Prolific UK graffiti artist Helch dies

Artist rose to prominence in 2018 by painting his eponymous tag in public spots across southern England

The street artist Helch, known for murals and tags across England , has died, his gallery has said.

He rose to prominence in 2018 by painting his eponymous tag in capital letters across a string of public spots in London as well as bridges on the M4, M1 and M25.

The tag was sometimes painted in stylised fonts or different colours, and occasionally appeared just as the simple letter “H”.

In 2019, Helch appeared on a bridge over M4 to the north of Bristol. In July that year, the words ‘Boris is …’ were painted on one side of the bridge, visible to westbound traffic. They remained for a few weeks before being painted over by Network Rail. But then the words “Boris is Helch” appeared in the same place.

Posting on Sunday on Instagram, BSMT Space, a gallery for street artists in east London , said: “Receiving news today of the untimely passing of Helch has left us broken hearted.

“It felt like he stepped into our lives out of the ether.

“Prompted by a moment of revelation standing outside of the American Carwash in Shoreditch – a triumph of roller graffiti and an east London landmark – I was so drawn to the enigma and mystery of the word I had to find out more.

“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. Rest well H – your rollers have spoken their truth.”

The street artist’s identity has never been officially revealed, although one media organisation claimed to name him at the end of last year.