Category: 7.2. Upfest 2017

1325. Upfest 2017 (135)

This stunning piece was the second by Oze Arv at the festival and one of several astonishing pieces he sprayed in Bristol while he was visiting. On the basis of seeing only these few pieces, I can without any doubt say that I admire his work hugely and hope he returns for this year’s festival.

Oze Arv, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Oze Arv, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

He uses a wonderful range of colours and combines an abstract form with superb wildlife illustrations, captured in a carefully balanced composition. In this piece it is a humming bird takes centre stage…in his other festival piece it was a ram. If I had the space and cash, I’d love to have a piece like this hanging on a wall at home. Classy stuff.

1324. Upfest 2017 (134)

This is a small section of a larger wall which was sprayed by the Lost Souls crew for Upfest 2017. The concept for this wall was for each of the artists to produce a kind of playing card with a character piece on it. Here we have a pairing of SPZero76 and Squirl.

SPZero76, Upfest, Bristol, July2017
SPZero76, Upfest, Bristol, July2017

SPZero76 has created an incredible skeleton figure, rather disturbingly holding a whole bunch of lollies and sweets. It would seem that he enjoys using these blues and purples in his work, as I have seen them in many many of his pieces.

Squirl, Upfest, Bristol, July2017
Squirl, Upfest, Bristol, July2017

The Squirl piece is also a skeleton but of something altogether different…a horse maybe or perhaps a dog (see the flying bones) but the dentition is all wrong. What is it with street artists and death? The horse/dog is interacting with the female skeleton, maybe he wants the sweets.

Both of these pieces combine well and are technically beautifully sprayed. More from the Lost Souls to come.

1323. Upfest 2017 (133)

Sophie Long is an established artist in Bristol whose wildlife pieces with stunning drips are well known to those who look out for such things. I recently posted her fabulous shark piece in Cheltenham road which I walk past pretty much every day.

Sophie Long, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Sophie Long, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This upright orangutan is rather beautiful and conveys so well the sombre disposition of these incredible creatures. we are reminded of our evolutionary closeness to them and our utter disregard for their environment. Orangutans have become an emblem of despair, but also of hope for the future. This fine piece would sit comfortably on any naturalists wall.

1322. Upfest 2017 (132)

At last year’s Upfest, 23 Magpies had a board all to herself, rather than her usual wheatpastes dotted around the place on utility boxes and lamp posts. I am a big fan of her work and am the proud owner of one of her small creations.

23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
23Magpies, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This work at Upfest is a clever piece of artwork purporting to be a National Geographic cover. A nice political message up front and lovely illustration, which chimes very much with the National Geographic house style. Packing a punch and an evocative image.

1296. Upfest 2017 (130)

John.Dot.S comes from Romania and sprays these figures dressed in aluminium. Often he includes an environmental theme, or encourages the viewer to see the piece and live in the moment. CCTV cameras are a popular motif or emblem for street artists and often represents a healthy dislike of overbearing societies, of ‘big brother’ states.

John.Dot.S, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
John.Dot.S, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

This is a beautifully executed work which I believe is a stencil in greyscale. It is rekarkable how many greyscale pieces there were at this year’s festival. A fine fine piece from an artist I have not seen before. It would be good to see a return visit from him this year.

1295. Upfest 2017 (129)

Unmistakable, this piece is from our very own street art mega-star, Inkie. In Bristol, he is pretty much a household name and is recognised not only for his amazing street art work, but also for the stunning designs he produces in his studio. Many of his prints hang on the walls of Bristol homes.

Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Inkie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

At Upfest, Inkie was supposed to have a different wall, but for some reason he didn’t take it, and Dzia did an extra piece (the robin) instead. This was where Inkie ended up, in a back yard that is fenced off. A few intrepid visitors found it and went round the back of the yard, and saw that the gate was open (probably for the festival only). There have not been many images of this piece, even though it is still there. A beautiful example of his work, so clean and an example of wildstyle writing at its best.

 

 

1294. Upfest 2017 (128)

There is no way that these photographs do this extraordinary multi-layer stencil justice. The subtle layering and shading in the piece are so skilfully prepared and executed. This is a technical marvel by a lovely artist called P0G0 who produced one of the most memorable pieces of Upfest 2017.

P0G0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
P0G0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The greyscale piece is offset by the scarlet fingernails of the subject and to finish the piece off P0G0 has added some hexagons in pastel shades…again in contrast with the rest of the piece.

P0G0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
P0G0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

P0G0 is one of the true gentlemen of the street art world, a warm and humble fellow who was happy to chat for a long while and who agreed to do an interview with me. Because his written English is not too good, he said he would be happier to do a face-to-face interview, but the logistics of doing so are tricky. So maybe a telephone interview would be best or perhaps I can grab him for half an hour if he makes it to Upfest 2018. A memorable piece and artist.

1293. Upfest 2017 (127)

This is a gorgeous piece by Majilina that if I am honest I don’t recall very well from the festival itself, but have had time to scrutinise from the luxury of my PC. The two killer whales or orcas are beautifully framed in a decorative circle and black background, with the purples lifting them off the surface. There is something here that reminds me of 23Magpie’s work.

Majilina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Majilina, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Rather than interpret her biography I offer her profile from the Upfest website:

The artist majilina was born in South Tyrol, Italy. Her art circles around lively and colorful portraits of different types of animals. During her training as a visual designer her skills in craftwork and painting began to blossom and she got introduced to urban art. Currently, she focuses on painting big scale murals, always refining her techniques and gaining new levels of expressiveness. As one of the only known female deaf artists in mural art her paintings are a true inspiration for all of us and especially for other deaf people to have the courage for big life time goals.

 

1292. Upfest 2017 (126)

This was an Upfest piece that seemed to divide opinion…a bit of a ‘marmite’ work, you either love it or hate it. It is an installation piece by Id-Iom which contains several 3D elements protruding from the work.

id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

While photographing the piece during its creation I noticed that the trees in the background created brilliant hairstyles for the faces…an unintended addition which I think added to the overall piece. When I pointed it out to the artists, they didn’t seem to see the funny side, and just got on with the work.

id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
id-iom, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Looking at the equipment that they brought along, there would seem to have been an immense amount of thought and preparation that went into this piece. I can’t say that it was my favourite at Upfest, but it was one of the more stimulating works that attracted more thought than most. These two are unconventional and like to push the boundaries.

1261. Upfest 2017 (125)

Funnily enough, this is another piece that I don’t recall very well from the festival itself – there were so many works at Ashton Gate that it has been impossible to recollect them all. However, looking at the images on my computer, this one really stands out as a beautiful  and colourful piece.

Onga, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Onga, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

To my shame, Onga hasn’t really crossed my radar before, despite having lived in Bristol for a few years, and contributing regularly to Upfest in the past. Maybe it is because he doesn’t spray on the walls I visit, I don’t know. I know from a biography I read that he enjoys festivals, and since I have only been to Upfest for the last two years and no other festivals at all, it might explain why our paths haven’t crossed before.

This is a fine piece that probably needs a little bit of scrutiny and unpicking as there is a story there somewhere.