A vibrant art is flowering on Hong Kong’s grey streets
Local street artists hope to bring people together with their work, while others tout the cultural and economic benefits of fostering the scene
It’s early Sunday morning in Soho, and Hong Kong’s popular entertainment zone is still waking up from a night of wild partying, with the smell of alcohol still hanging in the air and barely anyone in sight.
But street art tour guide Diana Chen, wearing a black T-shirt and holding a tablet, is already standing alertly in front of the iconic graffiti wall on Graham Street, ready to kick off her hour-long tour.
Chen, a 27-year-old American who has called Hong Kong home for six years, is the art consultant and street art tour leader for the group Accidental Art, which aims to “connect art lovers, artists and galleries”.
The group started to organise street art tours about a year and a half ago, Chen says, as there is more and more street art emerging in the city, especially in Soho, where her English-language tours are based. A tour can take up to 12 participants. Most are tourists.
“We try to do it in a more unconventional way in the sense that it’s not just an art gallery that you walk into, but with some kind of guidance and interactions,” she says.
Chen describes Hong Kong’s street art scene as “very diverse” with international artists dominating the field, though the number of local artists is growing.