Zeks – Natural adventures

7914. Cumberland Basin

Posh and Zeks, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2026

Greetings from Greece. After a very long travelling day we have arrived, and I am stealing a few moments before my wife and daughter have woken up to write a couple of quick posts. This is a beautifully balanced combination collaboration by Posh and Zeks.

The writing in the centre is by Posh. I might assume that is spells POSH, but I am more likely mistaken. His writing is so beautifully complex, with outstanding fills and connectivity, taking on a sketch-like quality. He has even included a little character face to the right. The decorative ‘towers’ around the writing are by Zeks, whose newly found zest for painting them, I imagine, might have only just begun. A lovely collaboration in modest tones. Great fun.

7911. M32 roundabout J3 (795)

Zeks, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2026

I think that Zeks might have some time on his hands, maybe he is ‘between jobs’ or simply made a decision to paint more this summer, but is is noticeable that he has painted quite a few pieces in the city recently.

This is a lovely piece of non-uniform writing on the roundabout. Full of beautiful soft colours and arrow patterns. Uniquely Zeksy in its design, one of the best pieces of writing I have seen from the artist to date.

7903. Cumberland Basin

Zeks, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2026

Recently a whole cluster of these illustrative ‘tower’ pieces started appearing in the area around Cumberland Basin, and they are quite unlike anything else I have seen before. If you look closely at one of the rings of the tower you might notice the words Zeks One. So this is by Zeks who we normally think of as a graffiti writer.

I like it when artists latch onto an idea and then start replicating that idea while the enthusiasm for it remains. There is something strangely charming and infantile about the tower, and this one, painted over a Creamylines piece, works well with the existing sun and birds around the top. Watch this space for more of these from Zeks.

7800. Goodneston Road (2)

Zeks, Goodneston Road, Bristol, July 2026, Goodneston Road, Bristol, July 2026

Expect a torrent of pieces from the three hoardings in Fishponds that I recently discovered – there are so many great pieces there, adding to my already ridiculous backlog. This is a beauty from Zeks, who has a unique style, in which the unpainted space does a lot of his talking, although in this piece his lettering is larger than usual.

The letters spell ZEKS and although quite neat and tidy, don’t really conform to any particular regular font or size, putting his work into the category of anti-style. His colour palette of reds, pinks and purples is a good one, and the letters are augmented with a ball and stick design around the piece, looking like a molecular model. All good stuff.

7570. M32 roundabout J3 (758)

Zeks, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2026

Zeks has been quite visible recently, which has to be good news. His unusual style is rather refreshing and very particular to the artist. This piece was painted as part of a broader paint jam a few weeks back.

The zig-zaggy letters in white and blue, decorated with simple reversed out crosses, carry a deep black and yellow drop shadow, to the left. The letters sit on a nicely buffed wall and are immediately surrounded by some pink and purple spots. The tree to the left is by Conrico – more on this in a following post.

7541. Greenbank (183)

I have noticed that Zeks is having a little bit of a spring surge, perhaps he has some new paint or a bit more free time – whatever it is, I have seen at least three new pieces in as many weeks. Zeks has a rather different take on graffiti writing, which leans towards a sort of rigid antistyle look.

In this piece Zeks has opted for a deep and vibrant drop shadow that goes off to the left, with lilac, orange and yellow stripes. The shadow contrasts with the plain blue surface of the letters. I don’t think that I have ever seen a Zeks piece without a buffed background, and it really works in his favour, creating a clean and fresh look to all of his work. Look out for more.

6528. M32 roundabout J3 (639)

Zeks, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2024

There is a simplicity and clarity in Zeks’ work, where less is definitely more. His child-like quality and themes work so very well. The autumn leaves in front of the piece complement the ‘blue sky’ background, so well, conjuring up visions of gorgeous autumn days.

The combination piece is split into distinct halves, with a beautifully illustrated urban landscape to the left (looking like one of those 1960-70s cartoon series), which is so full of character. The writing in contrasting and bright colours spells out ZEKS, and is filled with interesting but unfussy shapes and designs. This is a delightful and calming piece from Zeks.

6198. Greenbank (125)

There is no doubt about it, I am really enjoying the fresh look of Zeks’ pieces combined with the fact that he is painting in Bristol a little more often these days, and long may that last. This is a straightforward piece of graffiti writing, with clearly defined letters and simple design – incorporating a little symmetry with the ‘Z’ and ‘S’.

I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something quite unique about Zeks’ writing. There is a modesty and uncomplicatedness, an authenticity, which really attracts me. Simple solid fills are accompanied by a striped pattern filling the letter gaps. A couple of arrows and some rings accessorise the letters a little, but none of it would work very well without the cream background. This is a great composition.

6180. M32 roundabout J3 (596)

Zeks, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2024

There is something really charming about Zeks’ work that makes it accessible and enjoyable. I don’t quite know how he achieves it, but perhaps it is the naive graffiti writing style that makes it so welcoming, and in this piece there is a kind of narrative around the letters.

The stylised letters spelling ZEKS form the core of the piece, and the story unfolds around that core. It almost feels like a travel diary, with houses, snow-capped mountains and octopus tentacles all featured. The design of the houses have a South American appearance – it would be great to know the backstory to this one. More from Zeks to come.

6081. Greenbank (120)

Although I have found quite a few of his pieces, Zeks, as with so many Bristol artists, is a little underrepresented on Natural Adventures. One day I will try to right these wrongs, but not until I can recover a bit more time in my rather busy life. A word that I would use to describe Zeks work is a word I very rarely use, but it somehow fits his style, ‘cute’ – but I don’t mean in the cuddly puppy sense, more in the clean and joyful and sweet way.

Here Zeks has painted his letters in shades of pink and white, with nice interlocking patterns, and accompanied the letters with a rather cool teddy bear. What really helps this piece, and it can be said for so much graffiti writing, is the buffed background, which helps the piece stand alone from the surrounding visual noise. A very nice piece by Zeks.

	TiffanyArpDaleo on 7913. Stapleton Road
	Dan Antion on Thursday Doors – 17 Sept…
	paulh121 on Thursday Doors – 17 Sept…
	wrookieschu on Thursday Doors – 17 Sept…
	Sofia Alves on Thursday Doors – 17 Sept…

	TiffanyArpDaleo on 7913. Stapleton Road
	Dan Antion on Thursday Doors – 17 Sept…
	paulh121 on Thursday Doors – 17 Sept…
	wrookieschu on Thursday Doors – 17 Sept…
	Sofia Alves on Thursday Doors – 17 Sept…

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