in Hasselt, Belgium and Arsenal in Montreal, Canada. He is an ongoing participant of the En Masse project since 2009, and has painted with the group at numerous art fairs, museums and events across the USA and Canada, including the Musée Des Beaux- Arts de Montréal and Art San Diego.

He has participated in several mural festivals and public art initiatives in Canada and around the world, such as MURAL in Montreal, Canada, PangeaSeed Sea Walls in Toronto, Canada, FIAP in Cancún, Mexico, AptART in Zarqa, Jordan and Beirut, The Raw Project in Miami and Denver, and recently at Street Prints in Christchurch and Mount Maunganui, New Zealand; among others.

Ledo has been featured in many art media outlets such as Juxtapoz Magazine, Street Art News, My Modern Met, Artist a Day, Montana Cans blog, and Cool Hunting. As well, his work has been written about and featured on television and in multiple news outlets including LA Times, The Guardian, National Geographic, Yahoo! News, Washington Times, The National Post, Toronto Star, La Presse, CBC The National, CBC Arts, CBC Radio1, Global News, CTV News, The Globe and Mail, The Montreal Gazette, Cult MTL and more.