Cheba biography - Written by Mark Wilding
Fast emerging as one of the most distinctive and exciting artists to be borne of the Bristol street art scene, Cheba is one of the true pioneers of the genre. Having perfected his own unique visual style over a number of years, his highly distinctive pieces have become instantly recognisable both throughout Bristol and beyond.
Cheba has been drawing for as long as he’s been able to pick up a crayon. Since those early days, rarely a moment has gone by when he’s not been hard at work perfecting his creations, working in a range of different mediums, constantly driven by a desire to see his work in the public eye. Soon enough his work began to appear in spots across Bristol and his distinctive characters have come to be recognised as some of the best street art that Bristol’s scene has to offer.
Before long, and at the age of just 19, Cheba had begun to gain recognition further afield. His work has now been included in books such as Graffiti World, The Art of Rebellion and Wooster Collective - Hollywood Remix Book, all of which received worldwide distribution. In addition to this, his work has been featured in widely respected publications such as New York based Vapourz and Peel ‘Zine. Cheba has also taken part in a number of multimedia projects including Access Via Ekosystem.org which went on to be screened in independent cinemas all over Europe.
In 2002, Cheba took the step of putting on his first solo exhibition. Held at local record shop Eat the Beat, the event was hugely successful, with all canvases selling out almost immediately. Following this initial achievement Cheba has gone on to showcase his work at numerous exhibitions all over the world including ‘Crimes of Passion’ show at the Royal west Academy of Arts, both solo and jointly with other names from the world of street art. Artists he has shared space with include illustrious figures such as Inkie, Sickboy, Goldie, Nick Walker & Banksy.
As word of his talents spread, offers of work began to flood in. In 2003, clothing label Road produced a line of T-shirts designed by Cheba to be sold in over 200 shops across Europe. More recently Cheba has produced designs for lines by Headstrong and My Yard clothing. In 2005, Cheba was invited to design a poster for Don’t Panic with the theme 'Heroes'. 80,000 copies were distributed throughout the UK alone, with further distribution in major cities across the world including Sydney, Barcelona and Ibiza. Following highly positive responses to the poster, Cheba has been invited back to create a further design this summer.
On a local level Cheba has continued to maintain a healthy presence, in part fuelled by numerous requests from local venues wanting something different for their interiors. Some of those to receive the Cheba treatment have included underground nightclub Timbuk2, The Bunker & even Borders. Cheba frequently utilises his skills in graphic design to produce flyers for some of the biggest clubs in Bristol. Thekla Social liked his work so much that they invited him to refresh their entire branding.
Cheba has contributed to the local nightlife scene in more ways than the above. Weapon of Choice launched in January 2008, marking Cheba’s own foray into the world of club promotion. Showcasing live graffiti, the night immediately received widespread acclaim. Every month, two street artists are invited to produce a live collaborative piece to the sounds of major hip-hop and dubstep acts. After just four appearances, Weapon of Choice had already been featured in publications as diverse as The Guardian, The Big Issue and Venue. The pieces produced are due to be auctioned for charity in the near future. Now evolved into the Weapon of Choice Gallery in which Cheba manages to book solo shows from some of the UK’s most influential artist’s.
Not content with getting his own work out there, Cheba has recently been involved in the launch of Banksy's Bristol, a celebration of the Bristol street art scene following the recent explosion of interest in Banksy. As well as working as Art Director on the book, Cheba shared a line-up of artists painting at the launch party, held at Cargo in London and The Apple in Bristol.
Cheba is continuing to look for new opportunities to showcase his work as well as others to help the ever growing street art & Hip Hop scene grow. Watch out for big things in 2010…
*The opinions on this website may not be the opinion of Cheba or Weapon of Choice Gallery. For more info on the Gallery go to: http://www.weaponofchoicegallery.co.uk/