Street Art in Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare has one of the biggest and best outdoor galleries of street art in the South West and the good news is that it is about to get even better.

The Upfest Weston Wallz project is returning in 2023 with a stellar line up of local and national artists.

From May 24 - June 4 they will be transforming around 20 walls around the town.

Here's a list of the walls that will be getting an exciting facelift and the names of the artists who will be doing the transformations.

Ejits - Boro Social Club, Locking Road Car Park 24th, 26th-28th May

Sarah Dicks - CJ Curios 25th- 31st May

Will Barras & Paul Monsters -Laser Quest. 17 North st, 25th-28th May

Samo - The Games Room, 26th-30th May

Mr Draws-- Locking Road Car Park 26th-28th May

Martin Glover & Crew- Boro Social club, Locking Road Car Park, 26th- 29th May

Lucas Antics - TBC - 29th May-2nd June

Molly Mural - The Loft - 29th May- 1st June

Inkie - Oxford Corner Cafe- 31st May - 4th June

Peachzz- The Savoy - 30th May- 2nd June

Faye Suzannah - Weston Super Frames - 30th May- 2nd June

Katie Scott- Gloucester St- 31st May - 3rd June

My Dog Sighs - Strangest Catch - 1st- 4th June

Cheo - Locking Road Car Park-1st- 4th June

Squirl - TBC- 2nd - 4th May

Mishfit - Knightsone Island - 3rd-4th June

Martin Darcy - Burlington Street TBC

Acerone - TBC

So far we've got giant sealife scenes, a massive cockrel, Weston donkeys and an image that changes when seen through through 3D glass to name just a few, so keep your eyes peeled when you are out and about and watch our social media to see how all the new 2023 designs are coming along.

Workshop

Bristol street artist Acerone will be running a series of free one-hour workshops from May 31 until June 2 at The Stables Games Room, Weston-super-Mare.

Although it is free to attend, slots should be pre-booked here.

The session includes:
- Introduction to the graffiti subculture
- use water based spray paint to create a unique background
- learn how to create graffiti style bubble writing in your own style
- use paint markers to transfer your design onto the background
 

Where are they all?

Through the wonders of the web, you digitally stroll around the streets of Weston and see all that our Street Art scene has to offer. However, if you fancy lacing up those walking boots, we have a handy map for you to download. We recommend seeing the artworks in person as sheer size and scale of some of them has to be seen to be believed!

For many years Weston-super-Mare has attracted the eye of street artists from around the world with pieces popping up in all sorts of unexpected places. A personal favourite of ours, although it has since been lost, was a Shaolin Monk balancing on top of a small pipe in Burlington Street by local artist JPS.

Dismaland

In 2015, Weston hosted a temporary art project known as Dismaland. This short lived project saw the Tropicana building transformed into a wonderfully dreary utopia of artworks and installations from the likes of Banksy, Mike Ross and Damien Hirst. Banksy himself organised the project.

Dismaland was a masterclass in secrecy, it wasn't until the doors opened did we finally realise what we had on our doorstep. Us locals were told that the Tropicana was being used as a film set for a new crime thriller called 'Grey Fox' from a production company called Atlas Entertainment.

Over the period of Dismaland, Weston-super-Mare saw a huge increase in visitor numbers. It was estimated in the first five weeks alone, over 150,000 visitors had passed through the doors. More importantly, it sparked something in the eyes of the world. The spotlight was shining brightly on Weston and it really put us on the map for those looking for a unique home for unique projects. It could be said that the success of Dismaland was one of the reasons why Weston was chosen be part of UNBOXED 2022 and host the colossal SEE MONSTER installation. We also caught the eye of another organisation, Upfest.

Upfest

Upfest, Europe’s largest Street Art and Graffiti festival, pride themselves on improving the quality of life in our communities. The Bristol based organisation, founded in 2008, are a collective of over 400 artists who come together each year to showcase their talents and collaborate with local organisations to transform drab walls into works of art.

In 2021, Upfest turned their attention to Weston-super-Mare. With the support of Weston-super-Mare Town Council and Culture Weston, Weston Wallz was born.

During the Weston Wallz festival, we saw 9 artworks brighten the streets of the town centre from artists such as Dan Kitchener and Irony. The festival returned to Weston in 2022 and saw a further 18 works of art from the likes of Insane 51 and Curtis Hylton spanning across Weston-super-Mare.