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Edmonton street artist paints satire UCP mural

A satire mural featuring Jason Kenney by Edmonton artist AJA Louden. Paul Rampersaud / Global News

An Edmonton-based street artist has put together a political piece that’s turning heads online.

AJA Louden, who also painted a mural of Greta Thunberg last October to coincide with her visit to Edmonton, has put together a political satire piece targeting Jason Kenney and the UCP.

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It shows a caricature of Kenney holding scissors with ribbons saying “healthcare, the arts, education” being cut, while arms labelled “war room, energy corps., insurance” grab at a sack of money from his other hand.

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The mural popped up just days after the UCP tabled its second provincial budget Thursday. 

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That budget will see a loss of 1,436 public jobs mainly through attrition, as well as a deficit of $6.8 billion on revenues of $50 billion. Debt is expected to rise to almost $77 billion by spring 2021 and to nearly $88 billion by 2023.

Following the budget announcement, rallies took place around the province to support the public sector and protest programs facing cuts.

Louden’s piece was painted on the “free wall space” at 105 Avenue and 97 Street in Edmonton, an ongoing street art installation that was first developed in 2002 as part of The Works Art & Design Festival. It’s the same location where Louden painted his Thunberg mural last fall.

Louden said he was not giving interviews related to the piece, and that he hopes to let “the art speak for itself.”

His Instagram post of the mural has hundreds of likes and comments.

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Global News reached out to the premier’s office for comment Sunday but was told he was not available.

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