There is a small enclave of street art in Cotham, centered around the Highbury Vaults pub. I have already featured two works in the area, one by Nick Walker, and the other by Unify. This is the third piece to be found here, and one that somehow passed me by until recently. Perhaps this is because it is so seamlessly blends in with the shop that it adorns.
This mural is a trademark Inkie. It reminds me very much of the styling used for Biba – maybe it is the black and gold thing going on.
7/10
Inkie is a hugely influential artist on the Bristol, and indeed world, street art scene. Originally from Clifton in Bristol he now works in London. His works are celebrated alongside Banksy, Nick Walker and 3D…he even has his own Wikipedia page, so he must be important.
I walked past three of his works today, but have been puzzled and most intrigued by this one. My first impression and assumption was that it was not completed, but that would seem to be mad…Interweb to the rescue.
The work was completed as one of the central pieces for the ‘See no Evil’ event in 2012, which Inkie himself organised. I have featured several other remaining artworks from the event in previous posts.
The ownership of the host building was set to change hands in November 2012 and the departing landlord started to remove the street art prior to selling, but only removed a part of it before leaving it as we see it today. The following link is a news item from the time. The comments at the end make for really interesting reading, and show the spectrum of views about street art in a light that might not at first be obvious.
7/10
Natural adventures 