Hong Kong has come a long way, and it is still striving hard to educate the community about the idea of public art. As we have seen public art pieces being taken down, we can’t help but to ponder why we aren’t able to host public art events like other places in the world. Yet, this is why it is particularly encouraging to see that there are still Hong Kong people promoting the positivism of public art in the city.
Returning this March, HKwalls will be filling the industrial district of Wong Chuk Hang from March 18th to the 26th with a 9-day long fiesta. Engaging with the public audience with a line up of live mural painting, print exhibitions and more, the team is still looking for any Hong Kong-based talents who are interested to be involved in this festival, so don’t hesitate to click on the link above.
Working with Vans, eicó paints, MTN, Eggshell Stickers, and neighbourhood establishments including Ovolo Southside and Young Master Ales this year, this 2014-founded festival is happy to see that they have been able to “provide a platform that showcases best in class local and international artists… (offering) a great opportunity to support local commitments to Hong Kong’s creative community”, as told by Mathew Morgan, Marketing Director of Vans APAC. On top of that, Kristopher Ho, a local artist who participated in the festival in 2016 also said that “the best thing about HKwalls is that it’s not exclusive to street and graffiti artists, but an opportunity to explore this form of art with people from other related fields. The immense energy of the event really provides a glimpse of the future of street art in Hong Kong and around the world.”
HKwalls 2017 has recently been kicked off by their special guest, Swoon, an illustrative and portraiture artist from New York. She is invited over to paint on top of a tram cart which is made possible in collaboration with Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation (HOCA) and HKtramways. The tram features the artist’s signature drawings of urban context people from all around the world, so that “the moving artwork reflects everyday life of the city and the people that live, create and define it”.
Art Tram by Swoon – A moving art piece by Swoon
9th February to 30th March, 2017
Tram Number 170 on Hong Kong Island