Graffiti News

Five artists have added to Quakers Art Lane

Five new murals were unveiled at Quakers Friars, near Cabot Circus in Bristol, on May 5, according to Bristol Post. Insane51, My Dog Sighs, HazardOne, Melo and Inkie began painting on April 24, each producing a separate work for the space known as Quakers Art Lane. The shared brief concerned Bristol's culture, music and identity.

The resulting subjects range from a portrait and an animal to festival culture, musical references and a local expression. For people following street art, that variety gives the lane a useful point of comparison: five artists have approached the same city without relying on a single subject or visual language. Looking at the works together means considering both what each artist chose and how each choice represents Bristol.

HazardOne, Insane51 and Inkie use distinct local references

HazardOne's contribution honours Sir David Attenborough ahead of his 100th birthday on May 8. Bristol Post reports that the mural is based on a photograph by Bristol photographer Guthrie O'Brien. Naming the photographer matters to understanding the work: the wall painting draws on a particular photographic image as well as the identity of its subject.

Insane51 has painted Alfred the Gorilla using the artist's characteristic filter technique to create a dual image. The subject and the way the image is constructed offer separate things to examine. A visitor can look at the gorilla's representation while also considering how the two images share the wall.

Inkie has taken the Bristol expression ‘Cheers Drive’ as the basis for a mural. A phrase puts everyday language alongside the lane's portraits and other imagery. Read together, these three contributions suggest different ways of approaching local identity: through a person, a named animal and words associated with the city. Their differences are part of what makes a visit to the group worthwhile.

Music and festivals provide two further ways to read Bristol

Melo and My Dog Sighs focus on Bristol's festivals and musical heritage. Melo's work celebrates a festival scene that includes Love Saves The Day, St Pauls Carnival and Bristol Pride, according to Bristol Post. Knowing those references gives viewers a starting point for examining how several events are brought into one work.

My Dog Sighs has made a layered tribute to the city's music. The mural incorporates hidden scores from Massive Attack and Getdown Services, together with references to sound systems and live audiences. Those details widen the subject beyond musicians alone. Equipment and listeners are also part of the picture of music culture described in the work.

For a street-art visit, the distinction between the two murals is useful. One takes a festival scene as its subject; the other invites attention to musical details embedded within a larger image. Looking for the reported scores offers a specific reason to spend time with My Dog Sighs' contribution. Comparing that approach with Melo's work can help visitors see how a shared cultural theme produces different murals.

A permanent art space precedes Upfest's May programme

Quakers Art Lane is a permanent public-art space that builds on an existing mural by Dave Bain inspired by Aardman. The five additions therefore join a location with an earlier artwork already in place. For visitors, the relationship between the older mural and the new contributions is another part of the setting to observe, alongside the individual subjects.

Bristol Post connects the unveiling with the approach of Upfest 2026. The event is scheduled to run across Bristol from May 15 to May 31, with live painting, workshops and community projects. The completed murals provide a place to see finished work ahead of that programme. A visit to the lane and participation in festival activities can be planned around their respective locations and dates.

To find the murals, use Quakers Friars near Cabot Circus as the location reference. Once there, the five artists' different subjects provide a straightforward way to compare the works, with Dave Bain's existing mural adding another point of reference. For further street-art exploration, use Wallscape's map to look for artworks around an area you plan to visit.

Source: Bristol Post