Jaunt
and Architectures
Article by Maggie Hiufu Wong
“Hong Kong actually has a lot of gray canvas to use,” says “Uncle,” one of the city’s most active graffiti
artists. His studio, Afterworkshop, is one of the few organizations in Hong Kong that’s dedicated to
educating the public, making street art a part of the city’s urban landscape.
“When an old district needs refurbishing, the government or the owner can hire street artists to paint the
walls instead of just a plain color, for instance,” he tells us. “It’ll give Hong Kong more characters and new
colorful attractions.”
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1. Yarn-bombing
Hong Kong had embraced the
concept of street art. Wong
Kin-ho, better known as Devil
Graffiti, and “yarn-bomber”
Esther Poon Suk-han, who knits
multi-coloured coverings for
hand-rails and benches, began
blitzing areas overnight, turning
gentrified sections of the city
into innovative community art.
Tong Lau was curved facades with
strong vertical and horizontal detail.
By Michael Wolf
2. Man Fung Building 3D Fox
Known for creating colorful and
geometric works around the
world, Spanish artist Okuda
San Miguel painted a larger-
than-life mural over the façade
of a residential building in
Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po
neighborhood.
The 3D fox mural, more than
seven stories high, was
commissioned during the 2016
HKwalls festival.
3. Hollywood Road
Hollywood Road, an area known
for hosting Hong Kong’s hippest
bars and galleries, is also street
art heaven.
The most popular “Instagram
wall” at the moment is a mural
of old shop houses on narrow
Graham Street (outside local
creative brand G.O.D.’s store on
Hollywood Road).
Created by Hong Kong-based
artist Alex Croft, the colorful
work lures flocks of tourists and
locals, who attempt to steal a
shot with the mural amid the
never-ending foot traffic.
4. The Plumber King’s graffiti
“Everyone has heard of Kowloon
King, but there is another hidden
graffiti artist in Hong Kong that
people should know about -- the
Plumber King,” says Uncle.
Plumber King, a plumber in
his 70s, has become an urban
legend for “wall-tagging” his
advertisement around Hong
Kong -- sometimes in the most
random places, from a lamppost
to a gutter.
5. The Bruce Lee statue
The Bruce Lee statue is in Hong
Kong is a memorial figure of
deceased martial artist, Bruce
Lee. The Hong Kong memorial
was built on behalf of Bruce Lee,
who died on 20 July 1973 at the
age of 32. He was one of the
most famous Hong Kong actor
in the world.
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