The Home of Graffiti

Bristol, United Kingdom has been lovingly referred to by Street Artists as "The home of Graffiti." With a wide variety of artists who visit and many who call it their home, including the world famous Banksy, it is a city with an eclectic atmosphere and an open minded attitude toward what would be considered elsewhere as vandalism. After speaking with a variety of Street Artists I have put together this short Q&A to help show what Bristol has to offer art lovers across the globe and how as a city it may help to shape the future of the arts. 

Starving  Artist: What is it like to live in or to visit Bristol? 

Stuc: Bristol is like the hub for street art in the UK, the heart that feeds the scene. I fell in love with the city instantly. The streets are like galleries with awesome work on nearly every street. It's the centre of the urban art scene, in my view. 

Mis Majik: I grew up in Barton Hill and there is a youth centre there that is an original centre for Graff. I remember watching the artists at about 8  years old and just being hypnotized.  Nowadays all of the pubs started getting painted, Upfest began, See No Evil arrived, and now there are beautiful pictures everywhere. 

Starving Artist: Are the laws more relaxed toward Graffiti in Bristol or is it just more common on private property? 

Stuc:  Is it acceptable? I guess yes, to a point, but there are always some that just see it as defacing a building. 

Mis Majik: You will still get chased and jailed if you get caught somewhere you are not meant to be. I guess the artists get commissioned by private clients and businesses. And I love that. They are getting paid now, and quite a lot I hear. 

Starving Artist: What kind of attitude do the residents of Bristol have toward Street Art? 

Blinks: The city of Bristol is mad for Graffiti, it is so acceptable that most buildings in and around the city centre have paint on them legally. The majority of people living in Bristol love it, from what I've seen. They hold an annual event called Upfest where all of the Street Artists from all over the world go. 

Stuc: People in that city get it, that it's art and not just crime.  Shop fronts and buildings getting beautified by spray paint, it blew my mind. Bristol doesn't just have galleries, it is a gallery. 

Starving Artist: How would you describe Upfest? What is it like as an artist? 

Blinks: Upfest is an urban arts festival in Bristol with live Graff and Posca marker competitions with over 300 artists from around the world taking part, stalls selling art and merchandise, and also scribble boards for the youngsters to have a go. It's a very vibrant weekend. 

Stuc: Upfest is a two day event where street artists come together to paint buildings, boards, and walls. All structured and organized, but the artists have free reign of the images or work that they want to do. The event is all over Bristol, inside and out, with music and the works. I met Lemak, Silent Bill, Cherie Strong, and saw so much amazing work. I met so many awesome people and made friends for life. 
Mis Majik: Upfest is amazing, I walked down on Friday afternoon and you could smell the spray paint in the air. It just vibed from then on, everyone and anyone was there. It was awesome, like a festival in the streets. 

Starving Artist: What do you see for the future of Street Art? 

Blinks: I see Street Art being bigger than Van Gogh's work. I'm passionate towards it, as are many other urban artists around the world. 
Stuc: I see it becoming more accepted, more mainstream, but I also see street purists keeping it to walls rather than galleries and canvas. I see it evolving into the monster it should be. 
Mis Majik: It occurs to me that throughout time, since man first found something to write/draw with they have had painted walls. When it became time to protest or disagree we defaced peoples art or advertising , palaces and churches. That is vandalism but somehow the line has been blurred between graffiti and vandalism. Graffiti has evolved to something so expressive, colourful, unique and moving that it deserves to be celebrated. You can surely say without a doubt that people will always paint on walls and express how they feel about man, beast, and the universe whether it is legal or not.

A special thanks goes out to Stuc, Mis Majik, and Blinks for their assistance with this article. You can check out their art by following the links below.

Stuc: https://www.facebook.com/stuc.artwork1

Mis Majik: https://www.facebook.com/cat.majik

Blinks: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blinks-AKA-Cartoonhead-WORX/155028658016873