Bristol’s Street Art
If ever there was a city that was the epitome of street art and graffiti culture it would be Bristol. Located two hours west of London it has been said that ‘Bristol is the capital of street art’. Bristol is not only home to Banksy, one of the most famous street art artists, but also Europe’s largest street art and graffiti festival, See No Evil. If you scour Bristol you’ll discover a wealth of fantastic street art and all coming in various forms, from snow art in the winter to classic graffiti displayed across the walls of buildings. The subject matter ranges from plays on pop-culture to pieces wrought with emotion.
You can see most of Bristol’s street art in three main areas; the city centre, and the neighbourhoods of Stokescroft and Eastville. If you’re adventurous you can pick up a cheap pamphlet from Bristol’s tourist office that is full of Banksy pieces with their descriptions and locations. Or if you want something more structured there are numerous guided tours, one of which is put on by Bristol’s street art artists themselves.
The following are some of my favourite pieces of Bristol’s street art.
‘Hanging Man’ by Banksy (from Bristol, England)
The most photographed Banksy piece
by Nick Walker (from Bristol, England)
by JPS (from Weston-Super-Mare, England)
Inspired to turn his life around after seeing Banksy’s exhibition in 2009
In 2011 an event took place along Nelson street and put on by local and international artists. The event was dubbed See No Evil and became Europe’s largest street art festival. The collection that came from See No Evil included many epic pieces all that were created to help transform Nelson street. At the time it was a run down street but with the aid of Bristol’s own, along with artists from across the globe, it was brought to life.
‘Wolf Boy’ by Aryz (from Barcelona, Spain)
From See No Evil Festival 2011
‘Vandal’ by Nick Walker (from Bristol, England)
From See No Evil Festival 2011
‘Woman & Child’ by El Mac (from Los Angeles, USA)
From See No Evil Festival 2011
by Pixel Pancho (from Turin, Italy)
From See No Evil Festival 2012
by Mariusz Waras aka M-City (from Gdynia, Poland)
From See No Evil Festival 2012
What’s your favourite piece of Bristol’s street art?
