“Pow! Wow!” sounds like words that pop out of a comic book. But, it links to graffiti and the arts more than we know. As explained by the curators of Pow! Wow! Hawaii, “Pow” means the impact of art it has on a person and “Wow” relates to the reaction of the viewer. The words together, pow wow, then go to describe a gathering. In recent years, Pow! Wow! Hawaii has kept the buzz circulating among artists of many forms. For one week, Pow! Wow! Hawaii will bring over a hundred international and local artists together for the purpose of creating. This year, between February 7th and 14th, the event is jam-packed with festivities that include exhibitions, talks, workshops and parties. At the same time, graffiti artists come from all over the globe to bless the walls of Honolulu with a dizzying onslaught of aerosol masterpieces. Looking through the roster, we spotted a few of our favorite artists, like Hueman and Naturel, to keep a watch on this week.
To kick off the festivities, Pow! Wow! Hawaii started strong with their 2nd Annual Pow! Wow! Exploring the New Contemporary Movement Exhibition. In addition, the previous day marked the start of the mural paintings, drumming up excitement within many who’re eager to see the results.
For a taste of the dynamic visuals to be seen, here’s a few of our favorite murals from previous years:
Overall, with its acclaimed success, Pow! Wow! Hawaii will be expanding to other areas of the globe including Taiwan, Long Beach, Singapore, Jamaica, Guam, New Zealand, Germany and more. So stay on the lookout to see if Pow! Wow! comes through to a city near you!
For coverage throughout the week, you can follow their Instagram @powwowhawaii.
Photos from: powwowhawaii.com
THE 5TH ELEMENT MAGAZINE 