For this year’s Black History Month GO bus wrap, Metrolinx is proud to feature the work of artist and designer Danilo Deluxo.

From Feb. 2025 until Jan. 2026, customers can take a specially wrapped GO bus designed by Deluxo to honour and recognize the rich cultural heritage and invaluable contributions of Black people and communities.

Looking at Black identity through a futuristic lens

Deluxo, who grew up in downtown Toronto and has always considered himself a creative, is deeply inspired by hip-hop culture, basketball, street art and graffiti. In Grade 10, he decided to pursue art professionally and fulfill his passion for bringing people together and empowering others, and himself, to speak the truth through creative methods.

“Art has always been very meditative for me. If I am I am not creating, designing, or working on a creative project and collaborating with others, I am off balance,” said Deluxo, who also works as a graphic designer and educator.

With a Jamaican mother and a Cuban father, the artist has a profound appreciation for celebrating people of colour and draws inspiration from the diverse histories and traditions that have shaped his identity. 

This has influenced his current creative practice, which focuses on Afrofuturism. This artistic lens imagines Black culture beyond the limits of everyday experiences and depicts the complexities and alternate realities of Black identity.

“As creatives we all have different stories, and my niche and voice are looking at Black identity through a futuristic lens. Building on our history, while moving forward and opening doors to new possibilities,” said Deluxo.

The vision behind the art

Deluxo’s work has been displayed in highly visible locations throughout Toronto. One of his most celebrated and recognizable pieces was a design for the first vinyl wrap on the monumental 3D Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square in 2020.

“It was a huge honour to be selected for this project for me as well my community. This piece was a celebration of diversity of the African Canadian community, and this is important work…people would come up to me and say how proud they were to see themselves represented in the heart of the city,” said Deluxo.

Another monumental project for the artist was his work with All City Shine, a BIPOC Street Art Exhibition in partnership with the City of Toronto. Deluxo curated a 360-foot-long mural, known as “All Style,” at Downsview Park. The project brought together nine talented artists from all different ethnicities and backgrounds. “Each artist was able to represent their own identity, but the work was extremely collaborative,” said Deluxo.

The making of this year’s GO bus wrap design

We asked Deluxo to create a design for Metrolinx’s 2025 Black History Month GO bus wrap.

“With Metrolinx being a transportation organization, the idea of movement from one place to another and also one chapter of your life to another inspired my design,” said Deluxo.

To bring his vision to life, the artist regularly met with the Black Employee Experience at Metrolinx (BEEAM) group, throughout the collaborative design process to better understand their ideas and perspectives.

Deluxo, who referred to this project as the “Golden Bus,” says this design aims to capture the rich and majestic excellence of Black stories of everyday people using warm colours and a visually captivating background.

“We wanted to make sure this piece was colourful and vibrant, so we have this young Black girl looking off to the future with confidence and representing this idea that anything is possible,” said Deluxo, who was able to apply his Afrofuturist lens to this project.

The design is a celebration of everyday people and for Deluxo, it was important to include imagery of teachers “who are educating the youth and our future.” 

“Art has the power to transform people’s perspective, and creating work recognizing Black identity and culture tells the importance of our story,” said Deluxo.