A gallery of extraordinary graffiti writing by Epok, Bristol artist.
All photographs taken by Scooj.
Epok
Tag: ASK
2160. Wilder Street (27)
A beautiful quick one by Sled One in Wilder Street. He has the incredible ability to animate whatever it is he paints, and in this case he has brought alive the word ASK (from the crew After School Klub, to which he belongs).
Great colours and patterns. At the time of writing this, I am aware of two more new pieces on this wall , curated by Where the Wall, which have appeared subsequently by other ASK crew members Sepr and 3Dom. Expect to see them here soon.
2144. Lower Ashley Road (3)
Never really at risk of slipping through the net, but posted much later than I had hoped is this magnificent piece by Sled One at the bottom of Lower Ashley Road where construction work has begun. It didn’t take long for the construction company to disrupt any street/graffiti art from making it onto this hoarding, but I think this piece survives.
Sled One brings us another creature from his imagination which spells out the word ASK. I think it is a cat – he does a lot of cats – but it is the sketch of a fish on the cat’s shoulder that really makes me smile, so simple but so engaging.
For the last couple of months Sled One has been on a real roll, and it is always an immense pleasure to see his work on the streets. I must get round to updating his gallery.
Meow!
2118. M32 roundabout J3 (135)
Yet another remarkable Sled One piece that almost got away. This end of the M32 wall is near a tree, and for most of the day, on sunny days, the wall is dappled with sunlight and Shad, which renders it almost impossible to photograph successfully. I had to return a couple of times to catch it on a rather more overcast day to capture it in all its glory.
Sled One appears to churn out these extraordinary pieces with such ease, although I expect that is not the case at all… perhaps the mark of an artist at the top of his game. In Bristol right now, Sled One is probably the greatest story teller through his art, every piece containing a strong visual narrative (is that a thing?). I’m not too sure what the story is here, but the man in the ‘D’ of SLED appears to be running away from something. Always great to find pieces by this gifted artist.
2096. St Werburghs tunnel (70)
Last night I missed meeting Subtle by a whisker. I was at the opening night of the Cannon Fodder art show at the Loose Cannon cocktail bar just off Millennium Square in Bristol organised by Jimmer Wilmott and Paul Monsters. I saw Kid Crayon and during a break in conversation went to have a chat with him. He was just saying goodbye to an artist that was leaving. I asked him who it was and he told me it was Subtle… well at least I now know what he looks like.
The art show launch was really well attended and the venue is a good one for this kind of show. There were pieces by several Bristol (and beyond) artists including: Kid Crayon, Decay, Chiba, Silent Hobo, Jimmer, Nol, Guts and Paul Monsters. The artwork was a little beyond my price bracket but actually great value. If you are in the area it is well worth popping in although I’m not too sure how long it runs for.
Anyhow, this fine piece by Subtle is a reasonably recent one from St Werburghs tunnel and although quite simple carries all the hallmarks of his fine work. The first picture is a little blurred, thanks to my dog pulling his lead at just the wrong time… it was the only front-on picture I have of this piece.
I’m sure I will bump into Subtle before too long.
2092. Brunel Way Bridge (13)
What a fabulous piece under Brunel Way by the distinctive Sepr. I love his work, which is so easy on the eye and has a strong retro cartoon feel to it. Part of an ASK paint jam, this piece features a dog in a smart suit performing with a little human glove puppet.
Sepr’s work pretty much always raises a smile and is always of such high quality. It is easy to see his tattoo artist roots in his clean lines and original designs. Truly one of Bristol’s very best artists and he keeps on turning out outstanding work.
2085. Brunel Way Bridge (12)
I have a feeling that this wonderful collaboration by 3Dom and Epok has been here for a little while, but it is a spot I visit infrequently and so cannot be sure. The wall, underneath Brunel Way is one which I find particularly difficult to photograph, due to the light reflections that encroach from the sides.
On the left is a rather large fly by 3Dom with an urban/industrial landscape on its back. The wings are beautifully crafted and the whole insect nicely proportioned…quite what the story is I am not sure.
The right hand side of the collaboration is a piece of graffiti writing from Epok. I never get tired of his beautifully designed asymmetric writing that seems to combine graphic design and street art so perfectly. This is a fine collaboration from this ASK duo.
2082. Nelson Street (8)
My oh my! A couple of weeks ago this utterly remarkable collaboration by Smak and Sled One appeared on the hoardings in Nelson Street which have in recent times been a bit of an ASK playground. It is quite one of the best collaborations I have seen for a long while, and I don’t think that Bristolians, in the main, realise just how privileged we are to have art this good decorating our streets.
On the left of the wall is a magnifcent oriental style leopard in rampant attitude rather menacingly advancing towards a poor unsuspecting child.
This is one of the finest character pieces I have seen by Smak, and it seems that he is planing on doing more, which is great news.
The whole collaboration is set on a grey background and shares a general colour palette of greys, reds and yellows.
To the right of the wall we are spoiled by a magnificent story from Sled One, where a crane is delivering a little baby suspended in a cloth from its beak. It looks like the baby is prepared to take on the leopard as it is armed with a samurai sword and is wearing a mask. Even the red decorations on the grey patches of the piece ooze class.
This is not the first time that Sled One has incorporated a samurai into his work and is would appear to be a theme he enjoys. This is a world-class collaboration that we in Bristol are lucky to have and I thoroughly recommend that anyone living in Bristol makes a detour to Nelson Street to see it if planning a shopping trip to the centre.
2075. Dean Lane skate park (199)
When Cheo and 3Dom get together for a collaboration it is guaranteed to be interesting and of the highest quality, and so it is with this recent piece in Dean Lane.
The whole piece is a clever section of a Cheo character, the inside workings of which are by 3Dom. The character is a graffiti artist, complete with baseball cap, backpack and spray-paint can, primed to do his best. The innards of the character and his backpack are altogether a little weird.
There is a good chance that the piece may be around for a little while, as both artists are highly respected and the paintwork itself is flawless. Having said that, there are no rules. The final photograph just provides a little context for the wall and its surroundings in the skate park. A treat of a piece.
2061. Raleigh Road Vector (28)
Here’s one from Soker that nearly got away. Tucked away at one end of the hoardings in Raleigh Road, hoardings I might add that have now gone as the development reaches completion, this is a piece that could easily have been missed.
This stretch has been a productive one, particularly for members of ASK, but no more, they’ll have to find other walls to keep them busy. I rather like this cheerful and colourful piece, which is completely on point as always.
Natural adventures 