VANDALS DEFACE UPFEST MURALS
FESTIVAL ORGANISER SHARES DEVASTATION AS MANY NEW PIECES ‘BEYOND REPAIR’
THE organiser of a popular street art festival in Bristol has shared his devastation after numerous murals were vandalised.
Upfest co-founder Stephen Hayles is calling on support from the community and local businesses to identify a vandal who painted “Kill Upfest” on more than 10 works on Sunday night.
Many of the pieces daubed with black paint formed part of Upfest’s 75 Walls project, which aims to bring 75 new murals to south Bristol in as many days between May and August.
The words “Die Upfest” have also been painted on the window of Upfest’s North Street gallery.
Mr Hayles, who first staged Upfest in Bedminster in 2008, described the spate of vandalism as a “huge blow”.
“This is heartbreaking this morning to wake up to,” he said. “Many of the amazing new pieces for 2021 are beyond repair.
“All the artists paint as part of Upfest for free and have put weeks of work into the pieces.
“They have come to Bristol from all over the UK and some from abroad so it’s not a matter of just painting them again.
“This is a huge blow to the project and our small team of volunteers.”
Stephen is appealing to anyone with CCTV or private cameras covering the affected walls to come forward and help the police identify the individual responsible.
He added the Upfest team has been given a “much-needed lift” by artists from across the UK offering to come to Bristol and repair some of the murals for free.
Bedminster BID’s Love Local mural on North Street, created by local artist Tozer to encourage people to shop at local independent businesses, was one of the pieces targeted.
Simon Dicken, chair of Bedminster BID, said: “This individual has caused an incredible amount of damage in just one night.
“The Love Local mural was one of the most photographed pieces in the area as it summed up our ethos as a neighbourhood.
“Art is always a matter of taste but
Many of the amazing new pieces for 2021 are beyond repair. All the artists paint as part of Upfest for free and have put weeks of work into the pieces
Stephen Hayles
Upfest has been a great asset for our area for over a decade.
“Every mural in the area has been painted to permissions and building owner consent.
“The BID and our community put cohesion and inclusion at the top of our agenda, and threats to life are completely unacceptable in any circumstances.”
The affected murals are located along North Street, while billboards and adverts on West Street have also been been targeted.
Anyone with information is encouraged to email festival@ upfest.co.uk or get in touch with the festival on social media.