Top 5 Street Artists From The Bristol Street Art School

We all have to agree on the fact that street art has a remarkable history. Today’s contemporary art cannot be imagined without the street art movement that has not only helped to shape our popular culture but also empowered countless artists to test the limits of human imagination and emotion. Street art can be controversial. But it can also be a medium for voices of social change, protest, or expressions of community desire, a voice for a better tomorrow.

And this is where we come to one of the best street art schools – The Bristol street art school and its most significant students. Trust us when we say – These badass street artists shaped the street art movement. The Bristol street art school is a blueprint that stands for freedom and creativity. So, let’s delve deep down into the world of Bristol street art school and its most prominent students.

Banksy

The man, the myth, the legend. The most famous street artist in the world is Banksy. Coming straight from the Bristol street art school, Banksy came in like a storm and took over the art world, making himself the true epitome of street art. In today’s art world, Banksy can be described as the master of satirical painting.

His staggering art full of irony makes it a devastating critique of snobbery and smug elitism, tackling almost all parts of our society. From wars, global warming, and freedom, to poverty, politics, and religion, he has done it all. Banksy has been literally provoking alternative viewpoints and encouraging revolution in the art world for so many years.

Nick Walker

Nick Walker is a living legend of street art and a man who revolutionized the canons of the stencil graffiti movement in the 1990s. He has been transcending the barriers between street, commercial, and fine art ever since, always evolving and remaining original. This masterful stencil artist is famous for his formally dressed bowler hat-wearing character called Vandal (believed to be Walker himself). Back in the early ’90s, Nick was a part of the infamous and avant-garde Bristol street art scene. During that time, he started combining stencils with his freehand work which allowed a collation of images that look like photographs and the instinctive sentiment related to conventional graffiti.

The visual imagery of the pioneering stencil street art master Nick Walker is recognizable and loved worldwide. It’s an incredibly difficult mission to create art that speaks to people of all ages and cultures, however, this is what he does best. Today, Nick Walker’s unique paintings and limited edition art prints are very sophisticated and endlessly desirable, erasing the borders between high art and popular culture.

Inkie

One of the pioneers of Bristol’s famous street art school, Inkie is an old-school Bristol-bred graffiti artist. He is an inventor of Ink Nouveau, curator of See No Evil, and an all-around leisurely gentleman. Tom Bingle, who is known by the name Inkie, started life as a street artist in the inner city as part of the CIC or Crime Incorporated Crew in the early 80s. Inkie was the head of the many artists arrested in 1989 during “Operation Anderson”, the UK’s largest-ever graffiti bust. Social projects are close to Inkie’s heart and he has always used his art for greater causes.

His work has been described as “diverse”, incorporating many styles and genres. Inkie himself was the first person to ever paint graffiti in the Houses of Parliament. Today, Inkie is part of the hall of fame of the Bristol street art school alongside the peers like Banksy and Nick Walker.

Cheo

Another of the early breed of Bristol street art school, Cheo is a well-known street artist who began drawing and painting graffiti characters in the mid-1980s. With a very recognizable cartoon style that has been inspired by the comic book characters of Vaughn Bode, Cheo’s trademark is a cute bumble bee character which can be seen on most of his pieces, from sketches, color marker illustrations, and wall art.

Cheo has walked the walk – he’s been arrested for painting in the 90s and has seen his work and possessions being burnt by the police. As an artist, Cheo has won several awards and is considered an old-school graffiti artist from the Bristol street art school.

Cheba

Last but not least of the famous street artists from the Bristol street art school, Cheba is the pioneer of the modern poster and sticker culture. Cheba began plastering the streets of Bristol with his striking yet simplistic characters in the early 2000s. Shortly after picking up a spray can, he quickly became addicted to painting the city’s landscape and has been a long-standing figure in his hometown of Bristol’s thriving street art culture.

Cheba combines the graffiti staple of spray paint with more traditional media such as oil, acrylic, and ink and in recent years experimenting with resin. By using multiple layers of resin, Cheba creates thick paintings that appear almost sculptural. Over the years, Cheba’s work has been featured in a plethora of publications including ‘Graffiti World’, ‘The Art of Rebellion’, ‘Children of the Can’ and ‘Banksy’s Bristol’ to name a few.