Tag: Graffiti

723. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (23)

I really enjoy the political edge that street art brings to us, and one artist more than any other in Bristol, challenges the status quo and presents us with philosophical and political thoughts. ObjectØØØ.

Object000, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2017
Object000, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2017

It is a while since I posted anything from the arches of the Carriageworks, but things have become busy there recently. This piece by ObjectØØØ is of an organic robotic creature and carries a stark warning:

‘As all these incredible new technologies come online, who benefits? The warmongers and profiteers. Maybe technology can save us, but not in the hands of self-serving elites…‘

Object000, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2017
Object000, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2017

This is ObjectØØØ in full flow and at his creative best. Full of rage, anger and passion. I love this piece. RESIST.

Object000, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2017
Object000, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2017

722, The Bearpit (59)

I include these pieces by Mr Draws, because they represent a strong reference point for the role street/graffiti art play in social commentary. In Bristol, and I imagine in cities all over the World, we face changes to our local communities happening at a rate faster than ever before. Globalisation and the advent of the Interweb have driven change, and along with the ‘progress’ this affords us, it also brings with it casualties.

Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017

The Bearpit sits at the end of the A38 (Cheltenham Road/Stokes Croft/Gloucester Road), which is famed for being one of the longest continuous ‘independent’ high streets in Britain. This is a claim that is disputable since a number of supermarket chains and coffee shops have moved in. As independent shops have struggled with the economic downturn, their premises have been bought up by supermarket ‘local’ outlets and by global coffee chains. It is this ‘changing of the guard’ that vexes so many citizens, particularly in a fiercely independent part of a fiercely independent city.

Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017

As for the works themselves, these are quick pieces from an artist normally associated with his stylised mountains. I like this political twist to his work which is becoming more and more creative as time goes on.

Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017
Mr Draws, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017

721. The Bearpit (58)

A week wouldn’t feel like a week without posting a piece by Laic217, and his productivity shown no signs of slowing down.

Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017
Laic217, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017

This piece is from about a month ago and was situated on the West underpass into The Bearpit. Several of Laic217’s favourite motifs are present in this work;the bucket hat, an alien, weed, smileys and a face distorted, this time in watery reflections. A nice piece from the master of freehand graffiti art.

720. M32 cycle path (7)

Same place, same artist – here is another reasonably recent piece by Deamze in one of his favoured spots. This is one of his monochrome pieces, which is in the wildstyle plus cartoon character theme that he often adopts.

Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2017
Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2017

His monochrome works are really clever, using only shading and black to create a fully functional piece. A bit like watching black and white TV…remember that?

Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2017
Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2017

I have no idea who this cartoon character is but can be pretty sure that Deamze has done it justice.

 

 

719. Magdalene Place (4)

This was a piece I photographed back in December, and most unlike me I let it slip away…unusual because I am a big fan of Sled One. This is a nice wildstyle piece tucked away in the St Pauls/St Werburghs border, close to the M32.

Sled One, Magdalene Place, Bristol, December 2016
Sled One, Magdalene Place, Bristol, December 2016

With a bit of getting your eye in, you should be able to read the word SLED, as well as a small crew tag ‘ASK’. Sled One’s work seems to have such confidence in technique, often combining several different spray effects in one piece. In this example we have strong, hard, angular lines combining with curvy softer lines and misting around the edges together with some black and yellow decoration which one would think would ruin the piece, but in fact complements it perfectly. It is always a pleasure to post his work.

Sled One, Magdalene Place, Bristol, December 2016
Sled One, Magdalene Place, Bristol, December 2016

718. M32 cycle path (7)

It is clear that Deamze really favours this spot for his pieces, and I have seen several different ones here over the last few months. This is a bright piece, in his typical widlstyle format, with a character popping up at the end. In this case it is a beautiful Felix the Cat.

Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2017
Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2017

I admire very much the way Deamze recreates cartoon characters with such accuracy and sharpness, and his range seems to have no boundaries. All good really.

Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2017
Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2017

717. Stapleton Road, Masala Bazaar

On one of my walks a while back, I took a little detour away from the M32 cycle path, and what a good thing to. I came across this amazing spider by Andy Council. I think that it is one of his older pieces in Bristol, and since I took this picture has been almost entirely obscured by the bins adjacent to it.

Andy Council, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017
Andy Council, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017

Andy Council’s work is possibly the most recognisable in Bristol, and he obviously commands respect on the streets as his pieces have incredible longevity and are rarely tagged.

Andy Council, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017
Andy Council, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017

The spider contains local landmarks, including a nearby mosque. Another classy detail is the web etched into the filth on the wall around the spider. Consistently great work.

716. The Bearpit (57)

A little while back I posted a piece by Skor85 – it was of a dog on a cloud, and there was some discussion as to what animal it actually was. This piece is by the same artist and in almost exactly the same spot but it carries quite a different message.

Skor85, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017
Skor85, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017

I am not too sure what the piece is articulating in the line ‘what are you proud of’ nor am I clear what the brick hand holding the earth is about. Clearly full of symbolism, there is a good story here somewhere. It would be nice to know a little more.

715. Dean Lane skatepark (38)

Oh my goodness – they are everywhere. It seems that now I am so much more aware of the work of Shab, I am seeing it everywhere. This is a piece that appeared…and disappeared pretty quickly from Dean Lane. It is a wonderful small abstract piece that is rather subtle, and could be missed or overlooked.

Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017
Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017

It is however the work of a very accomplished and practised artist whose creations are very easy on the eye, but also seem to ask questions or challenge in some way – I’m not sure if I have explained that very well, but they kind of leave you thinking. This is a lovely piece and of course we have another fabulous eye.

Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017
Shab, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017

714. The Bearpit (56)

I love the passionate and political messages contained in the works of Object∅∅∅. In this piece, which sadly only lasted a few days, he seems to be having a swipe at those who eradicate or remove street art with their ‘anti-graff’ paint. I guess his target is Bristol City Council, although I can’t be sure.

Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017
Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2017

I like the plastic bag containing ObjectØØØ’s spray cans – there is something really functional and worthy about keeping your paints in an old plastic bag – it is beautifully painted too.