Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
One of my favourite pieces from recent Upfest festivals was the magnificent piece in North Street by Liam Bononi, so it was just perfect to come across this outstanding piece by the artist in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
There is so much to admire in his work, from the composition through to the incredible execution. There is so much fine detail in the subject’s face and hands, with every wrinkle and fold of skin beautifully painted. His work tends to play with the viewer, with the photorealistic image being fragmented or distorted in some way, with hands clutching the face, perhaps indicating some kind of anguish that is not present in the face itself. Truly wonderful street art, and free for all to see.
Discovering the Northern Quarter in Manchester was like entering Aladdin’s cave. My daughter and I were wondering around aimlessly, killing a bit of time before heading back to the hotel, picking up our bags and catching the train on to Sheffield. I knew there was quite an active street art scene in Manchester, but I hadn’t had time to research it, so to find this area, which reminded me a lot of Shoreditch, was a super-bonus.
Qubek, Northern Quarter, Mancester, November 2023
My knowledge of artists outside the Bristol area is rudimentary at best, and I don’t think I have seen anything by Qubek before. What a piece to start with! The lama, a creature notorious for spitting, is looking suitably cheeky, and the sign next to it says ‘please don’t feed the lama’ with the word ‘feed’ crossed out and replaced with ‘kiss’. Why anyone would want to do such a thing I would never know. A classy piece on a well-used hoarding.
I think that Kid30 is synonymous with Nottingham or vice versa, as he certainly seems to be the most prominent street artist in the city, with his work popping up all over the place. I only saw this piece after I had gone past it and looked behind me, whilst rushing to a meeting with my team colleagues.
Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023
I think the piece was painted in early September and Kid30, according to his Instagram, said it was the first time he had painted this spot, and due to the pigeon attention, likely to be the last. There are plenty of cartoon characters stitched in to the piece, but I can only make out a few of them. Betty Boop, with somebody else’s eyes, Yogi Bear (I think), Homer Simpson and the head of another cartoon hero. The picture of a masked character that is being pasted up appears in a lot of Kid30’s work, and I think is called Smallkid. I really like his style and would like to see much, much more.
I have been on quite a few what I call ‘road trips’ lately for both work and touring universities with my daughter – it is perhaps a misnomer, because I invariably travel by rail, which means I am reliant on my legs to get me around the cities and towns that I visit.
This year I have managed to have a walk about in London, Weston-super-Mare, York, Lincoln, Cleethorpes, Exeter, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield, and in most of these locations have sniffed out some street art and doors. It feels a little bit like I have been ‘on tour’ and I rather enjoy it. The street art and graffiti that I find is always rewarding, because I am unfamiliar with the locations and often the artists too. This wonderful mural, I stumbled across in Nottingham, falls into that category perfectly.
Laura Decorum, Nottingham, November 2023
This is a beautiful mural painted above a clothes shop by Laura Decorum, who started her artistic journey with face-painting – she has come a very long way indeed. The mural is difficult to photograph because of the narrowness of the street and height of the mural, but I think you get the picture. I think that the piece was painted sometime around July this year, and was probably either a commission or a festival piece. There are lots of things to admire from the stylised female character to the objects and textures, the fold is very nicely sone. A treat.
Klashwhensober, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2023
A couple of quick ones from Klashwhensober who has been keeping a steady flow of pieces coming off the conveyor belt through the whole of 2023, almost unrelenting. Through that time he has been exploring a lot of new ideas and improving along the way.
Klashwhensober, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2023
This one on the cycle path is really nicely finished, which can’t necessarily be said for all of his pieces. The eye is immediately drawn to the face in the middle of the ‘O’, which creates a strong focal point. The colours are interesting, and I am not sure I would have used pink against the orange, but it seems to work ok.
Klashwhensober, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2023
I find I have to combine pieces by Klashwhensober, because if I didn’t i would probably never post them such is the high volume of pieces he produces. This one is more in the classic style of the artist with strong black letters with blue patterning and drop shadows. The orange and yellow spotty background helps the letters to stand out a little. There is so much more to post from Klashwhensober, so watch this space.
This year has seen the emergence of a powerhouse of collaborative graffiti writing and scenes from Dibz and Fade putting together some epic walls. Their drive and commitment has been unrelenting, and 2023 has been a special year in Bristol because of it. In this collaboration, they have been joined by Sikoh.
Dibz and Sikoh, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
This watery piece is yet another perfect example of their collaborative style. Dibz’ letters are submerged under the waves, with just a little bit of pink breaking the surface, which is really cleverly done. there is a strong sense of swell and movement from the waves.
Sikoh, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
In the centre is a character, which according to Sikoh’s Instagram is a water bear pig, whatever one of those is. Naturally, the water creature is holding a spray can which is squirting bubbles. The bubbles are exquisitely painted. This is something of a rare appearance by Sikoh, whose work is always superb.
Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Rounding off the triptych is some great writing from Fade, which, like Dibz’, is largely submerged, with a little bit of pink breaking the surface. Fade has incorporated lots of arrows, perhaps indicating the fluidity of the underwater scene. A fine collaboration.
Mr Crawls and Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, November 2023
One of the most entertaining and, on reflection, most likely collaborative partnerships is that between Mote and Mr Crawls. The biggest surprise is perhaps that this coming together hadn’t happened Sooner. This is the second collaborative piece that I have posted, and I have another waiting to post, although that one is rather badly tagged.
Mr Crawls and Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, November 2023
To the left, Mr Crawls has come up with something really unusual, and for once not a bird. Quite what it is, though, I am not sure. Bones, horns, a muzzle with sharp teeth – a rather nasty monster. Next tom this imaginary beast is a bird monster by Mote, looking a little more evil than some of his character creations – perhaps it is the company it is keeping. This motley duo (the characters, not the artists) prop up the far end of the long wall at Peel Street Green.
As we approach Christmas and the end of the year, I expect my posts to get slightly shorter, possibly a little bit more reflective, and maybe even a little bit rushed. I suffer from ‘ground rush’ before breaking up for a holiday period, when a whole bunch of work needs to be tied up and out of the door in an ever-diminishing time slot. Alright, I get it, I am getting my excuses in early, and that is the way I roll.
Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2023
Zake has had an extraordinary 2023, where his work has not only been more frequent, but it has blossomed, and he is pushing all of his boundaries to develop his unique portrait style. I first became aware of his work through his column pieces under the M32 in May 2018, and they have been a regular feature ever since, as you can see in this updated gallery of his work. There is lots of depth created by light and shadow in this piece, and a fair amount of expression in those wild staring eyes.
Desi, Lupa, Pekoe and Evey, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2023
The Resting Bitch Face (RBF) crew have been seriously busy this year, and giving PWA a good run for their money. In this recent paint jam, the ladies have shown their support for the people of Palestine, by incorporating the colours of the Palestinian flag into the piece. There have been so many protest pieces about the war in Palestine, and as I have mentioned many times before, street art captures the mood of the moment and provides a running social commentary, which I have the privilege of photographing and recording before it disappears under ever-increasing layers of paint. This grouping of four of the artists, Desi, Lupa, Pekoe and Evey was in addition to others from RBF (posts to follow).
Desi, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2023
On the left, Desi ha painted another of her VEIL pieces, and it now feels like an eternity since she last painted DESI – she appears to have well and truly moved on. Her colours are those that are adopted across the whole collaboration, namely chrome and gold, a very striking combination. This is a nice tidy piece from Desi, enhanced with some pink and purple spots and circles around the writing.
Lupa, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2023
Lupa, I guess like all the RBF artists, is painting more often, and I am enjoying seeing more of her work about the place. This is a nice tidy piece incorporating her trademark ‘U’ character – her work certainly lends itself to the saying ‘less is more’, where her big fat letters with simple designs, hit home. A little bit more practice with her white boundary lines would lift the whole thing to another level.
Pekoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2023
Pekoe has been turning out some exceptional work this autumn/winter, and this portrait is right out of the top drawer. There are minimal decorations on the face, which is a simple solid gold face with features picked out in black. The lips are painted with the Palestinian flag, and the colours are repeated as peace symbols around the portrait. The highlight of the piece for me is the bunches, studded with gold balls – it just looks brilliant and is a really memorable image.
Evey, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2023
Finally, Evey, whose work has stepped up a level this year, has painted a clean and crisp piece with some fabulous features. Evey has chosen to write all her letters in chrome and to accompany them with some golden touches to bring them to life, including a crown and an exclamation mark, the dot of which has the colours of Palestine. A nice red, white and green RBF rounds off the right-hand end of this impressive wall. Bravo RBF!
Even when he paints a smaller, simpler piece, Hire puts in admirable effort, and I am not too sure that the words ‘quick one’ come into his vocabulary or thinking. In case it wasn’t obvious enough from the letters, Hire belongs to the BF crew, and occasionally substitutes his HIRE lettering for BF.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Starting with the background, Hire pretty much always paints on a prepped wall, to help his letters stand out from the surrounding graffiti ‘noise’. His chrome letters are lifted by the clever use of the green and purple patterning that sits behind them, and the fine white lines bring a little bit of definition to the piece. Fantastic, thoughtful work from Hire and a great shout out to BF.
Natural adventures 