Dystopian art of local Edmonton landmarks strikes a chord

A local artist is reimagining familiar landmarks in Edmonton with a post-apocalyptic lens.

From a war-torn West Edmonton Mall waterpark to a long-abandoned legislature, Mike Roshuk's dystopian work seems to be connecting with people now more than ever.

Roshuk, a graphic designer, illustrator, and artist for two decades, told CTV News Edmonton he was always interested in the post-apocalyptic genre of art, television, and film.

"Anytime you see that kind of imagery, it's always more popular cities like New York, Las Vegas, or Los Angeles," he said.

"Then, when you see your hometown, it kind of hits home a little bit more," Roshuk said.

The artist was inspired to start creating the local hellscapes last year. Several pieces of Roshuk's artwork went viral online throughout the past year.

"As an artist, you like having people see your artwork," he said. "It's garnered way more attention than I thought (it would)."

Edmonton got a slight taste of the end times when the HBO series The Last of Us shot in the city in October.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Mike Roshuk (@mroshuk)

"People were sending me pictures of what they were doing to the legislature building," Roshuk said. "They were like, 'Hey, they're doing what you did!'

"I love The Last of Us," he added. "I was totally blown away to see what they were doing."

Roshuk believes his pieces make a cathartic connection to the experiences of many Albertans two years into a pandemic that sometimes has seemed dystopian.

"A lot of people are collectively a little bit on edge or anxious," he said. "Specifically in Alberta, I think there's a bit of an uncertainty of what does our future look like? Where are we going from here?"

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Mike Roshuk (@mroshuk)