It’s been some time since Pictures On Walls has organised an art exhibition. The previous one was in December 2013 with the Shok-1 solo show, X-Rainbow. Last year, POW gave up its premises on Commercial Street in East London. With a permanent show space no longer retained, the number of print releases in 2014 restricted to a small handful (by Paul Insect, Maya Hayuk and Invader), and plenty of competitors arriving on the street art scene eager to fill the void, many wondered what the […]
One of that artists this year for POW! WOW! Hawaii (more coverage here) that painted in a location off the beaten path was the MSK-affiliated Sever. The graffiti writer who made his name in Atlanta and has been known in the past to use his skills in a satirical way (see Street Art Is Dead mural) once again came up with some clever imagery for this wall in Kaka’ako. Take a look some more detailed photos below… Discuss Sever here.
Mixing their two different but very compatible styles, Case Maclaim from Germany and Smithe from Mexico created one of the most interesting pieces on this year’s POW! WOW! Hawaii (more coverage here). The imagery they chose was a commentary about the preservation of coral life and the effect of human activity on its future. Smithe painted a detailed illustrative part showing a human head with coral for brains, surrounded with different organic & surrealistic elements and creatures. Case wrapped this image with a series of his recognizable […]
Another interesting collaboration created on this year’s POW! WOW! Hawaii (more coverage here) was the one by Nosego and Angry Woebots. These two artists joined their recognizable visual languages together in a colorful visual explosion created at the festival’s headquarters at Lana Lane. Due to its busy location, this piece took a while to be finished, and the dedication that both artists had to finish it on time is something to admire. Worked on until late in the night, even in the rain, the final image is an […]
It looks like the Norway-based company Snøhetta recently designed and oversaw the renovation of an expansive new studio for Jose Parla. The former Brooklyn warehouse was divided into two sections – “the arena” and “the nest.” The first is a double-height workspace for the NY-based artist’s increasingly large projects (see Barclays Center & One World Trade Center), while the other is an elevated lounge space that overlooks the other. Photo credit: Jeff Goldberg / ESTO (via Dezeen). Discuss Jose Parla here.
Legendary graffiti and street artist Fafi, attended this year’s POW! WOW! Hawaii (more coverage here) for the first time. Known for her playful & sexy female characters and colorful work she’s been creating for decades, she was inspired with Hawaii to create a more conceptual, installation style piece. She first painted two of her characters on a wooden panel, before cutting them out. Than she installed them on a fence nearby festival base Lana Lane and decorated them with numerous colorful flowers. This mix of her flat, illustrative imagery and plastic […]
Working on a slightly smaller section of the same wall as Doze Green (more on this later), Akut from Herakut, finished his large piece for POW! WOW! Hawaii (more coverage here) after 3-4 long days of work. Usually working as a part of duo, German-based artist had to find a way to paint this large piece by himself. This situation also inspired him to create an image of a wrestling toy man, feeding a small baby through a bottle completed with the text “my real challenges were outside of the […]
One of the most popular pieces painted for this year’s POW! WOW! Hawaii (more coverage here) came from Maya Hayuk, who recently completed her mural in the Kaka’ako district. Working with her assistant for four solid days, the New York-based artist applied layers upon layers of thick colorful paint, creating another signature piece that quickly became one of the favorites among visitors. Due to her incredible energy and positive attitude, her wall was one of the more interesting ones to visit during its making. With tunes pumping from morning till late […]
ROA debuted at POW! WOW! Hawaii 2015 (more coverage here) with a double piece painted just outside of Lana Lane studios. Familiar with using architectural elements and obstacles wisely in his work, he made a great use of the corner wall he was painting on. The creatures of choice for this mural was the nautilus and hermit crab, both native species of the Hawaiian islands. The Belgiun artist said he had a wish to paint a nautilus for a very long time, but until now he was never painting in […]
Working in the same location as last year (covered), Tristan Eaton created a new mural for POW! WOW! Hawaii (more coverage here) that somehow seemed to one up the previous one. Painting with his brother Matt Eaton, the Los Angeles-based artist conjured up a striking image of a samurai astride a horse, put together with his signature patchwork technique. More photos below… Photo credit: @arrestedmotion_sal & @arrestedmotion_sleepboy. Discuss POW! WOW! Hawaii here. Discuss Tristan Eaton here.
More stories from the week that ended Feb 15 (click on bolded words for more information): Jamian Juliano-Villani’s solo exhibition at Museum Of Contemporary Art Detroit now on view. RIP: Rex Ray, who died at the age of 59 after a long illness. RIP: Tomie Ohtake who died at the age of 101 due to cardiac arrest brought on by pneumonia. Alfred Momaday prints, thought to be stolen, found in New Mexico meth lab. Rudolf Staechelin Family Trust remove 18 loaned masterpieces from Kunstmuseum Basel. […]
Another piece that was among the first ones to be finished and signed at this year’s POW! WOW! Hawaii (more coverage here) is a new large mural by D*Face. Continuing his series of Roy Lichtenstein inspired works, the British artist created a mural showing a female character crying over the fact that her boyfriend can’t surf. Fully themed around Hawaii’s most famous past time, the image includes several details that reference the island paradise – a flower in girl’s hair that has D*Face’s signature wing symbol, waves, and a snapped […]
