6222. Cumberland Basin.

The Art of Sok and Smak, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
The Art of Sok and Smak, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024

In the seventies I might have described this piece as ‘smashing’, and as a child of the seventies I am going to describe this outstanding collaboration between The Art of Sok and Smak as smashing. I was lucky enough to meet with and chat to both artists the night before they painted this wall as part of a larger jam, at Merny’s exhibition opening, which had a great turnout.

The Art of Sok and Smak, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
The Art of Sok and Smak, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024

The two artists have worked together perfectly to produce this character/writing combination. Smak’s writing is absolutely sensational and in addition to that, he has created a perfect tropical sunset backdrop with The Art of Sok’s character presented in the foreground – beautifully comnposed.

The Art of Sok, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
The Art of Sok, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024

During his short trip to Bristol, The Art of Sok, who it turns out is a lovely bloke, dropped a few pieces about the place which I will naturally post in due course. The cartoon-style character is pretty much perfect in its precision, which is how The Art of Sok rolls. He told me that he likes to get his finished pieces to resemble as closely as possible his draft, so it is all very much worked out in advance, and he has the skills to execute his plan to the letter. This is an excellent collaboration.

4806. Cheltenham 2022 (20)

Smak and The Art of Sok, Cheltenham Paint Festival 22, Cheltenham, July 2022
Smak and The Art of Sok, Cheltenham Paint Festival 22, Cheltenham, July 2022

The pavilion in Cheltenham is an absolutely perfect place for long wall pieces and collaborations. Set on the edge of a football field, the building plays host to some of the most memorable pieces from the Cheltenham Paint Festival over the last few years. This year, Smak and The Art of Sok painted this awesome collaboration.

Smak, Cheltenham Paint Festival 22, Cheltenham, July 2022
Smak, Cheltenham Paint Festival 22, Cheltenham, July 2022

To the left is a remarkably tight piece of wildstyle writing from Smak. The sensational colour scheme combined with a crisp design, delineated with white and black borders, contribute to an outstanding eye-fest of colour and form, clearly the work of a super-talented graffiti writer.

The Art of Sok, Cheltenham Paint Festival 22, Cheltenham, July 2022
The Art of Sok, Cheltenham Paint Festival 22, Cheltenham, July 2022

I haven’t come across The Art of Sok before, but I am guessing from the dragon on the character’s chest that there is a Welsh connection. The piece itself is outstanding, so clean and crisp, full of character and movement. The blocked-out colours are very stylised, presenting a highly designed feel to the work. Overall, this is a superb and compelling collaboration. Bravo!