So it happened!
First off, a big thanks to the amazing artists who came through to bless this wall.
Pekoe, T-Bone, Bunny Bread and Zuke all deserve a massive hail up for bearing the cold to bring us purple and lilac visions of Blackness for the B-Side and High Vis festivals.
Zuki/Zuke/Zookie was fresh from his massive mural in Birmingham City’s South Side area but was still raring to go with this ode to the phenomenon of Dready. The Robert Sidlauskas created character was once upon a time emblazoned on everything from T-Shirts to record bags and hats in and around the Jungle, Drum & Bass, Reggae and Hip Hop scenes of the 90s and early 2000s. Sidlauskas devised Dready as a way to deal with life in Thatcher’s Britain and it was in Birmingham that the Rastafarian and his character could fully expand on their Livity. With a recent re-packaging of Dready clothing and merch it’s only right that Robert is hailed up by another Brum legend on this Hurst Street wall.
“Dready always helped the people”
Rest In Power Robert Sidlauskas / Dready (1964-2012)
Zuke insta @Zookitwc
Next up we have Sneak Pekoe and her Breonna Taylor inspired piece.
In her own words “The theme was “Heroes” and for me that’s the BLM movement. I will not, cannot in fact, keep quiet, or let this be something I get tired of, and fuck, am I tired. But fighting is something I was born to do so with my words and my paint cans I will SAY THEIR NAMES over and over again in myriad ways. It’s a movement, not a moment. No justice, no peace, fuck that jury AND the police.” #BREONNATAYLOR
Watching passers by interact with her work was an energetic thing. The amount of women who came up and took pics or felt compelled to show love to Pekoe was also duly noted. This included Black women who said they never see themselves in Graffiti art and were happy to finally see themselves represented. Pekoe has painted for us a few times now and it’s heartwarming really seeing her come into her own.
Pekoe insta @SneakPekoe
Our next artist, T-Bone, is really on a roll right now. Having recently filled a few billboards with work related to the Mathare Futurism project in Kenya, it’s good to have T back on board with this T’Challa / Chadwick Boseman piece. Chadwick didn’t just play a hero on screen but often did the right thing under hardship in his real life too, and that is worth saluting.
T-Bone, who is also known as Quartz, was the person who did the first AF piece that is still the header for our FB group, so it’s always great to have this brother on board.
T-Bone / Quartz on insta @Quiddortz
‘She is The Universe‘ is the title Bunny gave this one here and it’s a perfect fit.
Bunny Bread has been in and around Hip Hop, Graffiti, comics and the arts since the 80s and told us that he was not only just getting back into Graffiti art but was also new to Loop paints. Considering these things he more than smashed it with this cosmic Black feminine entity. True skills never fade.
Not only is he one of the JazzRe Freshed massive but, Bunny is the lead at I Create Not Destroy, which works on design, promo videos, art work and more from a cultural viewpoint. Check em out here Create Not destroy
Bunny’s insta @icreatenotdestroy
Art – She is indeed the Universe. Thank U
