HKwalls 2017: Wrap Up
Hong Kong may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of street art. But if HKwalls has their way, that is all set to change.
Since its inception in 2014, the Hong Kong-based non-profit arts organisation has been an instrumental voice in the city’s growing urban art scene. Each year in March, Hong Kong’s art month, HKwalls holds a festival bringing local and international artists together to show off their work and develop urban art within the bustling city of seven million.
This year’s festival, which was proudly supported by fluoro, came to a close after providing a platform for freedom of expression within a country that often sees art – especially that ventures into the political realm – censored or monitored. But deep in Hong Kong’s bohemian Wong Chuk Hang district this year, artists and aesthetes alike gathered to celebrate thought-provoking contemporary urban art.
The nine-day event brought local and international artists together to bring the Hong Kong district of Wong Shuk Hang to life. Artists like Mauy Cola, a Thai graffitist known for his wildlife-inspired murals, rubbed shoulders with practitioners like Messy Desk, an up-and-coming Hong Kongese illustrator and comic artist with a frenetic, scatter-brained approach to cartoons. And ANYWAY, a trio of artists and designers from France, were right alongside them, bringing their brand of intricate murals to the festival.
Much of the art shown at HKwalls this year had an otherworldly aesthetic. In a towering mural from Spanish street artist Spok, a crimson and indigo dragon intertwined with a hand that appeared to reach skywards in desperation. An abstract mural by Philippine artist Kris Abrigo contained a dizzying mix of mostly black, blue and sand-coloured geometric shapes. His mural was in Wong Chuk Hang, on the Ovolo Southside hotel wall, which was the festival hub.
In the run-up to HKwalls, New York artist Swoon converted a Hong Kong tram into a mobile mural that has made its way around the city for nearly two months. For the piece, Swoon brought her signature style of urban portraiture to HKwalls, painting and pasting renditions of Hong Kong citizens directly onto the white tram.
For Jeremy Tow, a French product designer turned calligrapher, HKwalls was a unique opportunity to mix his ‘conventional’ art form with more subversive genres. Though calligraphy and street art may be an unlikely union, Tow says the mix was welcomed at HKwalls, which he christened “a staple event in the urban art calendar”.
“I also noticed on social media that the calligraphy community, who tends to be quite strict with tradition, is becoming much more open to street artists trying their hands-on calligraphy,” said Tow, who conducted an urban lettering workshop on Saturday. “There used to be a barrier between the two that is slowly disappearing and it’s a great thing.”
Renowned UK art duo SNIK also made an appearance at HKwalls. The pair, who have more than a decade’s experience in street art, craft stencils exploring the subtle intricacies of everyday life: tangled strands of hair, for example, or the minute textures of fabrics.
“We have always had an emphasis on frozen motion,” said Laura, one-half of SNIK. “We are hoping to capture this on the streets of Hong Kong. We have recently started following the work of Marilyn Mugot who captures Hong Kong’s charm and alluring personality. This has given us great inspiration to fit our balance of creation with the city’s hustle and bustle. Our work is often painted from darkness and we would love to leave it emerging from Hong Kong’s shadows.”
A festival mural painted by SNIK on the corner of Wong Chuk Hang’s E Tat Industrial Building featured an ethereal portrait of a ghost-like woman, seemingly lost in some indiscernible ecstasy. The portrait is a stark, sensual contrast to the building’s brutalist architecture.
SNIK’s Laura added that, for her and her partner Nik, losing themselves in the city’s grip – be it the smog-filled wonderland of Hong Kong or the clamour of some other distant metropolis – is a key part of the creative process.
“Personally, I feel that the ability to ‘let go’ when you paint bigger is a big learning curve,” she said. “To roll with the punches and grasp the city you are in. Nik will often speak to me about how is he enjoying slowing down and taking time. The excitement will often rush over him.”
As Hong Kong continues to creep into the global list of street art havens, HKwalls will likely be right there at the top with the 2018 edition set to bring even more urban artists come out to support the city’s burgeoning scene.
