I first noticed the Quebek’s Manchester Bees back in late 2015, when I used to cycle by the Bottletops piece pictured above on a daily basis. It was one of the first of many which have appeared on walls across Manchester since then, primarily around the city centre.
As the manager of Mural Life, Quebek wanted to “give Mancunians something interesting to look at on their daily commute”, selecting the bee as it was “such a cool thing to paint. The textures and layers are great to get looking good with a spray can”. While there had been prior illustrations of bees on the city’s streets, none have been as detailed as his, with each bee meticulously depicted.
For Quebek, the bee symbolises “community, strength, togetherness, hard work and love. All the things Manchester people seem to possess in abundance”. This is especially so in the aftermath of the Manchester bombing. Quebek was one of the contributors to the Outhouse MCR Manchester Bee Celebration, followed shortly by creating the large-scale remembrance mural on 84-86 Oldham St, sponsored by the Manchester Evening News. Latterly, he also created a mural in Salford for Bee Strong MCR.
Collected along with this article are just a few of his pieces that I’ve found and photographed since 2014. Most can still be found on display, and can be located using the Manchester Bee Map. You can also find more information on Quebek’s work on his twitter and facebook.