Tag: Balaclava

7716. Norfolk Place

Mind 49, Norfolk Place, Bristol, May 2026
Mind 49, Norfolk Place, Bristol, May 2026

There is a tiny little passageway coming off East Street that links up to Norfolk Place where this shutter piece by Mind 49 can be found. I like to explore this little alley way, because just occasionally it leads to some special art.

Mind 49, Norfolk Place, Bristol, May 2026
Mind 49, Norfolk Place, Bristol, May 2026

The light conditions when I took this photograph were a little challenging, and the picture really doesn’t do justice to the piece itself, I think I’ll have to return on an overcast day, to avoid the large and small shadows. Mind 49 has settled on this theme of a head covered with patterns and illustrations, as if on a piece of cloth, with only the subject’s eyes and nose poking through, reminiscent of a food delivery rider with a balaclava hood. There is a contrast between the detailed features and the child-like deliberately crude daisies and flowers. Nice shutter piece.

970. Upfest 2017 (30)

The artist who created this piece has an interesting and colourful background. I will quote the profile from the Upfest programme:

‘Lapiz started wheat pasting in the streets of New Zealand after moving there from South Africa where he had worked in HIV research. The immense cultural shock proved to be a source of inspiration but needed a vent which was and still is street art. While living in Buenos Aires the many murals inspired him to paint his thought provoking stencils on a large scale.’

H

This piece for Upfest is challenging, but also beautiful. Split into three colour sections the whole piece presents as slightly menacing…balaclavas are always menacing…but also witty and very skilfully composed. I like this one a lot, and it really stood out.

UPDATE (7 September 2017) – following an instagram exchange, Lapiz shared a description of the piece as follows:

Female #nipples still have to be covered in public or the internet. But when it is a painting they usually aren’t. But what happens if you paint one of the best known statue of a woman, the #venus of milo as she was a real person including the nipples. And how would the spectator react. That is what i did for #upfest2017 a #streetartfestival with thousands of visitors. The only way to do it, is to use a ridiculous amount of highly detailed stencils. The body has 9 layers, the toga 7. The pink beanie was done so she looks like a member of #pussyriot just to push the viewer into the right direction. What do you think?