POW! WOW! Hawaii is a mass gathering of the top Urban Artists from around the globe over Valentine’s Day week each year. Now in its fourth consecutive year, the event has grown from a handful of artists coming together to paint several canvases, to 100 artists coming to transform Honolulu’s industrial Kaka’ako district into a wonderland of 60+ large scale murals. The week of painting is complimented by gallery shows, a pop-up shop, music and art lectures, and ends with a huge night market and block party event with amazing murals both new and from years past completing the urban backdrop, attended by several thousand people. This years event was sponsored by Montana Cans.
Participation for artists is by invitation only and is carefully curated. Top names this year included Ron English, a well known artist in the urban and pop art scene, to James Jean, who is selling canvas works for $150K plus, but painted his very first mural ever (a huge success!) at this years POW! WOW! Artists came from all around the globe – DabsMyla out of Melbourne, Australia to Nychos out of Vienna, Austria, as well as old school G’s like Cope2 out of the Bronx. A whole host of local artists from Hawaii were there to represent, several of them painting murals that also served as tributes to Hawaiian culture that featured historical figures. The week long event not only serve to beautify the local community, but also fosters the development of the Urban Artist community with organized dinners and events almost each night, as well as shared lodging for up to 75 of the artists in a large house on the North Shore. This week of socializing and living together really makes a unique experience for the artists, allowing them to share and learn from each other. For more information on the event visit www.powwowhawaii.com.
