Art in Bristol moves beyond museum walls

I was standing in front of Jesus. And he appeared to be break-dancing. Not only that, he was 28 feet tall. “This piece was inspired by the break dancers who performed for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 2004,” said Rob Dean, a street art expert and guide in Bristol, England. Jesus saluted me — upside down — his flexed feet reaching toward heaven, a shroud of gold glitter shimmering around his body. I was astonished. This was graffiti? It turned out the answer was no. According to Dean, break-dancing Jesus is considered “street art,” a term used to distinguish imaginative urban art from gang-related vandalism. The term “graffiti” refers to the bubble-style borders that surround a “tag,”...