THE COLOURFUL WORLD OF OUR CITY’S GREAT GRAFFITI ARTISTS
FROM teenagers tagging walls in the suburbs to large scale pieces found on legal walls, graffiti can be seen across Cardiff.
Once thought of as vandalism instead of art, it can still divide opinion and conjure up visions of kids sneaking around with their hoods up.
But one of the city’s most well known artists has revealed a vibrant subculture with roots in hip-hop and an art form reflecting a changing city.
Bryce Davies first entered the graffiti world in Cardiff aged around 15, tagging walls and sometimes getting into hairy situations.
Now, around 20 years on, his work has taken the dad of two around the world and some of his pieces are among the best known in Cardiff.
Bryce, 35, said: “I got into it by tagging walls, with my name. The classic 15-year-old sort of activity.
“There were two of us who got into it together. I was introduced to it quite young, maybe when I was 12 or 13 through an older step brother.
“But when I got to about 15, I got more into it, doing all of the research – which wasn’t internet-based back then.
“It was just whatever magazines you could get hold of. It was a harder time to find inspiration then.”
Decades since Bryce first started out, he now works from his Boiler House studio tucked away in the city near a soon-to-be-finished suburban housing estate.
Nestled between industrial units with the hum of the nearby train line and traffic rumbling in the background, the space on Papermill Road is home to several of Bryce’s large scale pieces. Despite the success, Bryce said he never envisioned he would make a living from his work. He said: “I never thought it’d be a career like this. In the early days I was working part-time and I didn’t go to university. “There was certainly a period of uncertainty but I have been just following my nose. “It’s just been a natural progression really. Nothing has been forced. “The name I’ve gone under as a company or concept has been Peaceful Progress and that itself explains a bit about my approach. It’s not about becoming an artist to make money, you’re painting for the right reasons.”
Bryce was heavily involved in the hip-hop scene in Cardiff, which provided inspiration for his graffiti work.
He said: “So it’s not the same for everyone, this is my background, but hip hop consists of four elemets. Graffiti, B-boying (break dancing), DJ-ing and MC-ing
“And I think it was that hip hop culture which drew me into it. I was in that world, dancing and being inspired by it all.
“A lot of people don’t really realise the depths of hip-hop culture. They maybe just hear what’s on the radio or whatever.
“It’s a hugely creative urban art form and culture.”
He added: “I think graffiti, and hip hop culture, helped take my personal drive and gave it some direction.
“I was interested in using spray cans because of the scale of pieces and the timescale, which is quite good when you’ve got maybe a short attention span like me.” Bryce, who is now a full-time artist, was involved in setting up one of the first legal walls in Cardiff at Hailey Park in Llandaff