Retail
Brampton, Canada | Completed 2021

Art & Design Collaboration: Kwest
Photographer: Riley Snelling

Discreetly sited in a warehouse on the outskirts of Toronto, Bullrider’s new flagship store features art by prolific street artist Kwest and sells an elusive cannabis strain that, until now, was available only to the city’s musical and cultural elite. Named after the strain, Bullrider set out to create a retail space that’s much more than just a place to buy cannabis — a hub for those involved in the highs and lows of urban culture.

Pioneering the fusion of graffiti and sculpture, Kwest has earned his title as a global leader and hometown hero in the world of street art. His hands-on approach has led him to collaborate with top artists like Noah aka “40” and Swizz Beatz, creating installations that connect and resonate with the crowd. His snubbing of convention allows him to cultivate the unexpected and deliver big, leading Bullrider to give Kwest the reins in creating its new brand aesthetic.

Bringing in Reflect Architecture as a design partner, Kwest and the team explored the vast language and symbolism of street art in two and three dimensions.

Extracting from the urban landscape, raw cinder blocks are used both to lead the way and divide the overall space, creating moments to appreciate the culture behind the featured strain while providing a structural blank canvas for Kwest’s art. Purposefully designed as part of his oeuvre, the spatial elements appear in motion, subtly recalling deconstructivism while serving and amplifying his expression.

Cuts and fragmentations punctuate the space, moving from maquettes of graffitied train cars and deconstructed visuals to a full-size mural that immerses the guest in a contemplative macrocosm. The large fresco reads as an abstraction of movement, somewhat immaterial through its 1980s colour palette, seemingly floating across a grid like weightless pixels, while evolving into a sculptural interpretation that skilfully delimits the room. Carefully directed light adds nuance to the pieces, brushed on like an additional layer of paint.

Spurred by the broad and ever-evolving scope of street art, open structures, textures, and colours interplay, shaping the visitor’s experience while paying homage to the culture surrounding the product. Bullrider’s design is a narration of the world beyond its walls and serves as a mirror and cultural connector within the community.