A festival celebrating mural art and culture will be held in Oʻahu's Kalihi and Palama neighborhoods this month.
World Wide Walls, formerly known as POW! WOW! Hawaiʻi, is a global network of local and international artists who create vibrant murals throughout Honolulu. The festival has gained popularity since its creation in 2010 and has expanded to various cities around the world.
The 12th annual mural festival will be held from Sept. 16-22.
Founder Jasper Wong said artists will be working on painting 40 murals at three public schools in the area, including Farrington High, Kalihi Kai and Puʻuhale Elementary schools.
“Sometimes art gets forgotten, and it’s so important to the kids and to the development of our youth,” Wong told HPR. “We just wanted to find ways to give back to them or beautify the space because there's a lot of blank walls.”
Wong has a deep connection to Kalihi, having spent much of his childhood in his mother’s bakery there. He sees murals as a way to give back to the community.
Last year, the group painted 70 murals in Kalihi, including Palama Settlement, Bishop Museum and nearby schools.
This year, Wong said there’s more focus on schools and highlighting female muralists, with 70% being local artists and 30% visiting artists.
Some of the artists working on the murals include Ella Wong, Lauren YS, Dina Saadi, Kris Goto, Punky Aloha, Allison Bamcat, Ninja Sketch, Giorgiko, Satr, Evah Fan, Hera of Herakut, Hyun Dinh and more.
“We feel that we can make a difference through public art,” he said. “Because when you walk by a wall, it’s just a blank wall. But when we add color, it makes the area feel more vibrant. It also creates more foot traffic and makes the place feel safer.”
The annual festival will feature an exhibit by Thinkspace at Gangway Gallery; talks with Lauren YS, Hera and Ninja Sketch; parties hosted by Kekoa Collective; a photo show by Ja Tecson's School of Photography; and a party at the White Sands Hotel in Waikīkī.
The event has expanded to more than 25 cities across the world, specifically in North America, Asia, Europe and the Pacific.
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