Another interesting piece from Mind 49 in his series of hooded portraits in which get only a small window into the subject’s face and are left to imagine the missing features. The ‘hood’ is decorated with naive artwork and contrasts with the fine detail of the eyes.
Mind 49, L Dub, Bristol, June 2026
Mind 49 is teasing the viewer, but I suspect that there is more going on in his own psyche. For some years now he has been painting portraits from which features are missing. Nothing is distorted or ugly, simply hidden from view. A complete portrait from Mind 49 is a rare thing indeed. This is my favourite of his pieces in this deception series.
Mind 49, as I mentioned in a recent post of his work, has moved into a new groove, in which he is presenting portraits, where only the eyes and nose are visible, while the rest of the face is obscured behind a cover of colour/patterns/designs, as if wearing a balaclava.
Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
There is a clever and deliberate juxtaposition between the photorealism of the exposed parts of the face, and the rather childish and scruffy elements around it. The daisies seem to be a particular favourite theme for Mind 49 at the moment, and here he has included a couple of small captions: “Cut and run” and “Sometimes don’t do it”.
I may be way off the mark here, but I can’t help feeling that this presentation style demonstrates a touch of modesty or even a lack of confidence. Mind 49 is more than capable of painting excellent portraits, but it feels like this ‘self-harming’ of his work is masking something else, almost coming across as imposter syndrome. It is, having said all of this, very unusual, challenging and creates a great talking point.
There is a tiny little passageway coming off East Street that links up to Norfolk Place where this shutter piece by Mind 49 can be found. I like to explore this little alley way, because just occasionally it leads to some special art.
Mind 49, Norfolk Place, Bristol, May 2026
The light conditions when I took this photograph were a little challenging, and the picture really doesn’t do justice to the piece itself, I think I’ll have to return on an overcast day, to avoid the large and small shadows. Mind 49 has settled on this theme of a head covered with patterns and illustrations, as if on a piece of cloth, with only the subject’s eyes and nose poking through, reminiscent of a food delivery rider with a balaclava hood. There is a contrast between the detailed features and the child-like deliberately crude daisies and flowers. Nice shutter piece.
Mind 49 and RUOK, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2026
Mind 49 has been painting quite a lot this year, but many of his pieces are in a spot that I haven’t yet located, and so I have missed them. This collaborative piece with RUOK, however is in a place I regularly visit, and I was thrilled to find it.
Mind 49 and RUOK, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2026
Mind 49 has been developing his style over the years and seems to be in a phase of presenting the eyes and obscuring the rest of his portraits, usually with some kind of headscarf. Hiding features is a key part of his work. In this piece the decoration of the headscarf is courtesy of RUOK, an artist I haven’t come across before, who has done an excellent job. The large daisy is by Mind 49, the rest by RUOK. This is an awesome collaboration, with both artists contributing equally to create a blended whole.
Mind 49, Lucky Lane, Bristol, September 2025Mind 49 and Wxttsart, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025Mind 49, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2025Mind 49, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2025Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025Mind 49, St George skate park, Bristol, January 2025Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2025Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, July, 2024Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August, 2024Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024Mind 49 and SPZero76, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2024Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024Mind 49, Lawrence Hill roundabout, Bristol, April 2024Mind 49 and Wxttsart, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2024Mind 49, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2024Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2024Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2024Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024Mind 49, Church Road, Bristol, February 2024Mind 49, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2023Wxttsart and Mind 49, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024Wxttsart and Mind 49, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024Mind49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023Mind 49, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023Mind Control, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023Mind Control, St Weburghs, Bristol, November 2021Mind Control, Princess Street, Burnham -on-Sea, September 2021Mind Control, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21Mind Control, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2020Mind Control, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2020Mind Control, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2020Mind Control, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
What a stunning piece by Mind 49 painted at the Lucky Lane paint jam a couple of weekends ago. The theme for the mini-festival, organised by the Bristol Mural Collective, was luck, although I’m not sure how Mind 49’s piece plays into this, if at all.
Mind 49, Lucky Lane, Bristol, September 2025
The obscured portrait, a feature of Mind 49’s work, shows the eyes of a person peering through what appears to be a floral balaclava or headdress. It is an incredibly powerful piece, which is not only painted beautifully, but also conveys a raft of possible emotions – grief? contempt? sadness? resignation? stoicism? – there is certainly something downbeat about it, and yet it is surrounded with beautiful flowers. Lots to think about in this amazing portrait piece.
Mind 49 and Wxttsart, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
I believe that it was Mind 49 who was responsible for organising this paint jam in a sleepy close in Knowle West, and he certainly managed to assemble some great talent to decorate these suburban walls. In this amazing portrait piece he has collaborated with Wxttsart (Milk), although it is difficult to know which bits the latter contributed to, perhaps the sign of a true collaboration.
Mind 49 and Wxttsart, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
The portrait itself is clearly the work of Mind 49, whose subjects are often in natural poses, as if caught off-guard, and their faces often partially obscured, in this case with a hat and sunglasses. Pure class is how I would describe the piece. I believe that Wxttsart’s contribution is to the right-hand side, with the abstract designs and ‘rips’ through the piece. Certainly the end result is a winning combination, and a stunning addition to the house.
Mind 49 has always been an activist, and although his art has mellowed in recent years, his principles are still very much intact. This anti-war piece is striking, poignant and beautifully presented.
Mind 49, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2025
Skulls are a common motif/subject in street art and this is one of the very best examples I have ever seen. Mind 49 has captured the tones, shading and depth perfectly. Strangely, the helmet almost seems as though it is painted by a completely different artist. It is lacking in detail, the perspective is slightly out and the flags a bit untidy. I don’t know why this is, whether it is a deliberate device or that Mind 49 has absolutely cracked the skull and needs to work on helmets. It is a mystery.
The message to take home is clear. ‘Destroy the war machine’, which is directed at the UK, the USA and Israel. I could go into a long and thoughtful essay about the war in Palestine, and the impotence of voices that want an end to the killing and suffering. History will not look favourably on the genocide and the parallels with WWII concentration camps and justifications for extermination. Can’t people see the paradox? I’ll stop there. It upsets me too much.
Ooh! How brilliant to see Mind 49 returning to the streets after a relatively quiet start to the year. Commensurate with his last piece at the Greenbank spot in January, Mind 49 has combined a photorealistic portrait with a cartoon illustration, carrying some threat and menace.
Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025
The portrait is superb, painted in his unique style that creates what I would term a blurred photorealism, rather than some of the perfect sharp pieces that you see from time to time. The cartoon parts begin around the main character’s neck and show him holding a pistol. In the background, a hooded character looks on. I love the way that Mind 49 brings these two very different styles together and makes them sit side by side effortlessly. Looking forward to more as the days get longer and weather warms up.
Mind 49, St George skate park, Bristol, January 2025
I missed this piece by Mind 49 last year, so it is looking a little worse for wear, although, given that it is in a skate park, it has worn well. I love the way that it has been painted onto a cracked ramp, which makes it feel like an organic part of the park, that it has always been there, kind of.
Mind 49, St George skate park, Bristol, January 2025
Mind 49 has been one of the great talents to emerge from the Bristol scene and has developed from a precocious talent, via an activist, into a fine painter of photorealistic portraits. Here, the beautiful profile with soft tones marking out light and shade of the face contrasts with the half-finished look of the shirt and hat. A truly fabulous piece.