Category Archives: Bristol

Bristol: Banksy new mural for Valentines

A new mural popped up in Banksy’s hometown yesterday baring all the hallmarks of the elusive artist. Located in Barton hill, precisely where he started painting graffiti in his early days, the new artwork depicts a little girl holding a slingshot toward the sky with an explosion of red roses and poppies.

It’s a clear nod to his iconic artwork Girl with Balloon, but the heart balloon is smashed in pieces of roses and poppies. The girl is in the rebellious pose, reminiscent of his Flower Thrower image.

Barton Hill Girl – Detail
Flower Thrower image courtesy Stephen C.
Barton Hill mural – Detail

It is the second attempt to destruct this image. We think about ‘Love is in the bin’ performance in 2018 where the artist self destructed his artwork live during Sotheby’s auction.

Timing is also essential, as it coincides both with the recent auction sale of Vote for Love for 1,15 million pounds (here) at Sothebys , and Valentines day.

Banksy - Vote to Love

So is there no hope now for Love?

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Bristol: Rowdy & Wilde at Clifton Fine Art Gallery

Rowdy & Wilde

One of Bristol’s most renowned street artist Rowdy is gathering forces with legendary London screenprinter Aida Wilde for a duo show ‘Rowdy and Wilde’ at Clifton Fine Art in Bristol.

Rowdy & Wilde

Aida Wilde was born in Iran and arrived in the UK in the mid 80’s as a political refugee. Aida’s artistic career has been a diverse one. She has been a professional screen printer for the last twenty years.

Her work has been featured at the Victoria & Albert Museum since 2011 and The Women’s Art Library (see our coverage here).  Her HASHTAG series of works was used for the Brandalism  project (covered) and the global project Subvert The City, which saw the world’s first coordinated international ad takeover & over 60 creative actions in 38 cities in 18 countries around the world. Aida still continues with her facilitating role with various workshops and community projects through Print Is Power – Reclamation Nation & more currently, Sisters In Print (All female international print collective).

Hailed by many as a screen-printing genius, Aida’s process is her art. She prides herself on her perfect printing technique and continually pushing the boundaries of this once traditionally considered art form. The artist’s skill is second to none when it comes to print making. Her unique style expresses her ongoing battle to bring  alternative elements together, the graphic and the classical, whether this is through pop colours, texture (glitter, velvet…) or through image. Aida’s most recent experiments feature the use of the screen as a mono-printing tool to develop her ‘Life: Still’ edition.

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Rowdy, member of the Burning Candy crew, is an integral part of the Bristol graffiti scene. His work appears worldwide and can be found in the most unlikely places, from underground rural settings to highly visible urban reaches. Rowdy’s trademark crocodiles are often huge in scale and are indicative of the playful nature of the imagery in his work.

Burning Candy
Burning Candy Crew in London 2009

Rowdy’s abstract cityscape paintings show skyscrapers constructed out of the tiniest marks a spray-can can make, floating colour fields combined with 1980’s graffiti fades. Some are bustling and hectic, recalling markets and highways, motion and change, whilst others show a more meditative side to the city, haze and city lights hover within an expansive luminous ground.

Rowdy & Wilde

The two artists bring an explosion of vibrant colours with bright, uplifting, and innovative works to Clifton Fine Art Gallery: upon entering the gallery a screen printed leopard rug with velvet feel by Aida Wilde is framed on the floor while abstract landscape paintings by Rowdy and still- life and neon pink screen-printed artworks by Aida adorn the walls. Rowdy signature monumental crocodile wooden sculpture is a playful delight for small children and guests.

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Rowdy & Wilde
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View the full set of pics here

Rowdy & Wilde
Until 4 November
Clifton Fine Art
12 Perry Road, Bristol, BS1 5BG

 

The Other Art Fair Bristol Highlight: Hisham Echafaki

London based multidisciplinary artist Hisham Echafaki is presenting his new solo exhibition at the Saatchi TOAF (The Other Art Fair) in Bristol.  His body of works focuses on the complex and ever changing relationship between humans and the animal world, exploring themes of anthropomorphism, endangered species and the delicate balance between mankind and nature.

His source of inspiration includes vintage scientific illustrations, taxidermy, cabinet of curiosities, patterns in art as well as animal fables. One of the paintings is directly inspired by The Dove and the Crow Fable by Greek author Aesop ‘To enjoy our blessings we must have freedom’.

HE 01

‘Family portrait’ depicts a moving scene in an abandoned house where nature takes back its course and a doe and her baby pay tribute to a deer trophy head.

His three dimensional paintings are intriguing and fascinating, and visitors are often wondering how these fauna and flora have been created. The 3D and trompe l’oeil effect is achieved by meticulously painting on multiple layers of resin.

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Hisham Echafaki
The Other Art Fair Bristol
1-3 September 2017
Arnolfini
16 Narrow Quay , Bristol

Bristol: Banksy Girl with UK Balloon Print – Product Recall

Coinciding with the UK elections, Banksy just announced on his website the free release on 9th June of an exclusive  new print, featuring his iconic Girl with Balloon with the heart being replaced by the UK flag. He hasn’t released any prints since 2010, so this is very exciting news. But there are some conditions.

‘This limited edition artwork on archival quality paper is completely free, but is only available to registered voters in the Bristol North West, Bristol West, North Somerset, Thornbury, Kingswood and Filton constituencies. Simply send in a photo of your ballot paper from polling day showing you voted against the Conservative incumbent and this complimentary gift will be mailed to you.

Police said anyone taking part in the offer could also be prosecuted.

A police spokesman said: “We’ve received a number of complaints about an offer of a free Banksy print to people living in six Bristol constituencies in exchange for them voting in a certain way in the forthcoming election and we can confirm we’re investigating the offer. It is a criminal offence under the Representation of the People Act 1983 for any voter to accept or agree to accept a gift or similar in return for voting or refraining from voting. Any person participating in an offer to receive a gift is at risk of being prosecuted.”

As a result on 5 June a message on Banksy’s website is now mentioning a product recall.

BPR

www.banksy.co.uk

Book release: ‘Street Art’ by Lonely Planet

This Friday, Lonely Planet will release ‘Street Art’, a guide to street art featuring 140 street art hotspots in 42 cities around the world.

To mark the launch of Street Art, the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol will host a weekend of street art-inspired events, including the UK premiere of Saving Banksy.

‘Arnolfini X Future Tense’ will take place on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 April, and also includes street art tours, a book signing with author Ed Bartlett and a live panel talk featuring renowned street artists Ben Eine and Blek le Rat and Film Director Colin Day .

From Banksy’s stencils and Invader’s mosaics to amazing murals, this insider’s guide, compiled by independent curator & founder of The Future Tense Ed Bartlett, with a foreword by graffiti artist Remi Rough, provides stunning images along with practical details and maps of where to find secret stashes of street art, and introduces key artists, locations as well as festivals like Nuart (NO), Upfest (UK) or Mural (CA).

“This book is intended as a starting point to your journey,” Ed Bartlett mentions, “highlighting a selection of some of the key cities around the world to experience street art today, and providing guides to each city’s street-art hotspots to enable you to explore further. We’ve also included insights from some of its most important figures.”

Get a copy of the LONELY PLANET ‘Street Art’ book here
For SAVING BANKSY Screening bookings in Bristol  visit the  Arnolfini’s  website