I’m sick of hearing
it’s the will of the people.
It is not my will.
by Scooj
Shab was one of the first wave of Bristol graffiti/street artists along with the likes of Cheo, FLX, Inkie, 3D and Jody to name just a few. It is curious then that this is my first post about Shab’s work. It is of a very recent piece that went up in Dean Lane. I didn’t post it immediately, because I didn’t know the artist, but serendipitously he followed me on Instagram the same day, and that was that. I am a little ashamed that I hadn’t made the connection myself before, but I am still learning…every day. I have several other pieces by him in the archive so I will start posting them.
This abstract piece is fairly typical of his work and features an amazing eye, one of his ‘signatures’. The piece brings together two contrasting elements, the rounded white shapes bound with black outlines, and a multi-coloured jagged pattern – the two complementing each other perfectly. It looks like a spaceship, but probably isn’t one.
The eye is really beautiful. Looking forward to finding and posting more from this master.
In The Bearpit, there are four premium spots, each one is at the end of each of the four tunnels. These are the places that are most sought after, but also the ones most frequently tagged, so anything sprayed here is always going to be reasonably short lived.
It was lucky then that I came across this piece by the London-based artist Pure Evil while it was still fresh and unmarked. Pure Evil is an artist I knew nothing about until I started researching this post, and realised that perhaps I should have known a little more. His biography on his website is well worth a read – he has covered a lot of ground.
I note also, that he is selling prints of his Bristol Bearpit piece for cool £2,000 on his website. I am guessing from that kind of price tag that he must be strongly established in the art world. Obviously I prefer the freebies he leaves on our city walls. I rather like this work, and will be more vigilant when I visit London to see if I can find any more. Let’s hear it for more scary bunnies.
“My enemies are in power – and my heroes are dead” – that speaks for a lot of us.
More from the incredibly prolific Laic217. This time the piece is in a major ‘hotspot’ where it can be seen by a great many cars and passers-by. He returns to one of his favoured motifs, the distorted/disfigured face with hat and references to acid. Also he has incorporated his liking for brick walls, which works really well here.
Another feature of this work is the reference to the test card transmission – something that TV viewers over a certain age will be very familiar with. One of the most pleasing things about this particular site is that the rather officious notice that was plastered over one of Aspire’s pieces here has been completely sprayed over – a victory for graffiti art.
It doesn’t stop here, still more to come from this artist who is really beginning to make his mark.
I love surprises, and this was one hell of a surprise. I took a lunchtime stroll down North Street, because I knew there were some new pieces, but only caught sight of this one on my way back. What a find.
Of course, it is a bunny with a grenade by the amazing Chinagirl Tile – I have always wanted to find one of these, but to have one in Bristol is simply amazing. The new piece is only a street away from the amazing foxes and soup tin she installed for Upfest 2016.
Chinagirl Tile is always a very welcome visitor to Bristol, and I hope very much she will be returning soon. Let’s hear it for the wabbits.
.
Leaving en famille
a lengthy operation
on our way at last.
.
by Scooj
This is a brilliant new hoarding in an area that Voyder likes to spray in a lot. He used to spray in the car park next to these boards, but it is out of bounds at the moment while the construction work is going on, so the hoardings will do. His last piece here was the ‘sticker’ piece which I still think is one of his best.
This one is vibrant and eye catching, and if you take a closer look, you can see that the letters are constructed with bones. A fun piece from this Bristol master.
Pink tinged wisps scattered
across a darkening sky
as blackbirds chatter.
by Scooj
Another political message and contorted body from the philosophical ObjectØØØ. The tunnels of the Bearpit provide probably the best space in Bristol for political comment as the area attracts some of the most socially deprived or uncared for people in the city. It is a place where culture and the impacts of government cuts converge in an angry outpouring and sense of injustice.
ObjectØØØ’s pieces always capture this sense of outrage – you are never in doubt about what he cares about. It is good that he chooses to do something about it through his artwork. This is a powerful piece, carrying the slogan ‘lucky not better’. In the piece, ObjectØØØ has painted a pained figure, a fallen angel maybe, appearing to crash to the ground. His trademark feathers and wing mark this out as one of his works. A really great piece.
This is a rather lovely recent piece from Andy Council to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the year of the Rooster. The colours are fantastic and he has created a special Chinese take on the Clifton suspension bridge – a nice touch.
The piece is not very far away from the turkey that he sprayed back in November. Andy Council is probably one of the most well known street artists in Bristol, as he combines his pleasure spraying with all sorts of design commissions in the city. A popular artist who is at the heart of the Bristol street art movement.
Natural adventures 