Art / Upfest
‘There was so much support’ – Upfest artist on being affected by vandalism
Joining this year’s Upfest is Carla James, an artist whose work is on Exeter Road.
The tropical art, which Carla says represents her Trinidadian heritage, is of a hummingbird and heart-shaped helium balloons – giving the street a pop of colour.
“It felt amazing to contribute this year,” Carla told the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast.
is needed now More than ever
“It’s my first official Upfest so it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. It felt great being there with all the other artists and showcasing my work to everyone,”
“It’s really great to see other women. It’s inspiring to have other people to inspire you.”
Listen to Safiya Bashir talking to Carla James in the latest episode of the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
https://soundcloud.com/bristol247/bristol247-behind-the-headlines-podcast-episode-12
Over the evening of July 18, a dozen Upfest artworks were vandalised. Some tags said ‘kill Upfest’, while others wrote ‘black metal matters’, ‘black metal lives’ and ‘black metal mafia’.
Some of the black paint has already been cleaned off a few of the damaged murals, but others are feared to be beyond repair.
Carla’s artwork was one of the murals affected. “It’s such a shame that 12 pieces of work were affected. I tried not to take it personally but it is detrimental to what we’ve been trying to do.
“I was able to restore my work, however, it doesn’t look exactly like it did.”
“I’ve received so much support from the online community. When I was fixing it, so many people came up to show their support and how sad they were that the art had been affected. It was really nice to hear that from the people around me.”
Main photo: Carla James
Read more: Multiple murals vandalised in Bedminster
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