MURALS &
STREET ART

Artist Statement: In his CBC series, the “Dr. Peter Diaries”, Dr. Peter documented his battle with AIDS and humanized the epidemic for many Canadians. Before his death in 1992, he founded the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation creating a place where people with AIDS could receive compassionate care right through to the end of their lives. Today, the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation is one of the world’s most recognized care facilities for HIV/AIDS. Throughout his life, Dr. Peter worked ceaselessly to sow seeds of compassion. Kirk’s mural uses symbolism to dive into this subject matter and approach the idea of compassion more abstractly. Wrapped in a red ribbon (a universal symbol for AIDS awareness and support), an open hand reaches outward to lift someone. Across from this is its mirrored image, blocked out in a dark green shadow-like form. In the shadow, the form sprout flowers representing the beauty of compassion. Thus, they are a symbolic representation of the seeds of compassion sewn by Dr. Peter blossoming today.