Tag: Taboo

5859. Brunel Way (258)

Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024

Taboo is an artist who tends to keep himself to himself, and on the only occasion I have met him, he didn’t much want to chat, so I left him to it. He often paints alone, although he occasionally collaborates with his friends in the PLB crew. He doesn’t post on social media, so finding his pieces is always a genuine surprise, especially as I really like his work.

Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2024

This is a really nice piece of anti-style graffiti writing, spelling out TABOO, with beautifully irregular and anarchic letters which are clean and crisp. I fear that he may have come out with a lack of red paint for the background, which is a little scruffy in places, but fine in the gaps in the letters, which is what counts. It is great to see that Taboo is out and about after a pretty quiet winter period.

5456. East Street

Taboo, East Street, Bristol, August 2023
Taboo, East Street, Bristol, August 2023

I went on a bit of a wild goose chase last week looking for some boards in Bedminster, but was completely unable to find them. The walk, however, took me to East Street after working hours and all the shops were closed, and I was in shutter heaven.

Taboo, East Street, Bristol, August 2023
Taboo, East Street, Bristol, August 2023

This shutter piece by Taboo, which I think is unlikely to be a commission, but you never know, spells out Boser, the significance of which passes me by. The anti-style letters are accompanied by an anti-style cartoon Tom cat from Tom and Jerry, with four ‘echo’ faces adjacent to the first. Typically anarchic and somehow charmingly comforting, this Taboo piece ticks all the right boxes. I am not too sure about the orange figure 8, which isn’t a motif I have seen in his work before, and I believe it to be a subsequent addition by a tagger, although the orange does match the letter ‘B’ in his signature. A mystery.

5341. M32 Cycle path (219)

 

Taboo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2023
Taboo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2023

Taboo is an artist who makes me laugh out load, not just because his anti-style letters are a great antidote to perfect wildstyle writing, and his often psychedelic characters full of weirdness and charm, but also because from time to time he paints some epic blockbusters, and this one on the M32 cycle path is quite breath-taking.

Taboo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2023
Taboo, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2023

Clearly visible from the M32 motorway above, this piece offers drivers into Bristol a true Taboo welcome. Even on this massive scale, Taboo sticks to his style, with an irregular letter font, mid-line markings through the letters, and a druggy smiley character representing the first ‘O’. Huge and obvious, this is a great piece of work from Taboo.

5154. Cumberland Basin

Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023
Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023

If anyone can tell me what is going on here, then I doff my cap to you. Some fabulous anti-style graffiti writing from Taboo with a pink flamingo holding a Halfords bag in its bill, and the words “I’m Champa(i)gn, you… Lambrini”.

Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023
Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023

The colours here are striking without being gaudy, and I have to say I love that red colour, and I think it works very nicely on the light blue background. The whole thing feels slightly anarchic or eccentric – it would be nice if there was a word that meant both of those things – ‘anarcentric’ perhaps. More great stuff from Taboo.

5123. New Stadium Road (48)

Taboo, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2018
Taboo, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2018

Another root around in my archive unearthed this old one from February 2018, by Taboo, and if you look carefully to the left you can see the edge of a piece by Deamz. I still miss seeing Deamz’ work on our streets, even though he left for Tasmania several years ago – maybe one day he will return for a visit and decorate a wall or two.

Taboo, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2018
Taboo, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2018

I suspect that I have several more unpublished Taboo pieces lurking in my files, but this one stood out, most probably, because of the colour selections, with a transition from white to copper, with some interesting oranges and reds filling in the holes. This is a really nice piece of anti-style graffiti writing.

4932. Nelson Street (17)

Taboo, Nelson Street, Bristol, December 2022
Taboo, Nelson Street, Bristol, December 2022

It was dark, and I was Christmas shopping when I passed by this shutter piece by Taboo in Nelson Street. I haven’t seen the piece in daylight since, so I don’t really know if the colours are a true representation in these pictures.

Taboo, Nelson Street, Bristol, December 2022
Taboo, Nelson Street, Bristol, December 2022

Taboo does paint rather a lot of shutters, and it would seem that he enjoys it, although it can’t be easy to do them, because of the textured surface. In common with several of his works, Taboo has incorporated a trippy Mickey Mouse character into his unruly letters. There is always so much to look at and admire in Taboo’s work, and I love the smiley peeping the first letter and the long ghoul-like fingers. I have been bamboozled by the letters, and am not too sure what they spell, APOS or OPOS maybe? A nice piece nonetheless.

4915. M32 roundabout J3 (441)

Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022

I have a feeling that Taboo is a modest artist. He is difficult to pin down on social media, and when I have seen him comment on his own work, he is quite critical of it (I remember writing about this in a post from some time ago). He keeps going though, turning out his own unique brand of anti-graffiti style pieces.

Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
Taboo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022

This is a technicolour beauty from Taboo full of interest and detail woven into the TABOO letters. On first inspection, it might appear to be a little untidy, but it is in face very nicely crafted and the fills lines and borders are on-point. This is an accomplished piece from a very good artist, who I have yet to have the pleasure of meeting… it will happen eventually. A fabulous Christmas present.

4859. Cumberland Basin

Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022
Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022

Taboo, is definitely going through a pink period, in fact it is a very popular colour all round in Bristol at the moment, and I don’t think I have seen so much pink paint since Stupid Stupid Meathole was active. I wonder what happened to him.

Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022
Taboo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2022

The unruly letters spell Taboo, with a skull and sphere making up the OO at the end. There are lots of little detail s and distortions to keep the eye busy in this piece, and a nicely worked PLB crew mention. Great work from Taboo, tucked away.

 

 

4826. Trinity Street

Taboo, Trinity Street, Bristol, November 2022
Taboo, Trinity Street, Bristol, November 2022

A little bit off the beaten track, and in a street that doesn’t have much of a graffiti culture, is this rather nice Taboo piece featuring Snagglepuss, a Hannah Barbera creation. On my arrival, the warehouse was just opening up, and I think the proprietors considered me a little odd photographing the graffiti outside their premises, but they let me get on with it.

Taboo, Trinity Street, Bristol, November 2022
Taboo, Trinity Street, Bristol, November 2022

The writing is characteristically unruly, with each letter taking on no particular consistency or form, but the whole being unmistakably Taboo. I am confused by the orange line, which, to my eye, disrupts the flow, and I think it might have been added by someone else, although with Taboo, you never really know. Nice to see this piece on my travels around the city.

4751. Lower Ashley Road (7)

Taboo, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, August 2022
Taboo, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, August 2022

On a shutter, next to another of his works (the Garfield one), Taboo gives us one of his typically irregular pieces of writing. The style he adopts is known as anti-style or ignorant-style, as explained in this rather weird vlog.

Taboo, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, August 2022
Taboo, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, August 2022

The letters spell out TABOO, and in keeping with the style, there is an irreverence for high design or regularity that you might find in wildstyle writing. There is pleasure to be had from the piece, however, and the pink background overlaid with white letters somehow works really well. No characters to accompany the piece on this occasion, but a fine work nonetheless.