Street art scene blossoms in Hong Kong
Print Edition
FROM murals made famous by Instagram to painting battles, Hong Kong’s once largely underground street art scene has exploded in recent years, and is now blossoming across the city’s walls and alleyways.
The commercial high end of the art world is at the fore this month, with collectors and celebrities descending on the city for the annual Art Basel fair.
But English mural artist Dan Kitchener, drawn to the city’s unique geography and energy, made his third visit to Hong Kong this month to depict atmospheric urban scenes with spray paint in its narrow and steep streets.
“Hong Kong’s got that feel to me — the epic scale and the skyscrapers, and then it’s got these little tiny alleyways,” Kitchener said as he painted on the outside wall of a city bar.
Trained for many years in watercolor and acrylic painting, 43-year-old Kitchener is particularly fond of portraying neon lights, reflections and rain.
He had just finished a detailed mural of a street market in the bustling Wan Chai district. Just opposite the bar is a mural by graffiti artist Alex Croft said to be the city’s most photographed wall, featuring rows of old townhouses on a bright blue background.
Hong Kong lacks a world-class art museum and marquee exhibitions rarely make a stop in the southern Chinese city, where it can be difficult to secure permission for public shows.
But street art has enjoyed a boost from growing demand in Asia and an increasing number of exhibitions in recent years, giving the art form a higher profile and more commercial spin in the city.
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