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Treat for graffiti lovers

It's a long way from spray-painting walls in New York to being a commissioned artist flying around the world, but that's what graffiti artist JonOne (John Perello, below) has become. The Harlem-raised street artist is back in Hong Kong thanks to the brand Quiksilver. Until Tuesday, the artist will be working on a large canvas at Festival Walk. Those interested in the creative process can witness JonOne in person as he will be working on the mall's top level L2.

'I was just in Berlin for a huge street art exhibition,' JonOne says, while mixing paint in a styrofoam cup of all things. 'I guess there aren't too many art-supply stores in Hong Kong. I asked for cups and they got styrofoam instead of plastic containers, and I asked for paints and they got me house paint.'

Still, he's no snob and proceeds to create with what he is given. To JonOne, painting in a mall doesn't mean selling out. Plus, having shoppers stare at him is actually an enjoyable kind of interaction. 'The set-up here is great. I get lots of light and it beats being stuck in my New York studio.' At the end of his live Festival Walk stint, JonOne's finished works will be exhibited there from next Thursday to September 11.

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