From Arnolfini Arts’ pioneering graffiti exhibition in 1985 (one of the first major gallery shows for street art) and the phenomenon of ‘subvertising’, to the virulent political statements sprayed throughout the Stokes Croft neighbourhood and the 2020 sinking of slave-trader Edward Colston’s controversial statue, Bristol’s arts scene has always had an anarchic edge.
The West Country city is considered the birthplace of UK street art, having fostered legends of the scene such as Massive Attack’s 3D, Cheo with his characterful cartoons and an obscure figure you might know as Banksy (although he allegedly goes by Robin Gunningham, if you believe his recent unmasking).
With around 300 artists gathering their supplies for the 17-day Upfest, where the city’s — legal — walls will be refreshed with 150-plus new murals, Bristol will become even more of a destination to feast your eyes on. We spoke with some of the talented spray-can wielders participating in the festival about why the city inspires them, the must-visit art spots, and which up-and-comers might inherit the crown of ‘Brizzle’s’ street-art king.
Millennium Square
DazMundyArt
A bold geometrist, DazMundyArt’s work is characterised by dazzling patterns, strong black lines and eye-watering intricacy.
How did you find your artistic style?
It’s predominantly geometric, optic art involving handpainted works. My style developed from drawing on paper to site-specific painting on internal architecture, before it developed into working with liminal spaces, such as stairwells and larger walls. It’s influenced by artists such as M.C. Escher, Gordon Matta-Clark, Edward Ruscha and Bridget Riley. My work for Upfest will either be geometric or represent a time in Bristol involving comedy and TV.
What’s a must-see for an art lover visiting the city?
For me, it’s Stokes Croft, which is full of character.
Music and street art have a strong connection throughout Bristol’s history — who’s carrying on this legacy?
Hard to say if there’s one venue keeping the scene alive. I prefer the smaller music venues, and I very much miss the past venues like The Depot, The Level and Dojo Bar.
What’s the future for Bristol’s street-art scene?
So long as there’s continued support for it, I see a very exciting future for Bristol’s art and music scene, so long as we keep a percentage of Bristol unique and edgy, preserve the independent businesses and support the creative people of Bristol.
What are the biggest challenges facing Bristol’s street artists today?
The financial side of creating. For many years I have worked as a full-time painter and decorator, running my own business and working at least 12 hours a day, sometimes going for up to 24 hours to get art done on top of my other work. I’d like to see more support in the processes of how to apply for financial support.
What affect has Banksy’s immense popularity had on the scene?
I think Banksy has only helped the art scene and followed a different dynamic away from the conceptual art scene. I feel he has attracted many to the scene who may not have been interested in art. I would like to see new art fans look further into past artists, stemming from their interest in Banksy.
Dave Bain
Injecting positivity into Bristol’s art scene, Dave Bain’s work is bright, colourful and populated by storybook-esque figures (including the odd Wallace and Gromit cameo, in large-scale murals that celebrate community.
How did you find your artistic style?
I paint playful, positive characters in a limited colour palette heavily inspired by my love of screen-printing and risograph processes. I try to get an energy into my murals, built with fluid shapes that bounce throughout my composition. For Upfest, I’ll be reinterpreting a 15th-century painting by Botticelli and giving it a modern twist.
How has living in Bristol influenced your work?
Being surrounded by so many high-quality artworks, both in the streets and the creative studios, has been a constant source of inspiration. There’s a real community of sharing and caring between creatives. Now that I’m a good few years into my own practice I try to give something back by mentoring those who are at an earlier stage in their journey.
What’s a must-see for an art lover visiting the city?
Bristol has a mythical crocodile that lives in the River Avon. Artist Dorcas Casey created an incredible sculpture of it, on display at the Welcome Building in Temple Quarter.
Dave Bain
Who’s an upcoming street artist everyone should know?
There are a lot, but RTiiiKA deserves to be shouted about, not only for her bold, graphic style and fun, conceptual thinking, but also because she founded the Bristol Mural Collective. Melo is another up-and-coming street artist that you should check out.
What fuels Bristol’s creative energy?
One thing I’ve always loved about this city is the spirit of experimentation and reinvention. It’s probably a combination of that and the supportive nature of the creative community here that keeps the fires burning.
Music and street art have a strong connection throughout Bristol’s history — who’s carrying on this legacy?
The heart of Upfest is the huge Tobacco Factory venue, [whose owners have] always been supportive of the arts — especially street art. They played a major part in hosting Upfest in its debut years and continue to work closely with its organisers. There’s a new accessible arts space called Kit Form in Stokes Croft that I can highly recommend, too. They’ve a rolling programme of events — many with a street-art connection.
Tell us your favourite bit of Bristol street-art lore.
Banksy’s ‘war’ with Bristol’s harbour master over his tagging of the Thekla is a fave. But recently, I loved hearing a lesser-known bit of lore via an older youth-worker who told me that when he was a teenager, pre-fame Banksy had helped guide their group in painting the inside of their community centre.
Ailish Beadle
An illustrator, designer and muralist, Ailish Beadle’s work is a ray of sunshine, with its rainbow-bright hues, pick-and-mix fonts and playful notions.
How did you find your artistic style?
My work is bold, colourful and full of patterns. I’ve always loved hand-drawing as a starting point, but my outcomes are evolving over the years as I’m doing less digital stuff and looking for ways to get off the screens and use my hands more. Working with 3D materials and painting murals has been a great way of doing this. At Upfest, I plan to give some more depth to my work by adding laser-cut elements to my painting. I won’t give too much away, but it’s going to be colourful!
How has living in Bristol influenced your work?
It’s allowed me to meet so many creatives, which in turn makes my work more exciting because there are more people to collaborate with. I’m in the Bristol Mural Collective (BMC) and I don’t know where I’d be without that, as I moved here two years ago not knowing anyone. The paint jams that the BMC put on motivate me and being around your friends making art at the same time is pretty special.
What’s a must-see for an art lover visiting the city?
Muriel Alleyway in Brislington. Back in 2024, Rtiika, the founder of the BMC, arranged a huge paint jam down this alleyway, with residents’ permission.
Ailish Beadle
Who’s an upcoming street artist everyone should know?
Mind49 (@mindfortynine), who I’ve painted alongside a few times now. I’m always amazed at how effortlessly he makes a face come to life with spray cans. And not only that, but they always seem to tell a story with their eyes, which I’m in awe of because I struggle with spray cans and only ever use block colours.
What fuels Bristol’s creative energy?
The people! There are so many amazing creatives here in lots of different capacities, it’s the first place where I’ve found so many pockets of communities. I’m not sure if this is people kicking back against technology and wanting human connection or if it’s just being in a creative city, but it’s great.
What’s the future for Bristol’s street-art scene?
I think the BMC is going to grow and the paint jams are going to become more frequent. I think the future of the street-art scene involves people who have never given painting a go coming along and giving it a try among Bristol artists who are all willing to help.
What affect has Banksy’s immense popularity had on the scene?
If Banksy gets someone who would never think about art to look at it or talk about it then that’s a positive. I think Banksy’s made street art a more legitimate medium just by using his money to do charitable things. For example, the French Naval boat he funded to save refugees in danger in the Mediterranean and the help he offered the Colston Four [who toppled Edward Colston’s statue during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests].
Who do you think will take Banksy’s crown?
All of us!
The ultimate Bristol art trail with the Artist Residence
Artist Residence Bristol
Stay at the Artist Residence and you’ll experience Bristol in full colour. The hotel group’s signature style was primed when the founders (its owner couple) asked their creative friends to paint each room in their flagship Brighton hotel. Today, each of the four properties showcases established talents — Andy Doig’s neons, the Connor Brothers’ faux book covers, Tracey Emin‘s sketches, David Shrigley’s outsider witticisms — plus a rich palette of local talent.
The Bristol outpost is set in a former boot factory in St Pauls, close to Stokes Croft, the neighbourhood for an art treasure-hunt. It’s where legends of the scene started using walls as their canvas, and that frisson is felt today in its galleries and studios. Use the Artist Residence as your base, since it’s an ideal starting point for a Bristol art tour.
First, turn your eyes to the hotel walls, hung with geometric pieces by Rose Vickers, Annie Clay’s urban scenes, Kedals’ mixed-media fever dreams and Jessie Woodward’s energetic abstracts, among many others. Artists were scouted in nearby Jamaica Street Studios, which often holds open days, so see if your dates align.
Stokes Croft: The whole of this bohemian neighbourhood looks like an exploded paintbox. Highlights include Banksy’s The Mild, Mild West, Stinkfish’s Yellow Face Lady and Taj Mahal Girl, Cosmo Sarson’s glittery Breakdancing Jesus, and Sepr’s Think Local, Boycott Tesco. Be sure to swing by the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft’s gallery and graffiti wall, and pick up prints at Here Gallery.
City centre: The Island is set in a former police station and hosts more than 100 artists, a circus and dance school, with frequent events for all. Co-op studios Centrespace run a not-for-profit gallery, too. Bocabar combines street art and small plates, and Strange Brew mixes art, niche gigs and guest speakers from Shon Faye to Jeremy Corbyn. And Nelson Street’s Brutalist architecture has attracted many a street artist, including Stik, PixelPancho and Nick Walker.
Clifton: The Royal West of England Academy mashes-up the classic and contemporary; and you’ll find European old masters and traditional mediums at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. Then take a little Banksy tour, spotting his Paint Pot Angel in the museum’s foyer, Well Hung Lover on Frogmore Street and more low-key You Don’t Need Planning Permission to Build Castles in the Sky on Lower Lamb Street, as you head harbourside.
Wapping Wharf: There’s an abundance of cultural riches here, with Inkie’s ‘welcome’ mural; M’Shed (home to the felled Colston statue and Banksy’s Grim Reaper, cut from the Thekla nightclub boat); and Karsten Huneck’s industrial, patterned-steel installation. The Arnolfini still hosts forward-thinking exhibitions, and 8,000-square-foot warehouse Spike Island has a vibrant programme.
Bedminster: This is where artists will descend this May, with brushes and spray cans aloft ready to add some colourful layers to the Tobacco Factory and Upfest Gallery — although both hold exhibitions and events throughout the year.
Continue your cultural odyssey with a stay at one of our Bristol hotels
Header image: Dave Bain’s Park Mural
Ailish Beadle is represented by Roar Artists @roarartists