Mural art in Kaka'ako, Hawaii. Photo / Shandelle Battersby
Mural art in Kaka'ako, Hawaii. Photo / Shandelle Battersby
There's a sign painted on a wall in Kaka'ako, the grimy, former industrial area between the office buildings of Downtown Honolulu and the glitz and glamour of Waikiki Beach, which reads "Everything old is new again."
Those five words sum up this part of Hawaii's Oahu island which, along with a small strip in Chinatown, is reinventing itself as an urban community, offering a different experience of Honolulu. Old buildings are being repurposed, the artists and musicians congregating there reference their cultural roots, and vintage everything - "Hawaiiana"- is enjoying a resurgence.
You know you've stepped into the Kaka'ako district when you look up and realise you're surrounded by dozens of murals painted on the walls of its warehouses, car yards and auto repair shops. These are added to or replaced each year during the Pow! Wow! street art festival, which takes place over a week every February. The result is a huge open-air gallery with impressive artworks every few metres.
The festival is so successful it is spreading overseas to countries including Taiwan, Israel and Germany, and this year attracted several Kiwis including BMD (see below), Askew One and Misery among the hundred or so local and international artists. powwowhawaii.com
Along with great street art, comes great street food, specifically on the last Friday of every month at the Eat the Street food truck rally at the Kakaako Waterfront Park. Thousands turn out to enjoy the food from over 40 vendors serving up Hawaiian delicacies including loco moco (white rice, hamburger patty, fried egg and brown gravy) and shave ice, alongside more traditional street food. eatthestreethawaii.com
Other markets to check out are the Honolulu Night Market, on the third Saturday of every month, which offers another chance to sample the food trucks, alongside market stalls, craft beer, art, music and a fashion show (honolulunightmarket.com), and the weekly Kaka'ako Farmers' Market (Saturdays 8am to noon). Art + Flea is a monthly urban indoor market (every fourth Thursday, 5pm-10pm) that showcases over 60 local designers and artists. The fun event features live music, DJ sets and eating contests. artandflea.com
The non-profit organisation driving the revitalisation, Our Kaka'ako, has big plans for the area, all geared around making it a creative, walkable, sustainable, community where people get involved with their neighbours (ourkakaako.com).
Mixed-use, mixed-income housing is in the works, and at its core is Salt, a gathering place for local culture, food, shopping and events expected to open at the end of the year. Some of it is already up and running, including Paiko, a florist, or "botanical boutique" which holds creative workshops using native plants. This is where you can learn to make your own fern and moss terrarium or a traditional flower crown. paikohawaii.com
BMD's favourite art spots Two of the stars at this year's Pow!Wow! festival were a couple of street artists from New Plymouth who have left their mark on walls around New Zealand, Australia, Bali and now Hawaii.
The pair, who paint as BMD and prefer to remain anonymous, were sent to Honolulu by Hawaiian Airlines, which commissioned them to paint a large Hawaiian and New Zealand-themed piece on an airport service truck to celebrate the airline's second anniversary in the New Zealand market.
The BMD artwork painted for Hawaiian Airlines.
The artwork highlights the common cultural themes between the two islands, and features Hawaiian imagery on one side, and New Zealand icons on the other. They picked their favourite street art spots in Kaka'ako, Honolulu for
Travel
. Here are a few of them.
Ahui St
US artist Maya Hayuk paints symmetrical compositions featuring intricate patterns and lush colours to create psychedelic experiences in visual form.
Mural by Maya Hayek in Ahui St, Kaka'ako, Hawaii.
A public art campaign dedicated to provoke wonder and inspire thought, Cryptik Movement's main objective is to challenge people to think of other possibilities and see a different reality.
Mural by Cryptik Movement in Ahui St, Kaka'ako, Hawaii.
American brothers Matt and Tristan Eaton worked together for the first time to create their interpretation of master swordsman and famed 17th-century artist Miyamoto Musashi.
Mural by Matt and Tristan Eaton in Ahui St, Kaka'ako, Hawaii.
This mural by Ernest Zacharevic (Malaysia) and Olek (Poland) uses two real palm trees and an actual crochet hammock to go with the painting of two Malaysian kids.
Mural by Ernest Zacharevic and Olek in Cooke St, Kaka'ako, Hawaii.
US illustrator Kevin Lyons, a former global creative director for Urban Outfitters, creates colourful murals. His art often features cartoons. Ilaniwai St.
Mural by Kevin Lyons in Cooke St Kaka'ako, Hawaii.
Polish artist Natalia Rak often paints the faces of women in her work. Her colourful and sometimes whimsical paintings aim to create "a mood, mystery and metaphor". Her Pow!Wow! artwork is called Predators.
Mural by Natalia Rak in Ilaniwai St, Kaka'ako, Hawaii.
The writer travelled to Hawaii courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaii Tourism and the Halekulani hotel.
