Wall of Fame: The rise of graffiti art in the UK

 
Since exploding out of the States in the 1970s, the street art movement has sparked a revolution, unleashing art from the hushed confines of galleries and taking it to the people. 

The UK has major hotspots in Bristol and Brighton, Shoreditch in east London, Digbeth in Birmingham and flourishing scenes in other cities all over the nation. Graffiti and street art have even given a boost to tourism: the roaring success of Upfest and the See No Evil projects in Bristol, and the media’s love affair with Banksy, are proof of that. 

Yet many councils have been slow to change the way they think about graffiti, which means many of the best art remains hidden from public view, seen only by a privileged few under the bridges and abandoned buildings we usually ignore.

Lee Bofkin, co-founder of globalstreetart.com, travels the world capturing the best graffiti on his camera. See our gallery for his highlights from Britain’s urban art sprawl.

For more great graffiti and street art check out Global Street Art