To Infinity and Beyond
A whimsical mural of an imaginary landscape by local artist Yen Linh Thai draws visitors to the Weston Family Learning Centre at the AGO.
Yen Linh Thai, To Infinity and Beyond, 2022. Commissioned by the Art Gallery of Ontario. Photo © AGO.
The AGO’s Weston Family Learning Centre (WFLC) recently recieved a new look with a hand-painted mural by artist Yen Linh Thai. Located on the curved wall leading to the Dr. Anne Tanenbaum Gallery School, the imaginary landscape was inspired by the environment and works in the AGO Collection.
Depicting a “wild space party”, you will see humans, animals and planetary friends all together in this one bright landscape. You can spot a surfing rabbit, a cricket sprouting fruits and planets that throw airplanes and catch stars. Linh titled the mural To Infinity and Beyond − a famous quote from Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story − to fit with the space theme. The invigorating scene from the mural is also found on three AGO Art Carts that Linh helped to transform.
Artist Yen Linh Thai with her mural
Describing the mural, Linh said, “"The idea was to have an imaginary landscape. A whimsical and magical scene with life-sized characters floating and frolicking among lots of natural elements. Also, a lot of space and water themes that you'll see make it through all the design iterations.”
Here's a peek at the first initial rough concept on paper.
First Rough Sketch on Paper of To Infinity and Beyond by Yen Linh Thai
After many iterations and changes, here’s the final mural design.
Illustration of To Infinity and Beyond by Yen Linh Thai
From a list of many artworks in the AGO Collection that reference various Canadian themes, Linh chose five for inspiration and integrated them into the mural. See if you can spot them in her illustration!
Here are the five AGO Collection artworks for clues.
Linh was among the artists featured in AGO’s original web series Inner Space, in which artists give personal tours of their studios. She is a multidisciplinary artist, illustrator and muralist based in Mississauga. Her work explores personal stories and lived experiences through whimsy storytelling. Her drawing-based practice includes papercut, projection and animation. In recent years, she has expanded to doing public art projects. Inspired by the local communities in which she makes her art, she often turns to their diverse human, plant and animal life as subjects for her art.
Learn more about Linh’s artistic practice from her Inner Space feature.
To learn more about how Linh created this AGO project, and to see in-depth process photos and a time-lapse video of her creation, please visit https://www.yenlinhthai.com/blog/make-it-with-me-to-infinity-and-beyond.
Interested in seeing more Inner Space artists? Click here to view our 2022 lineup. We are currently doing a call-out for our Youth Advisory Season 2022/2023. For more details and to apply, visit AGO.ca/youth/youth-advisory.