Upfest unveil huge mural project to launch 2021 festival
Posted on: 11 May 2021Artists will be painting 75 walls across Bedminster in the 75 days leading up to Upfest 2021.
Upfest have announced plans for a huge new art series to build up to the return of their festival this summer, enlisting the services of hundreds of local artists to paint 75 Bedminster walls in 75 days.
Kicking off with a live painting event on 15 May, the initiative invites locals to explore North Street and its surrounding area and watch artists in action, running continually until the opening of the full Upfest weekend on 28 & 29 August.
With support from the @ace_southwest & @BedminsterBID, we are #painting 75 walls in 75 days across #Bedminster! We'll be kicking off on 15th of May, so you can come and check them out in your own time!
— UPFEST (@Upfest) May 7, 2021
Art by Will Barras, alongside @xnz
????: Paul Box#upfest #murals #streetart pic.twitter.com/MzDobNwKv8
Renowned artist and illustrator Will Barras will be overseeing the build-up mural project as the chosen Festival Artist, and will be responsible for painting the first piece on the side of one of North Street's newest additions, The Pony.
Having grown up in Birmingham, Barras moved to Bristol to study graphic design and went on to become a major name on the city's revered street art scene as a founding member of the Scrawl Collective.
We're super excited to announce Will Barras as our festival artist this year. He's such an incredible #artist and looking back at previous work - we can't wait to see his latest addition to the #Bedminster #murals!
— UPFEST (@Upfest) May 8, 2021
????: Will Barras.#Upfest #StreetArt #StreetArtFestival pic.twitter.com/SPU2tfv7RU
Speaking on the announcement of the ambitious mural project, Upfest co-founder Steve Hayles said:
“It’s great to be getting started on painting the murals on the walls of Bedminster as the first element of Upfest 2021 which has been made possible with a DCMS cultural recovery grant from Arts Council England and a contribution from the Bedminster BID.
“To ensure we’re keeping visitors safe we’ve taken the decision to spread out the painting of the walls over the next three months, which means people can explore them and happen across our artists as they paint, in their own time and space.”
After Upfest 2020 was moved online due to the coronavirus pandemic, fans of Europe's biggest street art festival are understandably excited for its full return.
For more information on Upfest, or to follow news and updates from the festival in the coming weeks, head to their website or find them on Twitter or Instagram.
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Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.
