What’s with the unusual art on the outside of the Cameron House?

What’s with the unusual art on the outside of the Cameron House?—Ava Procter, Queen West

The self-proclaimed “long-standing bastion of art and culture” sees every surface as an opportunity for artistic statement. Painted in 2003, the mural on the east side of the building is called “A 5 Degree Rehearsal for Upward Mobility.” Its creator, John Marriott, was commenting on the gentrification of Queen Street West: tilt the building five degrees to the right, and the front will literally be looking up.

The 10 giant ants crawling up the south and east walls have an even cheekier story. These critters came about after the city accused the bar of being a flophouse (which it was) and having “tenants upstairs.” Ten ants…get it? Around the same time, a plan was hatched to paint the building purple and gold to com_memorate the 1984 visit of Pope John Paul II. Not surprisingly, attempts to contact his Holiness via the local archdiocese failed. Guess God’s earthly representative had better things to do than bless a bar.