I am not entirely certain that this is an official Upfest piece, but failure to include it would not be in the spirit of my Upfest write ups. It is a cheeky shutter piece by T-Rex a local artist whose ‘graffiti partner’ Ryder sprayed his trademark tag on the left hand wall of the shop in the feature image.
T-Rex, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
T-Rex’s dinosaurs are a familiar site in Bristol and at Upfest too and add humour and a lighthearted touch. One of the things I love about these three characters is how the eyes give them each completely different personalities/emotions. Looking left to right, the first looks wary, the second fed up and the third agressive. A bit of fun.
Yet another new wall for 2018, and how well it has been utilised by Dinho Bento. I guess this wall could have been split into two or three slots, but what a great decision to keep its integrity.
Dinho Bento, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Dinho Bento is a Brazilian artist whose work seems to draw inspiration from the natural world. A quick glance at his Facebook feed tells you that he is interested in portraying the interconnectedness of humanity with our environment, and the organic green strands in this piece are a representation of that connection – or at least, that is my interpretation.
Dinho Bento, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
I can’t necessarily put my finger on it, but artists from different countries definitely have national styles, or perhaps continental styles, and this piece really screams out South America. I guess the more art you see, the more you recognise this phenomenon, and while it is not true of all artists, it is a real thing.
Dinho Bento, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
The natural world themes and story of this piece really chime for me. It is called ‘Listen to Nature’ – something I have done all my life. Great work Dinho Bento.
Although this extraordinary piece is signed by Caro Pepe, I think she had some support from her frequent painting partner Age Age. This wall was another one themed with Bristol Women’s Voice (along with the Nomad Clan Lisa Simpson). Commemorating one hundred years of the Women’s vote.
Caro Pepe, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
I really like these rather surreal pieces that Caro Pepe is producing at the moment, with the cut-away pieces of head exposing thoughts, emotions and ideas – very powerful stuff and a further dimension to the covered eye that distinguishes her work.
Caro Pepe, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
So, another great wall and another great artist at Upfest 2018 – I think this is another one that makes it into my top 10.
Well this is an absolute stunner, make no mistake. A few days in the making, and the scaffolding hiding the true genius of both the piece and subject, this must be one of the highlights of Upfest 2018.
Arcy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
It is a strange thing as a writer and observer of street art, that I am really only familiar with Bristol street artists or artists who frequently visit Bristol. I really don’t know very much about the world circuit of famous artists that travel the globe for festivals and commissions – this leaves me looking a bit daft when writing up pieces like this one because I simply don’t know the artist Arcy at all.
Arcy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018Arcy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
One thing is for sure though I will certainly be looking out for his stuff on the Interweb from now on, as this is such an outstanding work by a truly gifted artist. His website is well worth a look, and his biography is here. Also check out his gallery of walls…this guy is good.
Arcy, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Of course, the picture is of one of the greatest and most influential people of our time, Stephen Hawking, who sadly died in March this year aged 76. I think that this piece really captures the spirit of Stephen Hawking brilliantly, the bright and slightly cheeky personality. This is photorealistic art at its best. Bravo!
I know that I am not alone when I say that at Upfest there are some pieces simply don’t remember seeing and yet here they are in full colour in my photographs. This is in no way to discredit any of the artists, but rather an acknowledgment of visual overload. It happens. This incredible piece by Darry Perier has been a wonderful surprise and gift when trawling through my photographs. It is such a striking piece it seems a bit weird that I don’t remember it.
Darry Perier, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
This piece is where cubism meets street art and I love it. It is the kind of piece that would sit equally comfortably on a street wall or in a gallery, a fantastic crossover piece. There is a lot going on to tease the eye and the use of colours in those tight stripes creates a wonderful effect. I wish I had spent more time admiring it in the flesh.
One of the things I really like about Upfest is that it draws artists from all around the world which in turn gives us a chance to see a spectrum of differing styles influenced by native cultures…and there is a real difference not just an imagined one.
Antonia Lev, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
This is a beautiful piece by Moscow artist Antionia Lev who cites amongst her influences feminism, comic books and Henri Matisse. The latter of those influences is apparent in the colours and some of the shapes in this work. Coincidentally this is the second post in a row to contain a Swiss cheese plant leaf…what are the chances of that? I am very drawn to this piece whuich can be found in the back yard of The Hen and Chicken.
On the long car park wall of The Tobacco Factory one of the most eye-catching pieces is what I would describe as a still life study by the talented Envol. I first became aware of the artist at last year’s Upfest and his style is so very distinct.
Envol, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
There is something rather pleasing about this assemblage of recognisable things, the hand and the Swiss cheese plant leaf together with rather more abstract shapes. The painting draws the eye from one side to the other (in my case from left to right) before settling on the whole.
Envol, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
During the festival this area is a real squeeze, and it can be rather difficult stopping to take pictures without getting nudged in the back or caught up in the tide of human impatience sweeping towards the street food area. Last year’s piece is shown below.
Probably not seen by many visitors to Upfest because of its location, this magnificent piece by Dan Kitchener was sited on yet another of this year’s new walls. It has to be said that the Upfest organisers, led by Steve and Emma have done an incredible job with finding new locations for artists to paint.
Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Although I had a map of where all the artists would be, I kind of stumbled upon Dan Kitchener at work. There were very few other visitors watching on, unlike some of the more central venues.
Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
I went back to the site a week or two after Upfest to be sure that the scaffolding was down and only then could really appreciate the magnitude of this piece. I love Dan Kitchener’s work, and although the style is familiar, it is the little details in his pieces that I find so compelling.
Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
The night sky alight with neon signs in a Tokyoesque city and rain falling on the road and pavements that reflect the signs so beautifully. The whole thing is heaving with atmosphere, bustle, dampness and nighttime.
Dan Kitchener, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
For me though, my favourite bits are the individual characters under their umbrellas, and Dan Kitchener usually positions one of these closer to the foreground to provide a focal point for the scene. An absolute masterpiece.
Often humorous and always tinged with a bit of edge, John D’oh’s stencils can be found on walls all around Bristol (and Cheltenham) and of course at Upfest. This year’s ‘official’ piece was a double-header, the first part of which was a witty corruption of the Infinite Monkey Theory.
John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
The second board is another pithy pop at Brexit, featuring Noel Edmond’s Deal or no Deal as its headline. I absolutely love these topical political stencils, and look forward to his injects about the place.
Street art and Graffiti, John D’oh, Bristol, October 2018
Coincidentally, his new book arrived yesterday and I can’t recommend highly it enough, it is one of the best graffiti/street art books that I have read in a while, intelligently written and full of photographs and commentary on his own work. Brilliant.
What a wonderful clean and colourful piece by Bristol-based Zase. There is rather a nice little story going on in this piece, and I love the sketch on the floor of the 3D writing of the artist’s name that appears on the right hand side of the piece.
Zase and Dekor, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Zase has been painting solo for a little bit as his collaborator Dekor returned to his homeland for a while. It looks like this is by both of them, or at least it is signed by both on the bottom left-hand side of the piece, so maybe Dekor is back on the scene again. There is a serenity and maybe sadness about the piece, which is certainly one of my favourites of the festival. Oh yeah, and if you wanted evidence of the rain we had, the picture above is a little on the watery side…grrrrr.
Natural adventures 