You might have daydreamed about going to London a million times. The Ferris Wheel, Sherlock Holmes, the Kohinoor in Jewel House at Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and many other things have made it an iconic city to visit at least once. But what does an art lover do beyond the art galleries in London.
Is there anything that's uniquely exciting to do in England beyond the usual overpriced and overpopulated spots? Unlike, many who'd suggest you go to Oxford, Edinburgh or Stratford, we recommend an escape to Bristol.
This is where the anonymous street artist, Banksy, emerged in the 1990s, painting on warehouse walls, underpasses and backstreets long before galleries and auction houses caught up and Reuters tried to unmask the man behind the art recently.
Bristol’s graffiti scene shaped by hip-hop culture, rave politics and anti-establishment activism became the foundation for Banksy’s visual language: stencils, satire and dark humour. Once a trading port city that brought thousands of slaves, the southwest city today is known not only for the Georgian architecture and history but also known for its long association with protest movements, environmental activism, and counterculture scenes.
Banksy who recently put up a mural in Central London of a suited man blinded by a flag and walking on the ledge and created a graffiti outside the British Parliament building, is a pseudonymous street artist known for stencil-based works that mix political commentary, dark humour, and minimalist visual language.
Despite his works selling in millions in auctions, civil chargesheets filed against him for graffitiing on public properties, his identity has never been officially confirmed. He has successfully built a career around that anonymity.
His art, murals and installations critique authority, consumerism, surveillance and modern warfare often delivered bluntly with instantly readable imagery. His works span from Bristol to London to Bethlehem and Ukraine.
A city tour of Bristol through Banksy's works is a great way understand the modern art and culture of the country (not just the city) and functions as an open-air archive of street culture. The art is embedded on real streets, real neighbourhoods and is not too history heavy and is of course, walkable.
Take a bus from Bristol Temple Meads station to College Green (usually the stop falls on the no.8 and 9 bus route), other ways to get to the harbourside is taking ferry depending on the weather conditions or a taxi that can cost anywhere between GBP10- 20. But if you love walking , then a 16 minutes walk from the train station can cover some parts of the city on the foot to harbourside.
Begin around Bristol’s floating harbour, where former industrial buildings now house cafés, galleries and creative studios.
Inside M Shed are two preserved Banksy works: Grim Reaper and Tesco Petrol Bomb, both tied closely to Bristol’s protest culture and underground scene. You can enjoy a harbour-side meal at Noah's restaurant before starting your tour.
From here, most of the trail can be explored on foot.
From the Harbourside, you can exit on Wapping Wharf/city centre direction towards, Frogmore Street, Bristol BS1 that is an uphill walk of 10-15 minutes. The art work Well Hung Lover is located opposite the city council building.
At the time, the councillors were actively attempting to clamp down on graffiti. So a life size scaffolding-based graffiti that mimics the real-life size windows of the neighbourhood, makes the work both a visual joke and a public challenge to authority.
A 5-10 minutes walk towards Queens Road from Frogmore St. will land you at Bristol Museum where no entry tickets are required. Here you'll find Paint Pot Angel, a remnant of the 2009 Banksy vs Bristol Museum exhibition for which he was paid 1 GBP.
An unannounced exhibition, Banksy vs. Bristol Museum,mixed political satire with institutional critique. The takeover attracted massive queues and international attention, marking the moment Banksy transitioned from street artist to global cultural figure.
A 15 mins walk to Stokes Croft will unleash the street art culture of Bristol. We recommend enjoying food and drinks around Bristol Museum before heading to Stokes Croft by taxi or can take a pit stop at Cafe Kino or Poco Tapas Bar.
You'll find incredible graffiti artworks from various artists in this area alongside Banksy's The Mild, Mild West painting that is a must see painting depicting a teddy bear with a petrol bomb and three riot cops chasing him.
At Thomas Street, Banksy's creation of a flower in a rat trap is protected by Perspex by locals in the area. It hints at the animals he often uses in his work such as rates and monkeys – animals used in laboratory experiments.
Created in early 1990s, Take the Money and Run is located on the wall of a corner shop on the corner of Neva Road and Upper Cheltenham Road. The artwork was created by Banksy in collaboration with two others, namely Inkie and Mobz.
Many perceive graffiti murals as low art. However, Banksy rendition of Vermeer’s famous painting Girl with a Pearl Earring replaces the pearl earring with an outdoor security alarm making it The Girl with the Pierced Eardrum.
The mural is located at the end of an alley just off Hanover Pl, Bristol BS1 6UT.
But that's not all there is to Banksy in Bristol, if you keep your eyes open and look for the signs, you'll find Banksy's art splashed across the city. Some new like the cat and dog one and some faded like the one near the entrance of a derelict building two doors down from Cosies, a famous Bristol bar and stopping ground of reggae DJs and graffiti artists, making your stay in Bristol a real life exhibition tour and nothing short of a fun cultural British experience. You can enjoy the rest of day shopping at Clifton Village or Gloucester Road for souvenirs and more.