However, as Bansky was readying his heady show, clearing out the museum to replace its work with his own masterpieces, the city was invaded by an international clique of grafitti artists as the urban paint festival Upfest got underway.

The event, operating this year as part of Bristol Design Festival, saw Bristol’s walkways, garages and barges taken over by street artists show-casing their work. Here is just a small highlight of the art on display.

Faunagraphic
21 year old Faunagraphic is a true ambassador for the British graffiti art movement. Her artwork has not only grazed the walls of abandoned apartments and disused factories but has also appeared on skateboards, snowboards, highly collectable canvases, posters, clothing and exhibition stands. Her collections boast a mixture of nature, fantasy, surrealism and caricatures using animals, nature and female characters influenced by her childhood and growing up in west yorkshire.

Tinkicker
15 year old Tinkicker comes from Ireland. For the last two years he has been stenciling and freestyling in South East Ireland. He has also painted at the Cans Festival and also at POW open day.

K74
K74 is an emerging street artist and stencil cutter out of Los Angeles. He is most known for his headless chickens all across the city. K74 is a self-taught artist whose work is sometimes political, sometime funny but always witty. In the past year K74 has exploded into the urban art scene and is exhibiting his works in several shows and galleries across the globe.

Optiknerve
Optiknerve's work is a mixture of sorrowful and depressing imagery. He tries to produce work that is both simple in appearance and appealing to the masses.

Dan Kitchener
Dan Kitchener is a UK artist who has been working in London and the South East of England for over ten years. He is part of a group show currently in Philadelphia, and attracts collectors from as far afield as New York, Japan, Australia, and Europe.  He recently produced a limited edition album poster for The Prodigy, which is on sale at their Invaders Must Die 2009 Tour, and he has many exciting projects lined up for the coming months.

Pahnl
Pahnl has been stenciling since 2003 and actively putting work up on the street since 2006. He takes huge influence from comics and street signage but adds his own subversive twist. He aims to make his work interact with it's environment. In the end though, all he wants to do is make people smile.

Eyesaw
Addicted to paint fumes from a early age, Eyesaw is a self confessed aerosol junkie. His addiction has lead him on a never ending mission across the globe in search of his next fix... Eyesaw has exhibited all over the country, including shows in London, Bristol, Southampton and Essex.

Irony
Embracing traditional letter graffiti concepts as well as stencil art Ironys work is a mish-mash of visual ideas boiled down into something small enough to carry on the night bus without looking suspicious. Most notable are his beautiful paintings of woman and angels in gothic dresses and television creatures which while very pretty, have a strong anti-authoritarian air about them.