Tag: Sako

5807. St Mark’s Avenue (9)

Sako and Zake, St Mark's Avenue, Bristol, January 2024
Sako and Zake, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, January 2024

Photographing this piece in a narrow alley in Easton was never going to be easy. I had to remove (and replace) three heavy wheelie bins, just to get sight of the collaboration by Sako and Zake. There are other bits and bobs obscuring the piece, but I am an archivist, not a blooming street cleaner.

Sako and Zake, St Mark's Avenue, Bristol, January 2024
Sako and Zake, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, January 2024

I really enjoy Sako’s work, which has more than a hint of mystery and intrigue. Using his favoured blue and purple tints, he has created a gangway leading into a tunnel, with a giant hand emerging from the water and a tiny figure standing on a finger. Wistfully looking on is a profile portrait piece by Zake, which is quite unlike his more usual larger-than-life exaggerated cartoon portraits. A beautiful face and beautiful hair.

This is a fine collaboration from the pair of artists, and has left me wondering what it is all about. The sooner I get to meet Sako, the better.

5739. St Werburghs tunnel (395)

Sako, Face 1st and Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Sako, Face 1st and Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

This PWA collaboration as taken me an eternity to post, mainly because it was sited in the middle of the tunnel and the conditions for photography there are atrocious. These pictures were my third attempt to capture the wonderful work by Sako, Face 1st and Zake.

Sako, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Sako, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

On the left is a wonderful piece by Sako, who is beginning to make a bit of a name for himself. This piece is telling a wonderful story which seems to represent a made-up mythology of higher beings and the communities around them. The central character (a God?) is collecting poppy heads, which appear to be represented in the landscape behind him. There is a lot to interpret here, thanks to the quality of artwork, and I hope one day to meet Sako to get some insight to what this all might mean.

Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

In the middle, Face 1st has some interesting faces that are in different stages of decomposition, or so it would seem, with the two on the right dipping with brains and blood. I don’t know what this tells us about the inner workings of the artist’s mind, but it surely tells us something. There is a nice shout-out to Soap, Chill and Sikoh, PWA members unable to paint on the day.

Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

On the right is a striking portrait by Zake, which, although eye-catching, doesn’t quite work for me. I am not really understanding the shading around the eyes and into the hair. The character is obviously top-lit, highlighted by the orange shading on the ears, nose and eyebrows, but I can’t unsee a mask around the eyes. Nonetheless, as I said before, the piece is striking and interesting.

5714. Brunel Way (250)

Sako, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2023
Sako, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2023

Although Sako has only painted a handful of pieces in Bristol, they have not gone unnoticed. His colour selection alone gives his work away, often opting for a magenta character, with blues and greens augmenting his work.

Sako, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2023
Sako, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2023

Originally from the Basque Country, it would seem that Sako has settled in Bristol for the last year or so. His mystical work seems to be centred around storytelling and mythology. In this piece, his female character appears to be bridging the space between the land and the sky. The urban landscape is represented with the blue circle, with a green mountain backdrop completing the scene. Although he painted this piece alone, Sako often paints alongside Zake and other PWA crew members. Great stuff, rather understated and modest. Time to hit a more prominent wall, I think.

5562. M32 Spot (173)

Sako, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2023
Sako, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2023

I think that Sako is an occasional visitor to Bristol, or simply doesn’t paint all that often. This is only the second piece I have featured by Sako, and it is absolutely superb in my view, cleverly painted in subtle tints of rose and turquoise. Coincidentally, there is something about the mood and tone of the piece that is similar to my earlier post today by Andrew Burns Colwill.

Sako, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2023
Sako, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2023

Sako has used the limited space and shape of the column to perfection. There is an interesting relationship between the character and the built environment, and although I am not too sure what the story is here, I believe there is one being told. The colours are perfect together, and I would love to see more of this combination (note to self – buy these colours) on the streets. This is a great piece by Sako from back in the summer.

5241. M32 Cycle path (217)

Laic217, Sako and Zake, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Laic217, Sako and Zake, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

Zake has been involved in a lot of collaborations already this year, but this one is a bit unusual, in that it includes Laic217 and Sako (an artist I am not familiar with). The collaboration is one in which the artists share a broad colour scheme, but each piece is discrete.

Laic217, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Laic217, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

Starting on the left, Laic217, who is going through a bit of a purple patch, has a rather dark, masked figure suspended over the letters LAIC. There are threads connecting the head and shoulders with the letters in something reminiscent of the Borg from Star Trek.  The head is highlighted with a halo of pink, which adds an extra dimension to the piece. Lovely work from Laic217.

Sako, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Sako, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

In the middle is a warehouse landscape by Sako and a fragmented planet earth at the bottom left. I certainly don’t know what this is about, but there must be a meaning in it somewhere. The scene reminds me of the Ikea store bit before the tills… a place I dislike for so many reasons. A great scene created with some atmosphere, which is an achievement given the subject.

Zake, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Zake, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

Finally, on the right, Zake continues with his ever-expanding repertoire, giving us his version of a six-armed god – inspired by the multitude of Hindu Goddesses with this characteristic. In Zake’s version, each arm is holding a spray can, of course, getting ready for some speed painting I would think. As usual, the light and shade work is exemplary, and the figure has enormous depth. A bright and rather eclectic collaboration from the three artists.