We’ve been spending a bit of time recently in Brighton. That creative city by the sea it’s only a short train ride from London. It’s a place where the energy hits you as soon as you get off at the station. It’s also a place full of street art and street artists.
In particular we’ve been working with Enter Gallery which is based on Bond Street. With them we’ve been putting together a series of podcasts called ‘Art Related Noise‘ which is all about trying to capture what’s happening on the art scene today.
Our most recent trip took us to visit REQ, a Brighton based street artist. We first actually met him and interviewed him for the blog back in 2013 when he held a show in London. Starting on the graffiti scene in 1984, he was there at the beginning of the movement which we now know as street art.
REQ is an artist who you can’t fail to spot when visiting Brighton. Along with a number of other core Brighton based street artists they form the nucleus of the growing street art scene in the city. For us, the city certainly sits alongside London and Bristol as one of the top three street art destination cities in the UK.
Now REQ is joining forces with Enter Gallery to put on a street art tour. Something that he has run in the city for a while now. This latest version will start at the gallery and then take in some of the key spots in the city. You can find out more about that here.
So anyway we’ll probably talk more about our interview with REQ in a later post. But first we just wanted to focus on some of those artists helping to make the Brighton scene what it is today.
Brighton Graffiti and Street Artists to Watch Out For
Cosmo Sarson – instagram
A relative newcomer to Brighton he made a splash with his first mural, the Angel of Brighton. Featuring a woman leaping up to the sky against a backdrop of shimmering gold it became a must see on the Brighton street art route before getting developed over. Now you can see Cosmo’s work over on the pier. His relaxing seagulls are shown hanging out on deckchairs and you can see this piece from the beach looking over. You can also read our interview with him from 2018 here.
Eelus
Known for his graphic look Eelus has his roots in the early 2000’s street art scene in London. Inspired by stencil art his graphic look was born out of his and has developed into a unique blend of styles. More often now releasing print work he is still known for his large scale murals. His ‘Alice in Wonderland’ piece on Harrington Lane in Brighton is one of the best the city has to offer. You can read an interview with Eelus from 2020 here.
Fek
Known for his graffiti writing where he paints ‘FEK’ the artist is also known for his ‘grumpy monkey’ which can be seen dotted around. His instagram is here.
Glimmertwin
Look out for his birds, animals and comic book inspired murals. We don’t know a great deal about Glimmertwin other than what’s on his instagram but keep your eyes peeled and you’ll soon recognise his work.
Isor
Graffiti writer writing ‘ISOR’ his work can be seen hidden around the back streets of the city. He will often paint with fellow Brighton based writer Vodker and his instagram is here.
Madderdoit
Stencil artist who uses a combination of stencil and freehand to make his works. When on the street he’ll try to incorporate the image into the environment around. Look out for his silhouetted figures inside dooways and hidden away on walls. Have a look at Madderdoit’s insta for more.
Mazcan
Known for her images of female faces. Mazcan will take images from magazines she feels a connection to and recreates them on the wall. Her street art can often be seen around the lanes and her instagram is here.
Minty
Building ever more of a name for himself with his pop art inspired paste ups. They draw much from the work of Roy Liechtenstein and really add a vibrant bit of a visual ‘pop’ to the streets. To see more of Minty’s work check out his insta.
Req
On the scene since 1984, he is one of the pioneers of the graffiti art scene although now his style has changed to what he calls spray paint realism. His work centres around the painting of a muse who he calls ‘Smudge’. You can read our interview with him from 2013 here and check out his insta here.
Sinna One
Sinna One is known for his recognizable robot. A regular on the scene he will regularly collaborate with others and is a prolific street painter. We’ve bumped into him a few times now on Trafalgar Lane, one of the top spots for seeing street art in the city. Sinna was responsible for the famous ‘For the Love of Dogs’ mural which sadly can no longer be seen.
Sprite
Known for her fun characters, Sprite is an artist whose work brings a smile. Rabbits and cats seem to be particular favourites but she seems to be inspired by the animal kingdom in general. Her work will often also include positive affirmations and messages. A sign perhaps for anyone walking past that might need to see that. Her website is here and insta is here.
SNUB
Known for his giant robots, Snub is one of the most identifiable and prolific street artists on the Brighton scene. His robot character is inspired by Mongrol from the ABC Warriors cartoon strip which appeared in 2000AD. You can read our interview with him from 2015 here and check out his instagram here.
Vodker
One of the most noticeable graffiti writers on the Brighton scene today. Vodker is known for his flowing style and will often be one of the first to break in new walls in the city. There’s a pretty good interview with him here if you wanted to know more about his work.
Props to req! The rest of article literally makes me nautious. You and others alike are responsible for ruining the “street art’ scene in Brighton! It’s not about tourism..