Tag: ACAB

7185. M32 roundabout J3 (716)

Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2025
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2025

Soap doesn’t seem to paint all that often these days, especially since his PWA collaborator has moved to Herefordshire. It was therefore a wonderful surprise to come across this absolute belter from him a couple of weeks ago.

Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2025
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2025

I cannot really express how much I like this piece of graffiti writing. The letters are in a fancy thin script style, which, once you get your eye in, you can see spells SOAP. What makes the piece special is how the letters in green interact with the stunning pink background and all its decorations. Brilliant work from Soap.

6036. Dean Lane skate park (717)

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2024
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2024

I think that it is fairly common knowledge that ACAB is a subversive acronym derived from the phrase ‘all cops are bastards’. I am guessing that it was coined in North America, because we don’t generally use the word cop in the UK, preferring the terms Police, bobby, old Bill, ‘pigs’ or even ‘copper’ but rarely cop. ACAB is used liberally in street/graffiti art, and this piece on the curved wall by Mr Draws, has a humorous take on the letters.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2024
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2024

Firstly, I would say that this is a really attractive piece by Mr Draws, who continues to gently push his boundaries all the time whilst retaining his style and identity. The design is great, the letters are nice and tidy and the fill colours work surprisingly well. Mr Draws has softened the tone of the acronym so that it reads ‘all cats are beautiful’, and has added in a cat character for good measure. Perhaps one could term this piece ‘fluffy subversion’.

5542. Purdown (61)

Hiccup (Bloem), Purdown, Bristol, September 2023
Hiccup (Bloem), Purdown, Bristol, September 2023

Certain artists have a little ‘je ne sais quoi’ that makes their work exciting and interesting and compelling for me, and one of them is Hiccup (Bloem). Her work is highly original and eye-catching. She is working hard to improve and tries out new ideas with each piece she paints. If what she has produced so far is anything to go by, she will be a leading light in the city.

Hiccup (Bloem), Purdown, Bristol, September 2023
Hiccup (Bloem), Purdown, Bristol, September 2023

The Purdown walls tend to be square and reasonably small, perfect for honing your skills. In this piece Hiccup (Bloem) has painted a torso with interlocked hands bearing shiny bright red nails. Notable is the texture and depth that she has managed to achieve in the garment. Her style is still a little crude, but at the same time quite sophisticated too, as her technique improves, so will her finishing. A final touch… the rings on the fingers spell out ACAB – (All Cops Are Bastards).

5328. M32 roundabout J3 (485)

Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

I have said many times before on Natural Adventures that it is always a great pleasure to welcome new artists, and over the last year or so there have been an incredible number of new entrants onto the scene. One of the latest to showcase her work is Hiccup, a Bristol artist, nail artist and creator of hand-crafted jewellery.

Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

This is a nicely worked piece of a hand holding an old brick cell phone – I had one like it for many years. The letters ACAB (All Cops are Bast**ds) appear in the display – a common motif for street artists. Nails feature prominently, which perhaps comes as no surprise. A nice piece, with plenty more to come, I hope.

2987. Brunel Way bridge (33)

So far, since the lock down restrictions were first eased, there seem to have been an extraordinary amount of collaborative sessions, I guess because artists have missed each other through the lengthy coronavirus isolation. In this case the artists combining their talents are Varo and Saik.

Varo, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Varo, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020

Varo is an artist I met for the first time a couple of weeks back when he was painting alongside his Spanish compatriots during a paint jam on the M32 roundabout. I haven’t posted any of his work before, but that is all going to change from this moment forward. This is a nicely done piece spelling out VARO and has a natural, organic feel to it.

 

Saik, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
Saik, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020

Saik is no stranger to Natural Adventures, but it has been quite a long time since I posted anything by the artist.  This piece of graffiti writing is really nicely done, nice and tidy with an interesting fill in shades of green. An unexpected and interesting collaboration under Brunel Way.