Who is HKWALLS, the City's Leading Street Art Collective

Picture this: you are meandering through a quiet street in Sheung Wan, Mong Kok, or Sai Kung and take a glimpse of a flashy mural or graffiti. It is bright, bold, and stars a distinct Hong Kong message ingrained in the design. Chances are HKWALLS, the city’s leading street arts organization is behind this street creation, working with local artists to bring life to the city streets.

The non-profit arts collective enters its eighth year in operation in the city with an objective on creating opportunities for local and international artists in the city streets to explore the realm of street art, graffiti, and muralism. HKWALLS have previously worked with local art legends TAKA, Cathy Love, BOMS, Bo Law, Luna Wong, XEME, and Gwen Coco.

As a group collective, HKWALLS work with local artists to facilitate relationships and actively pursue projects to paint the city. During Hong Kong’s art month held annually in May, HKWALLS holds a recurring street art festival introducing new themes, artists, and fresh walls for rising and current stars of the mural space to decorate the city.

This year, the group hosted the 2022 HKWALLS Youth Mentorship Programme, where five young mentees in Hong Kong were tasked to create murals in Central.

The Beat Asia sat down with co-founder of HKWALLS, Stan, to understand the group’s history, aims, and passion for street art.

What is street art?

Art that is created in the public in various forms, such as murals, stickers, wheat paste, posters, stickers, et cetera.

Why was HKWALLS created and what mission does it serve Hong Kong and internationally?

HKWALLS is an organisation aiming to create opportunities for local and international artists to showcase their talent in Hong Kong and internationally through the mediums of street art and street culture.

We want to celebrate creativity, originality, and freedom of expression; actively work on connecting and building relationships with artists, the community, and organisations worldwide through high-quality public art, while making the creative process accessible to all.

How did HKWALLS begin?

We felt like HK is a big city and deserves its own street art and mural festival.

What role does HKWALLS have in aiding the growth of the city’s street culture?

I think the more we offer to people in HK, the more they'll see and understand or perhaps get [involved] in it.

How do graffiti and street artists and muralists get involved with HKWALLS?

We do open calls every year and people could submit via email or our social platforms.

What are some of the most exciting projects HKWALLS have worked on in the past (and future)?

The festival that we work on. There are new elements, challenges, [artworks] every year. And obviously we are stoked and excited to work on the upcoming ones, but looking back at the previous ones too, there is always something new we face.

What does street art mean for Hong Kong?

I will leave "Hong Kong" to answer you this question!

What is the future for HKWALLS and the graffiti scene in the city?

We certainly hope it'll flourish, whether our events or the general scene. That's where our heart comes from, the more people are educated in this subject and possibly [become involved] in it, the more chance [that] interesting things will happen.