Artist behind iconic motorway bridge graffiti dies

The artist behind the 'Boris is Helch' graffiti has passed away.

Helch shot to fame in 2018 when he targeted landmarks across the UK with his 'HELCH' tag in block capitals, including the blue bridge across the M4 in Bristol which, confusingly, was tagged 'Boris is Helch'.

The anonymous artist evoked the spirit of Banksy in Bristol, with the tag ranging from colourful and artistic, to plain lettering, to simply a large, decorated 'H'.

The London-based art gallery BMST Space confirmed the news, saying it had left them "broken-hearted".

"It felt like he stepped into our lives out of the ether," the account stated on Instagram.

"It took six months to get him to agree to meet in person, and in 2022 we released his first print which sold out within the hour. A stranger to the gallery world, Helch was a true creature of the night, it’s where he found his vocation and the gallery walls were not always what it was about for him. We often had to recalibrate what this meant as we worked together.

"Over the past year his work progressed exponentially, he was coming into his own as an artist. A true perfectionist - he wouldn’t present anything that wasn’t to his standard and it was an honour to witness.

"An urban landscape without an H in it seems unfathomable. A life unlike any other, he was compelled to leave his mark on this world. There will never be another like him."

In 2019, Bristolians were baffled when 'Helch' appeared on a bridge over M4 to the north of the city. In July, someone had painted the words 'Boris is...' on the eastern side of the bridge, visible to westbound traffic.

It didn't indicate which Boris the graffiti was referring to. The work remained up for several weeks, and caused something of a stir on social media before being painted over by Network Rail. Then the words 'Boris is Helch' appeared.

MyLondon investigated, and spoke to someone who claimed to know who ‘Helch’ was.

They claimed he was an old school graffiti tagger who had suddenly, in middle-age, gone back to his youth and begun painting the name ‘Helch’. MyLondon’s source said: "It was just a name that he picked. It's got no real significance, it's just his tag."

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• Banksy
• M4 motorway