See No Evil Gallery

I know that there's a lot of debate on Street Art. Some people see it as vandalism, while others see it as an important, contemporary art form and ultimately a form of expression.

I fall into the second category. Don't get me wrong I think that certain individuals do use graffiti as a form of rebellion in a very negative way. Tagging beautiful historic buildings and generally being a nuisance. BUT I also think that graffiti is an amazing art form that can transform bland, ugly buildings into incredible works of art!

So when I took a trip to Bristol I made sure I visited the 'See No Evil Gallery', situated on Nelson Street. Unveiled in August 2011, the street was taken over by an emsemble of talented graffitti artists in a week long street art event that cemented Bristol as the place to be in the UK for Urban art.

 

The 2011 event was organised by the well known Street Artist Tom Bingle aka Inkie, and included a collective of work by urban atrists including: Kashink (Paris), Tats Crew (New York), Shoe
(Amsterdam) and Aryz ( Barcelona) joined Bristol based artists such as Mr Jago, Sick Boy and Nick Walker.

 

 

 

I find the See No Evil gallery truly awe inspiring. Turning an ugly, rundown street into an amazing space where people can express themselves freely has to be a good thing in my mind and I'm sure it hasn't hurt Bristol's tourist industry either.

 

In 2012, Nelson Street came to life again when 45 selected artists took to the street with 3,500 cans of spray paint to update the gallery. Three origninal works were however saved by public vote, including this impressive piece (above) by Nick Walker.

 

In 2013 the annual event was cancelled due to the development work on the street and lack of available wall space. However good news! There's rumours that it will happen again this year and will be moving to a new location.

I am beyond excited at this news and will definitely be keeping an eye out for any developments. I will be getting my derrier down to Bristol quick smart if plans are confirmed. In the meantime Bristol is an amazing place to visit with a plethora of street art in and out of Nelson Street.

And rumour has it that Birmingham is attempting to get their own open air gallery up and running in Digbeth on 6th September (www.streetartbirmingham.co.uk/#!february-2014/c1b0c). I'll see you there!