Tag: Nelson Mandela

2360. Leake Street tunnel, London (7)

I have to say that this is a slightly baffling piece by Gustavo Nenao in Leake Street tunnel. It is a photorealistic portrait of Nelson Mandela wearing a not very photorealistic party hat with Happy Birthday written on it. While the subject matter is certainly curious, the execution is perfect, especially as the portrait is in black and whiite, with so many shades in it.

Gustavo Nenao, Leake Street, London, July 2019
Gustavo Nenao, Leake Street, London, July 2019

I am guessing it was done as a birthday tribute to the great man himself, but can’t be sure, and hey – I was in London which is way outside my normal stamping ground and I feel no pressure to know anything about anything on the street scene there. I come as a tourist, just like everyone else. A querky and excellent piece.

887. Upfest 2016 (154)

This is an extraordinary piece by Random, called ‘Prisoner 46664’ and is a portrait of Nelson Mandela. Random, originally from Liverpool, lives in North Wales and works with stencils, sculpture and wheatpastes, which scores lots of points with me.

Random, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Random, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

The work is an ingenious stencil with letters cut into it, placed over a red background. The letters are like a wordle of key associations with Nelson Mandela, such as ‘Freedom’ and ‘political’ and ‘rebel’ and ‘statesman’.

Random, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Random, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

A magnificent piece from Random.