Cheo, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
A quick one today. I am in Cornwall with work, and have an early start. I wrote this one last night. Cheo is a firm favourite at Upfest, where he gets to showcase his extraordinary talent in front of a much wider audience than usual.
Cheo, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
This is a marvellous and imaginative creation set in an ancient Egyptian scene with mummies and aliens having a bit of a brawl. This is a wonderfully detailed piece, and there is so much going on, but it is the scarab beetle that wins the day for me.
Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
The organisers of Upfest have been keeping busy since the last Upfest in 2024, and incorporated a host of new walls to show off local, national and international talent for this year’s festival. This wall is tucked away just south of the east end of East Street, and is in an area I’m not sure that I have ever been to before. The wall is on the side of a light industrial unit called Willway Yard, with plenty of space for multiple artists. One of the first to complete his allocated space is Bristol artist Sean Sepr.
Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Sepr has an extraordinary talent for telling elaborate stories in his cartoon-style pieces. Everything is laid out with clarity and humour, and then it is up to the viewer to piece it all together into some kind of narrative. My reading of the situation is that a cyclist has had a bit of an accident, running into some wet concrete perhaps and rather than helping him, a collection of animals are taking advantage of the unfortunate protagonist and generally being unhelpful. I love the way the fox is stealing his shoes and socks. Creative and imaginative.