Tag: The Bearpit

672. The Bearpit (45)

Photographing street art and posting it on digital social media can be a frustrating thing sometimes. Some bloggers or Instagrammers, put up their images within hours or minutes of finding a new piece. This is great for getting a picture of ‘what’s new’ but is usually unaccompanied by any sort of narrative, and rarely a location…I don’t understand why people are so guarded. Others like myself, like to add a little bit of a back story…sometimes a little tedious (I’m sorry)…to give the reader just a little bit more than a snapshot. The big disadvantage of the latter approach is that images about contemporary news events seem rather out dated by the time I get to post them. A case in point is this witty ‘love is’ piece by John D’oh in one of the tunnels of The Bearpit.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

So my apologies to all for the tardiness of this post, but I think it is still worth including in the blog. I don’t need to say much about the subject matter – it has been world news after all. I love the subtle (?) reference to Trump’s hair. This is a fun piece ridiculing the ridiculous.

John D'oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
John D’oh, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

664. The Bearpit (44)

This is a really old piece (comparatively speaking for street/graffiti art in the Bearpit) that has been in my ready to publish folder for ages. It is by DNT and I think situated in the north tunnel, the one that heads off towards Stokes Croft. You can tell it is an old piece from the absence of tagging around the framed area.

DNT, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2016
DNT, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2016

It is a slightly strange and somewhat threatening piece, although I’m not sure it is meant to be. I don’t know what the M.B.G stands for, but maybe there is someone out there who can enlighten me.

655. The Bearpit (43)

Only a few days after I had taken the picture of the Decay piece in this exact spot (see previous post), Kid Crayon had overwritten it with one of his trademark faces. In recent times he has moved away from his wheatpastes (which I loved) and his faces, and tends to do more spray work, in particular in collaboration with SPZero76. So it was nice to see him revert, if only for a little while.

Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Kid Crayon, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

Although the piece looks like a wheatpaste, because of the creasing of the lining paper, it is in fact a spray piece. The blue face, great expression and peculiar proportions are what I would expect to see from this growing Bristol artist. More of his collaborative works to come soon.

654. The Bearpit (42)

In the South subway tunnel of The Bearpit there are framed areas which graffiti/street artists use to place their works. I think they were originally introduced to keep a little decorum and ‘usher’ artists to use the specified wall areas. To a certain extent it has worked, and they tend to use them to frame their works. Some of the other subway tunnels have the frames and some don’t.

Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Decay, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

In this example, Decay has taken up two of the frames to create ‘bookend’ pieces that work really well together. It is unfortunate that although I took this picture not long after it was sprayed, it had already been tagged.

653. The Bearpit (41)

This incredibly productive spot threw up some wonderful pieces recently and this magnificent portrait by Georgie was just one of them. Those that follow these posts might recall a piece by Georgie I posted here back in November 2016.

Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

This is a really classy piece and instantly recognisable as Michael Cain. How she managed to produce this fine work in the dim light of The Bearpit subway is a real feat. Hats off to Georgie for this great addition to these walls. Her craft is amplified by the detailing of the background that helps the portrait stand out. I love this piece.

Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Georgie, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

631. The Bearpit (39)

In The Bearpit, there are four premium spots, each one is at the end of each of the four tunnels. These are the places that are most sought after, but also the ones most frequently tagged, so anything sprayed here is always going to be reasonably short lived.

Pure Evil, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Pure Evil, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

It was lucky then that I came across this piece by the London-based artist Pure Evil while it was still fresh and unmarked. Pure Evil is an artist I knew nothing about until I started researching this post, and realised that perhaps I should have known a little more. His biography on his website is well worth a read – he has covered a lot of ground.

Pure Evil, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Pure Evil, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

I note also, that he is selling prints of his Bristol Bearpit piece for cool £2,000 on his website. I am guessing from that kind of price tag that he must be strongly established in the art world. Obviously I prefer the freebies he leaves on our city walls. I rather like this work, and will be more vigilant when I visit London to see if I can find any more. Let’s hear it for more scary bunnies.

Pure Evil, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Pure Evil, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

“My enemies are in power – and my heroes are dead” – that speaks for a lot of us.

627. The Bearpit (38)

Another political message and contorted body from the philosophical ObjectØØØ. The tunnels of the Bearpit provide probably the best space in Bristol for political comment as the area attracts some of the most socially deprived or uncared for people in the city. It is a place where culture and the impacts of government cuts converge in an angry outpouring and sense of injustice.

Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

ObjectØØØ’s pieces always capture this sense of outrage – you are never in doubt about what he cares about. It is good that he chooses to do something about it through his artwork. This is a powerful piece, carrying the slogan ‘lucky not better’. In the piece, ObjectØØØ has painted a pained figure, a fallen angel maybe, appearing to crash to the ground. His trademark feathers and wing mark this out as one of his works. A really great piece.

Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017
Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2017

612. The Bearpit (37)

Back to the Bearpit and some recent work by ObjectØØØ. As always his very individual style carries with it so much emotion and passion combined with political statement. The figures in his work always feel distorted and tortured by struggle against inequity.

Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

This piece is located at the end of the tunnel where the artificial light meets the daylight, and it is really hard to get a decent photograph, but I have done my best. I like to feature ObjectØØØ’s work whenever I find it because I am fascinated by how much the artist invests himself in his work.

Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Object000, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

The commentary is a little ambiguous, but I think I know what he is getting at. Great to see some new work from this unusual street artist.

605. The Bearpit (36)

A few days back, there was something of a graffiti art fest in The Bearpit, and many of the vacant tagged spots were given a makeover, several artists spraying more than one piece during the event.

Mr Klue, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Mr Klue, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

This great abstract piece is by the extremely busy Mr Klue and draws the viewer into the mind of the artist – where are those steps leading? A nice quick one from a fine Bristol artist.

603. The Bearpit (35)

I am very excited about this piece. It is a crocodile by the fantastic Rowdy – one of Bristol’s original street artists. I am excited because since I have been blogging about street art, I haven’t come across any new works by him. One feels closer to the artist if you can still smell the paint on the wall.

Rowdy, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Rowdy, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

This croc is sprayed on the side of one of the staircases into The Bearpit and looks very much at home. It is the kind of piece that should become a bit of a landmark. I would be amazed and disappointed if it gets tagged, like so much of the work in The Bearpit.

Rowdy, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017
Rowdy, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

A big thank you from me to Rowdy. This is Bristol through and through.