Weston Wallz returns to Weston-super-Mare
Visitors and residents alike can enjoy a series of new murals
Last updated 30th Jul 2022
Weston-super-Mare will once again become the home of street art with the return of Weston Wallz.
After the successful launch in September 2021, Upfest - the team behind Bristol's street art fest - has once again partnered with Weston-super-Mare Town Council and Culture Weston, with the latest murals set to be painted from the 23rd to the 31st July.
Armed with sunscreen, spray paint and brushes, the artists for the second edition of this initiative took to the streets of the seaside town, to unleash creativity on Weston’s most iconic buildings and landmarks.
This year, visitors and residents alike can see the talents of Insane51 travelling over from Athens alongside UK and local artists, Aspire, Caryn Koh, Curtis Hylton, Sian Storey, TeaOne, Vee, and many others, making their mark on the North Somerset coastal town with their unique and signature styles.
These brand new murals will join the current artworks on Weston’s street art trail.
Some location highlights include RNLI Gift Shop Marine Lake, the old Oxford Corner Cafe, Olea and Old Post Office Lane to name a few.
Malcolm Nicholson, Town Clerk at Weston Town Council said: “Weston is the perfect place to showcase such diverse, eclectic and thought-provoking artworks. With such a great response to Weston Wallz last year and the continuous investment into the town, it’s a fantastic opportunity to grow Weston’s cultural identity and attract new visitors.”
The initiative has been funded by a grant from Weston Town Council and Culture Weston and hopes to further grow the town’s cultural identity, attract new visitors and boost local business.
Tom Newman, Culture Weston Programme Manager said "We're excited to be supporting Upfest in bringing the second edition of Weston Wallz to the town and for a new, eclectic range of artwork to be unveiled that will transform more of Weston's walls and hidden corners. It is brilliant to showcase so many great artists, and for residents and visitors to be able to enjoy the art throughout the summer and beyond. And with the arrival of SEE MONSTER, Weston is buzzing with loads of fantastic community events"
Upfest co-founder, Steve Hayles, said: “It feels great to be back in Weston-super-Mare after the success of the 2021 launch. Street art is a great way to engage the community and we’ve chosen a brilliant bunch of street artists to add to an already bustling art scene here in Weston. We’ve had a giant rooster, a geisha and lots of colour, we can’t wait to see what the next round of artists bring to the seafront.”
An interactive map was launched this Friday (22nd July) for trail hunters to easily identify the murals and witness the transformation of ordinary corners becoming landmarks in the town.
Sophie Long, from Bristol, is the artist behind a giant grey shark on George Street, in Weston-super-Mare.
She told us that she's excited to have been invited to make her mark in this year's Weston Wallz, and that it's great to see street art being more widely accepted:
"Street art has changed in people's ideas, because it used to be mindless graffiti, and if someone saw someone painting with a spray can they just assumed that they were breaking the law."
Venessa 'Vee' Scott, is from Manchester, and her work can be found on Alma Street:
"It's going to be a bold and abstract piece which will have two figures of different nationalities, if you read it that way, you might read the figures completely different, and it's going to create symbols of love and togetherness.
"In a world where we can feel really disconnected sometimes I think it's really important having moments of street art, where people can have a look, have discussions, even just say 'Did you see that piece? What's going on? What did you think of it?'
"I just think it's an amazingly powerful tool, it makes people feel good, it enlightens the environment and keeps artists in work, which is amazing."