Anti-style – Natural adventures

7974. Cumberland Basin

Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2026

This is a vast piece by Taboo on a long wall alongside the tobacco warehouses on the north side of Cumberland basin. I don’t venture down this track all that often, so it is possible that this piece might have been here for some time.

Just to confuse things, Taboo has written his letters in reverse, including the crew name PLB. His anti-style lettering is given some uniformity, governed by the height of the wall, but still the shapes and nature of the lettering is unconventional. A ‘normal’ sized burner spelling Dorn interrupts the flow of the piece a little, but pretty much gets absorbed into it. Fine work from Taboo.

7952. Brunel Way (369)

Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2026

This piece is the pick of three tribute pieces under Brunel Way for Slippy. I know little of Slippy, but the artist here is well known to Natural Adventures, Taboo. This is a classic piece of anti-style graffiti writing from the artist.

The letters spell out TABOO, although some might struggle to see all the letters immediately. Simply presented in white with a black border and some blood-red drips, perhaps symbolising death. This piece really encapsulates the edgy and underground nature of graffiti writing, and the kind heart that sits behind it.

7950. Dean Lane skate park (945)

Solar, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2026

It is rather unusual to find anything by Solar or indeed much of the PLB crew in Dean Lane these days, so this was a refreshing appearance. Solar has painted this wall which is rather challenging to photograph, because the left hand portion of it is in a very narrow passageway.

Solar often presents his letters in an unconventional and wobbly kind of anti-style, but his finishing and quality are far from an anti-style mindset. The letters are nicely filled with some fine black lines breaking up the monotony. There are plenty of white highlights and starbursts, creating a sparkle and the double border creates a tidy boundary between the letters and the black decorated background. A fine piece by Solar.

7941. Sparke Evans Park (161)

Solar, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2026

Solar is managing to keep up a steady drumbeat of activity this year and is constantly developing his style, but as well as that he is also improving his technique, and turning out some really fantastic pieces, bridging that awkward space between anti-style and conventional graffiti writing with great skill, not letting go of his principles as he progresses.

This elongated piece spells out SOLAR with the letters being divided through the middle with what look like vertical plates. The wholr thing looks like a vehicle of some kind, with windscreens at the right-hand end. There are some interesting colour variations as you progress through the piece and an array of fills, starbursts and highlights throughout, making this a visually very interesting piece.

7883. Cumberland Basin

Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026

A quick jaunt back into my June archive revealed this beauty from Solar on the long wall at Cumberland Basin. I would offer my subjective view and say that Solar’s work this year has risen to the next level, and he is turning out some outstanding work.

Solar’s unusual and anti-style work is perversely becoming quite conventional, simply because he has established himself and made a mark. This is no bad thing, because he retains his identity and developing style. In this wonderfully fragmented piece, the outline is incomplete, and the fills drift way beyond the boundaries. A sense of order is maintained by the pink and magenta decorations that have stuck to the script and frame the piece beautifully. Cool work.

7865. Cumberland Basin

Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2026

Although we have had an exceptional summer, it has at times simply been too hot and unnaturally so. The wall to wall sunshine experienced in late June, July and early August has also let to a disproportionate number of my photographs featuring disruptive shadows, about which I cabn do very little. The shadow on this lovely piece by Taboo gets to me every time I look at it.

The piece appears to be a tribute to… Taboo (There is a number 25, and I wonder if that reflects 25 years of graffiti writing). The letters are made up of the letters TABOO, creating a larger TABOO and incorporating some train carriages and the words ‘Train maximalist’. All a little bit confusing. The whole thing though is great to look at and set on a buffed background. Gotta love those drips.

7859. Greenbank (190)

Whenever I find a Taboo piece I always know to expect the unexpected. His anti-style approach means that conventions and regularity are thrown out of the window and you have to invest in his work and trust the process. If you submit to his style, rather than try to fight against it, it all becomes so much more enjoyable – which could be said for graffiti writing more generally.

These single colour cartoonish letters with a deep drop shadow in the same colour are accompanied by a little crocodile character at the right hand side. Some little white accent spots and crocodile teeth lift the piece with subtlety and skill. The piece is accompanied with the words ‘make it snappy’ a phrase that rounds off the joke that begins ‘give me a crocodile sandwich…’. A fine but of fun from Taboo.

7817. Temple Way (6)

This piece by Taboo has been around for ages, years. It took me a long time finally to photograph it, and then a long time to post it, but at last I have managed to do it. It is on a hoarding on a main road without parking, and I drive past it every time I go to Temple Meads Station.

Taboo’s antistyle letters, unusually not spelling out his name, are accompanied by a Disney like wolf with multiple exaggerated eyes. It is all a bit odd, verging on disturbing, but actually just very typical of Taboo. So glad I got round to it before it and the hoardings go.

7800. Goodneston Road (2)

Zeks, Goodneston Road, Bristol, July 2026, Goodneston Road, Bristol, July 2026

Expect a torrent of pieces from the three hoardings in Fishponds that I recently discovered – there are so many great pieces there, adding to my already ridiculous backlog. This is a beauty from Zeks, who has a unique style, in which the unpainted space does a lot of his talking, although in this piece his lettering is larger than usual.

The letters spell ZEKS and although quite neat and tidy, don’t really conform to any particular regular font or size, putting his work into the category of anti-style. His colour palette of reds, pinks and purples is a good one, and the letters are augmented with a ball and stick design around the piece, looking like a molecular model. All good stuff.

7784. Sparke Evans Park (158)

Solar, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2026

I am enjoying Solar’s ‘renaissance’ very much. In recent months there appears to have been an upwards shift in the quality of and confidence in his work. He has always had a recognisable style, and now he appears to be firming it up and creating consistent excellence.

This is a lovely tribute piece to Paroe on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park, which must be an anniversary piece a year or so on from the original tribute wall. The anti-style writing, spelling PAROE is painted in beautifully blended yellow and turquoise colours, presented on a neutral beige background. There is some nice marbling and detailing throughout the piece, which is a fine tribute to a popular artist who is obviously much missed.

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