A gallery of fabulous expressive faces from Bristol-based street artist Zake
Instagram: @zake_two
All photographs by Scooj
Zake
Tag: Zake
3263. M32 Spot (86)
Woah there, steady… A column piece under the M32, who can it possibly be by? Zake of course, but unlike any Zake piece I have seen before. This piece feels like the artist has stepped up a level, having a depth and texture unlike any of his previous pieces, although there have been signs of continuous improvement.
The face (of course a face) is quite scary with bright teeth and a disturbing expression and the whole column certainly stands out. What I like most is that the piece is full of texture and folds, with light and dark and I think that Zake has really nailed it. I am totally annoyed though by the sticker over one of the eyes… I guess these things happen. Looking forward to more from Zake.
3126. St George skate park (12)
I went up to the skate park to find a small piece from Soap, and am pleased that I did because I came across this rather interesting portrait by Zake. The face in green set on a patterned purple background is not something I would instantly associate with Zake, but on lingering it has many of the characteristics he uses in his work.
The last piece from Zake that I saw was a blue faced girl at the M32 Spot, so it would seem he is experimenting at the moment with colourful faces. This a fun piece.
3039. M32 Spot (75)
When I first saw this lovely piece I couldn’t place the artist. I was familiar with the style, but I don’t know, it was bothering me and I couldn’t immediately see the signature because of the skaters’ bags in front of it. A closer inspection revealed it is by Zake, but is quite unlike most of his other pieces that I have seen.
This is a really classy and thoughtful piece that makes perfect use of the awkward column space. The green-faced girl has beautiful blue hair that turns into a waterfall. Her right hand is holding a spray can that is painting her purple hair that stretches over her head and transforms into a hand that is reaching down to her left hand. Personally I think this is a wonderfully composed piece and concept, beautifully carried out. I love it.
There is a name Diana Abdul at the bottom of the piece, but I don’t know what significance this holds.
2961. St Werburghs tunnel (169)
I watched Zake as he was preparing for this piece, but, having not met him and not knowing what he looked like, I didn’t stop long enough to make introductions. Added to which he was teaching a friend how to use spray paints and I didn’t want to interfere, especially as I think it was the first time she had ever held a spray can.
The final piece is fabulous and not unlike one that he painted at the other end of the tunnel back in November last year. The rather unusual face has a hand sprouting from the cheek, giving the whole thing a slightly more animated feel than a face on its own. I always love to see Zake’s work, and to have almost met him was an added bonus.
2820. M32 Spot (62)
This little area of columns at the M32 Spot is very much favoured by Zake and there are a few of his pieces that have remained here for about a year untouched by taggers or other artists – quite unusual really and perhaps a gesture to his unusual face pieces.
The inclusion of a portion of neck lends itself well to spraying character portraits on these narrow columns and Zake has perfected the art. The absence of pupils gives Zake’s pieces a ghostly appearance that is a little unsettling, which combined with humorous expressions leaves the viewer on edge slightly. I like his work and am pleased that he has started painting again after a quiet winter period.
2618. St Werburghs tunnel (116)
Within a matter of days of Fiva painting his blockbuster piece in St Werburghs tunnel, Zake gave us this fabulous piece contained within the F. Fiva’s large letters were just too good to resist, and his invitation to ‘paint over me’ was readily taken up by Zake.
I am really taken with this curious piece by Zake which reminds me a lot of the incredible work in Winser McCay’s ‘Little Nemo’ cartoon strips. There is something a little creepy and fascinating about this moon character, an I’d like to see more like this.
2523. M32 Spot (50)
I may have said this before, but Zake really ‘owns’ these columns at the southern end of the M32 spot, and over time the pieces have grown in sophistication. This most recent piece is rather more elaborate and detailed than some of his work and is a great measure of his development.
There would appear to be a bit of a story happening – it is difficult to determine the gender of the central character, and with the prayer pose and barbed wire in the hair, this could easily be a representation of Jesus. It could equally be a female character praying for something. It would be good to know what thestory is, but not knowing does not detract from the quality of the piece.
2504. St Mark’s Avenue (3)
In my favourite recently discovered spot, St Mark’s Avenue in Easton, is this great collaboration between Soap and Zake which I had seen previously on Instagram, but never knew where it was. Well now I know.
On the left is a portrait by Zake that unusually for this alleyway has been altered by some idiot, goofing the eyes and the lips This is a real shame because it gives the character a completely different and rather sinister ‘personality’ than that of the original. Even though it has been altered, I felt it worth including, partly to demonstrate that not everything I get to see is in its perfect pristine state and also to explain why I try to get out regularly to find new pieces before they have been tagged or ruined.
On the right is some colourful and uplifting writing fro Soap. The photograph is a little bit rubbish, partly because of the rather unhelpful wheelie bin and also because of the width of the lane at this point is quite tight and ‘front on’ pictures are an impossibility without a wide angle lens. Unlike much of the work in this lane it is relatively recent and was painted this year. As an aside, the tag on the bin is one that can be found pretty much everywhere in Bristol – I don’t know the tagger’s name, but it is probably concealed somewhere within the tag.
2368. M32 Spot (45)
Zake pretty much owns these columns under the M32, and what is amazing is that so many of them are still there after more than a year – a tribute to his work perhaps. In this piece, one head is being consumed by another which looks devilish/vampire-like.
I do like Zake’s work very much, especially the faces created out of three or four tones of paint, however this one misses the mark ever so slightly for me, there is something not quite right about the teeth in the top head that I find distracting. I think I am being a little picky because this is a good piece, but just not one of his best. Looking forward to more from Zake.
Natural adventures 