Celebrate Bristol’s 650th birthday with a Renaissance inspired Paint Jam
Posted on: 14 Jul 2023Spread across Park Street, Queen’s Road and Clifton Triangle, this exciting art event is set to take Bristol by storm later this month.
‘Painting Bristol by Numbers: 6 5 0’ will take over Bristol from Thursday 20 until Sunday 23 July 2023.
This new outdoor art exhibition is curated by the legendary street art festival Upfest and will see windows decorated throughout the area, demonstrating astonishing techniques and styles from the Renaissance period updated on a massive scale by ten of the region’s top street artists.
As the celebrations for Bristol 650 get underway, historian Eugene Byrne looks back at what Bristol was like in 1973 – the year the city marked its 600th anniversary. https://t.co/5ZhnBrr3Zd
— Bristol Ideas (@bristolideas) June 30, 2023
Upfest’s project will celebrate the masters of the past as part of a year-long celebration of all things Bristol. The project is led by Bristol City Centre BID, working with levy payers throughout the area to fill the windows of one of the city’s most iconic areas with astonishing art.
Taking part in the exhibition will be street painting favourite Inkie, Bedminster illustrator Will Cross, expert copywriter TOZER, vibrant painter Georgie Webster, fine art inspired Andrew Burns Colwill, multi-medium artist Rose Popay, mural creator Martin D’Arcy and expressionist expert Cheba.
Visitors will be able to marvel at masterpieces of all shapes and sizes across the four-day event as well as watch the artists themselves at work over the weekend as they create a new outdoor exhibition that will remain throughout the summer.
The Bristol 650 celebrations mark 650 years since King Edward III made Bristol its own independent county with rights and privileges by royal charter in 1373. Before then, the city was divided geographically and administratively by the River Avon.
Alongside this new art event, celebrated street artist Inkie will be commemorating this milestone with a 650-word piece on the wall of the Radisson Blu hotel – a permanent legacy piece on the historic Broad Quay. Find out more about Inkie here.
‘Painting Bristol by Numbers: 6 5 0’ will take over Bristol’s Park Street, Queen’s Road and Clifton Triangle from Thursday 20 until Sunday 23 July 2023.
Main image: George Webster; Inkie image: Doug Gillen
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Stan is a born and bred Bristolian, recently graduated from studying English Literature in Sheffield. His passions are music and literature and he spends the majority of his time in venues all over the city, immersing himself in Bristol’s alternative music scene. A lifelong Bristol City fan, Stan’s Saturdays are spent watching his team both home and away.