630. Ashley Road (11)

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.

Laic217, Ashley Road, Bristol, January 2017
Laic217, Ashley Road, Bristol, January 2017

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.

Laic217, Ashley Road, Bristol, January 2017
Laic217, Ashley Road, Bristol, January 2017

It doesn’t stop here, still more to come from this artist who is really beginning to make his mark.

629. Lime Road (1)

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.

China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017
China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017

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.

China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017
China Girl Tile, Lime Road, Bristol, February 2017

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.

628. Raleigh Road, Vector (5)

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.

Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2017
Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2017

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.

Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2017
Voyder, Raleigh Road, Bristol, February 2017

627. The Bearpit (38)

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.

Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

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.

Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

626. North Street Green (6)

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.

Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017

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.

Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017

625. Upfest 2016 (95)

This piece is a really interesting collaboration between Ulysses Nevmer and Alexandr Hade both from Minsk in Belarus. Searching the Interweb to try and find out more about them, it would appear that they have worked together before.

Ulysses Nevmer and Alexandr Hade, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Ulysses Nevmer and Alexandr Hade, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The piece features two female portraits, looking towards one another. It is difficult to know if they are the same person or different people, but there is clearly a story going on. There is a confidence about Nevmer’s figure and on the left and Hade’s figure to the right is seeming to look on, longingly with some uncertainty.

Ulysses Nevmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Ulysses Nevmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Ulysses Nevmer tends to paint people, so she says in the Upfest programme biography, “because they are beautiful , also not only outside!” You can see more of her work on her Facebook page.

Alexandr Hade, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Alexandr Hade, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Aleksandr Hade has an interesting statement in his biography and it relates to the story in his pieces mentioned above:

“The front layer of Aleksandr’s works may seem pretty obvious and straightforward at first sight, though almost always it has its hidden meaning or a story to tell. The whole essence of his art concludes in prompting the audience to speculate on the real storyline and the idea beneath the seem-to-be-evident form. Aleksandr mostly touches on the themes of diverging time, people’s attitude to nature and mythology.”

624. Upfest 2016 (94)

Peter Sheridan is an artist from Glasgow who is now based in Dorset having been raised in Manchester. He has been painting since 1982 when he returned from an inspirational trip to New York at the tender age of 12.

Peter Sheridan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Peter Sheridan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This piece was one of the first satirical pieces that I had seen, coming so soon after Theresa May had been appointed as leader of the Conservative Party in Early June 2016, and by default landed the job of Prime Minister.

Peter Sheridan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Peter Sheridan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Sheridan managed to combine May’s rise to the top with the Pokémon-go craze that was sweeping the nation at the same time.

Peter Sheridan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Peter Sheridan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This is a great commentary piece and presents us with a rather sinister view of the Prime Minister, something that I think chimes with a great many people who are not wedded to the right/far right of British politics.

Peter Sheridan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Peter Sheridan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

623. Upfest 2016 (93)

There were an enormous number of works to look at and absorb at Upfest 2016, and inevitably some didn’t register at the time, but were snapped in the moment and retained. This piece, by Christian Boehmer, was one of those that I don’t recall, but that I am so pleased I captured so that I have been able to study it and enjoy it in preparing to write this post.

Christian Boehmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Christian Boehmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Boehmer, from Germany, is an artist who creates urban street art and drawings which have a common thread, all the figures have a paper bag over their head. I rather like this, in part because it satisfies my love of surreal art, but also because there is something very powerful in obscuring people’s faces and expressions. You need to study more their clothes, bodies, gestures, movements and so on without being distracted by the face. And then you are left being curious about the face and the personality. I like this piece a lot.

622. Upfest 2016 (92)

Gemma Compton was selected as the featured artist for Upfest 2016, and her work appeared on all the promotional material for the festival, including the maps, programmes, digital social media and even the painting a mural on the Upfest shop.

Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Having put in all the hard work she was rewarded with a nice white wall to work on, and she produced this fine piece in collaboration with Copyright.

Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I saw her busy at work on the piece, which took longer than the two days to complete, but I didn’t stop to chat, as I guessed she might have had enough interruptions over the two days. I regret that now, but I’m sure she’ll be back this year.

Gemma Compton and Copyright, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Gemma Compton and Copyright, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The other half of this collaboration, Copyright,  is also no stranger to street art in Bristol and I have featured his work several times on this blog before. Gemma painted the left hand side of the heart, and Copyright the right. They are partners and this heart is a lovely way to mark their relationship.

Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Gemma Compton, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Their styles are different, but complement each other well. One thing in common is that the subjects of both artists are pretty much always female. A nice piece…pity about the car parked in front.

Copyright, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Copyright, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

621. Upfest 2016 (91)

A vibrant and attractive addition to North Street is this magnificent piece is by the Toronto-based Canadian muralist Bird0 (Jerry Rugg). This kind of mural is just one of the many brilliant things about Upfest and how the artworks created breathe new life into urban areas.

Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

This is the first work I have consciously registered by Bird0 and it has grown on me since I first saw it. I didn’t really ‘get it’ at first, but having researched his work a little since last July, I am definitely fast becoming a fan, and would love to see more of his work.

Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The scaffolding was up for the entirety of the festival, and so most visitors to Upfest wouldn’t have seen the final ‘reveal’ when the scaffolding came down, which is a pity.

Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The surreal nature of his art and the geometric approach he adopts both appeal to me and it was interesting to see the piece develop. There is a nice short bio of Bird0 on Streetartbio.com.

Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Bird0, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016