Kakaako is due for its annual influx of colorful art of the cutting-edge, mind-blowing and abstract variety with the return of POW! WOW! Hawaii.
The 10-day celebration of artistic expression will once again include a variety of gallery shows, panel discussions, art and music workshops, concerts and parties. Meanwhile, more than 100 artists will set out to paint over, inspire and breathe new life into the city’s local landscape.
The sixth Annual POW! WOW! Hawaii features artists from Hawaii and the mainland as well as Brazil, Spain, the U.K. and Japan.
Local artists set to take part in Honolulu’s ultimate street-art project include Melody Sakura, Matthew Tapia, Kai Kaulukukui and Emma Dold, as well as creators who work under an alias: Slick, Devour, Mung Monster, Beak, Aloha Family and Prime.
The planning is a yearlong process that involves confirming locations (often soliciting business owners door to door) and forming a balanced roster of artists and musicians from here and abroad.
POW! WOW! founder and lead director Jasper Wong said he receives queries about participating nearly every day — and responds to every inquiry.
“We try to bring in new blood and support as many local and emerging artists as possible,” he explained. The walls are allocated roughly evenly between local and visiting artists.
The festival received financial and promotional support from the Hawaii Tourism Authority this year, along with sponsorship from Hawaiian Airlines and Modern Honolulu. But most of the festival’s funding comes from outside contributions, Wong said.
“The majority of our projects are community-based and have no avenues of income,” he notes. “We would never charge people to see murals. It’s for the people and the community at the end of the day. Art is for everyone.”
Added to this year’s attractions will be a multigenre outdoor music concert, “Stranded in Paradise.” The concert, to take place in the Makers & Tasters lot (former parking lot for Fisherman’s Wharf) on the final day, Feb. 13, features the Green, Eli Mac, Taimane, Likkle Mai, DJ Babu and Rakaa Iriscience of L.A. hip-hop group Dilated Peoples, and Roc Nation DJ Cipha Sounds.
Wong, a fixture of the local art scene and a former gallery owner himself, said the goal for the inaugural POW! WOW! Hawaii event in 2011 was to connect the global art world to the local community. Since then POW! WOW! has grown to include street-art festivals in Taiwan and Tokyo, with partnerships that featured POW! WOW! artists in Portland, Ore., in 2013 and Austin, Texas, last year.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
>> Opening Block Party and Nightmarket: The first Nightmarket of the year includes live installations from POW! POW! artists, food trucks and a fashion show at 8 p.m. at this all-ages event. Live music will be provided by students of the POW! WOW! School of Music. 6-11 p.m. Saturday, 449 Cooke St., Kakaako. Free
>> “Exploring the New Contemporary Art Movement” reception: Featuring work from 110 artists and a live art installation by Aaron Li Hill, curated by Andrew Hosner (Thinkspace Gallery, L.A.). 6-10 p.m. Sunday; exhibit runs Feb. 7-15, Honolulu Museum of Art School, 1111 Victoria St. Free
>> Mural paintings: Throughout Kakaako, Monday-Feb. 13. Free to watch for all ages; locations at powwowhawaii.com.
>> 1xRun Print Exhibition: The reception and exhibit will feature limited-edition prints from POW! WOW! artists, 6-10 p.m. Tuesday. Art available for viewing noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Feb. 13. Lana Lane Studios, 327 Lana Lane. 1xrun.com
>> Jeff Staple “1-2-1”: New York designer Jeff Ng aka Jeff Staple talks with visiting artist Allison “Hueman” Torneros (Thursday) and urban photographer Estevan Oriol (Feb. 12), 6-7 p.m.; a photo exhibit documenting Oriol’s travels in Hawaii follows, 7-10 p.m. Feb. 12. Kaka’ako Agora, 441 Cooke St. Free
>> POW! WOW! Takeover: Hosted by Dilated Peoples, with resident DJs Compose and Anit, 11 p.m.- 2 a.m. Feb. 12, Addiction nightclub, Modern Honolulu, 1755 Ala Moana Blvd. Cover: $10-$20, for ages 21+
>> “Stranded in Paradise”: Concert finale featuring The Green, Eli Mac, Likkle Mai, Taimane Gardener, DJ Babu and Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples, and Cipha Sounds. There will also be a break-dancing competition and 5 vs. 5 Secret Walls art battle, with food trucks on hand, 6-11 p.m. Feb. 13, Makers & Tasters, 1011 Ala Moana Blvd. Tickets: $25 (VIP sold out). powwowhawaii.com
>> “Stranded in Paradise After Party”: Featuring Cipha Sounds, presented by Monster Energy. Party to the beats and choice cuts from Roc Nation DJ Cipha Sounds, 11 p.m.-2 a.m. Feb. 13, Addiction nightclub, Modern Honolulu, 1775 Ala Moana Blvd., Cover: $10-$20, for ages 21+
He points back to the first POW! WOW! Hawaii mural, created on the wall of Fresh Cafe in Kakaako — a collaborative piece that involved six artists of local, mainland and international backgrounds. That first mural, which Wong described as having “no theme or direction,” displayed the POW! WOW! art movement’s goal of free-form unification.
In the sixth year of the globally recognized artfest, Wong’s day-one goals have remained intact.
“We try to unify areas through art,” he said. “Public art helps break down the barriers between art and the general public.”
The negative stigma attached to street art has largely softened, with street artists becoming heroes in popular culture: the subject of films and photo books, their works on T-shirts and sneakers. And 2015 was a landmark year for POW! WOW! — with new stops in Japan; Long Beach, Calif.; and Austin during the SXSW Festival.
Last year POW! WOW! artists created over 100 murals — 70 in Honolulu alone.
This year’s arsenal of essentials for the muralists, painters and artful expressionists will include 4,000 spray cans, paintbrushes galore, and rollers and lifts that can extend to over 40 feet in height.
Kakaako will be given more than 40 new murals when painting starts early Monday morning.
New York-based designer and typographer Kevin Lyons, one of the visiting artists, said he feeds off inspiration, and being engulfed in Hawaii’s unique surroundings brings out the best in him, as soon as he gets off the plane.
“When in Hawaii it is only natural to gravitate to brighter and more tropical colors, sipping on a fresh juice and standing in the warm sun,” said Lyons, whose illustrations of cute and toothy creatures have been featured by DC Shoes, Stussy, Nike and Coca-Cola. “You see color everywhere. It can’t help but creep into your palette.”
Lyons will also serve as emcee for the popular Secret Walls art battle as part of the POW! WOW! finale.
“I think POW! WOW! is right up there — if it is not the best, than it is easily one of the best” street-art festivals, he said. “Especially now as it has extended to other locations. You add in the fact of where it is, and it’s pretty hard to beat.”
Traditionalists and collectors who prefer to enjoy viewing works of art in a gallery or exhibit setting would also be well advised to check out the “Exploring the New Contemporary Art Movement” exhibit, back for a third year. Sunday’s opening reception, curated by Andrew Hosner of Thinkspace Gallery in Los Angeles, will feature original pieces from more than 110 internationally known artists.
The fourth annual 1xRun Print Exhibition, Tuesday evening, will exhibit limited-edition prints from 30-plus POW! WOW! artists, as well as featured releases from POW! WOW! alumni.
Participating artists Estevan Oriol, a celebrated Mexican-American photographer, and Allison “Hueman” Torneros, an Oakland graffiti artist, join art and fashion pioneer Jeff Ng aka Jeff Staple for talk-story, as part of Staple’s popular “1-2-1” interview series.
Oriol’s images of L.A. gang culture and celebrities like Al Pacino, Dennis Hopper, Eminem and a young Kim Kardashian are regarded as raw and timeless.
Torneros is best known for her colorful, vibrant, mash-up style.
“It’s an exciting time. The artists are taking in their surroundings and leaving behind a part of themselves for that community,” said Torneros, who was also a featured POW! WOW! artist last year. “On top of that, the urban art scene is a small community, so when you’re painting around the same people for a week or two at a time, they become like family.”
She added, “During the week the energy is high and creative, the neighborhood is just buzzin’ and the visitors only add to that energy. Meeting fans that live outside of California is so cool. When people already know you and your work, the world feels like a smaller place. Social media’s reach is so vast. It’s also awesome to meet people who fly out just for the festival.”
Ng says his role is to help observers understand what’s happening. “I love art, and I love even more to witness the process of creation with my own two eyes,” he said. “What I can do well is help these talented individuals articulate what they do to a wider audience. I hope the audience takes something away and learns more about these amazing people.”
Ng also put in a word of approval for the street setting of POW! WOW! “The setting of a traditional museum or gallery is so static,” he said. “The juicy, good bits are seeing the people actually making the art, and POW! WOW! puts this on display for all. … I get to see some of the behind-the-scenes action that Jasper and his team go through. It’s grueling work to make everyone happy and make the entire event go off without a hitch. .
“The secret to their success is that the visitor doesn’t see any of it,” Ng said. “It just looks and feels like a good ol’ happy time had by all, but people in the background are giving blood, sweat and tears to make it happen.”
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