Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.This article is part of a guide to Hong Kong from FT GlobetrotterWhen Berlin native Alexandra Unrein moved to Hong Kong several years ago, she quickly fell for the city’s dynamic street art. So much so that she began running dedicated tours. Her Wanderlust Walks snake through the alleys to reveal giant, abstract graphics, plastered across entire façades, as well as the subtle glyphs and symbols that blend into the clutter of the city.“In comparison to the western world, street art all around Asia is still incredibly underrated and often goes unnoticed,” says the former flight attendant. “Hong Kong is, unfortunately, no exception.”Unrein aims to remedy this. When I visited in March, I took a tour that begins in the Sheung Wan area on Lower Lascar Row. In a quiet courtyard under a bloom of bougainvillea — and the shadows of dozens of floors of high-rise housing — we encounter two striking figures embracing in a flurry of heart-shaped, green and red leaves. “Stories in the Wind” (2023) is the work of Italian artist Marco Zedone, better known as Zed1. Inspired by both the surrounding foliage and the colours of the city as a whole, his Pop-Surrealist image broaches the question of chance meetings and relationships, the winds of fate buffeting the characters about like the leaves — real and painted — around them.Central boasts the city’s richest mix of outdoor artwork (although Kowloon and the New Territories also have their fair share). On nearby Water Lane, one of Algerian-born Ceet Fouad’s Pop Art chickens offers a playful critique of the modern world’s homogeneity. A few metres away (and also around the corner on the façade of 36 Sai Street), we find works by Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils, whose faces etched into the render of the building are part of his Scratching the Surface project. Taking on the role of an “urban archaeologist”, Farto sifts through the colours and textures of a building’s surfaces to lend an organic depth to his compositions.Farto’s artworks were part of the 2016 edition of HKwalls, the annual festival of street art that has unfolded across the city since 2014. If you visit in March, the proliferation of paint pots and bamboo scaffolding on the pavements heralds the event’s arrival. While city and its galleries teem with tens of thousands of visitors to the Art Basel fair, artists from around the world leave their mark on the urban canvas. This year, 32 artists — from Hong Kong and mainland China as well as further afield — added new layers to the city’s public spaces. “When we [first] knocked on doors to ask for walls, not a lot of people knew what street art was,” says Maria Wong, the festival’s managing director. Ten years later, owners of homes, shops and offices are eagerly signing up for their walls to be stencilled and sprayed.“People are generally very happy to see new works popping up around the city,” says Wong. “[They] brighten up the neighbourhood, and add colour and life.”Unrein leads us to Square Street, where, for HKwalls 2023, Los Angeles-based Lauren YS (Squid Licker) combined the concept of taijitu — the yin-yang symbol — with Taoist temple aesthetics, traditional operatic costumes and vibrant portraits in “Mind Temple”. Against a pink-blue sunset, a tiger-dragon hybrid hurtles along the wall, representing darkness and light. With its constant contrast between wide avenues and tight alleys, Hong Kong’s theatrical scale lends itself to painting. “To me, the city feels almost stereotypically urban,” says Unrein. “Street art feels like the cool tattoos on her skin, making her even more beautiful and unique.”This is certainly the case at the junction of Peel Street and Hollywood Road, home to Uma Nota — the city’s first Brazilian-Japanese street food joint. We’re not here for the frango assado, though; as of last year, the restaurant has another draw, in the form of a mural by Hong Kong-based French artist Elsa Jeandedieu. The scene of smiling black-and-white faces, alongside multicoloured burst of birds and flowers from Brazil and Japan, is a vibrant tribute to the coming together of different cultures — and cuisines.Many of the artists that contribute to the city’s street art scene are international but there is no shortage of local talent to track down, either. Unrein cites Kristopher Ho, Uncle, Zoie Lam and Bao Ho as just a few of the names to look out for. In turn, Bao shouts out Devil and Boms.That said, if you can’t find a specific work, it’s not necessarily your map reading that’s at fault; more likely it has simply been painted over or updated. Wong estimates that most murals hang around for five years at most, with a couple dating back as far as 2016. “Street art is a transient thing,” she says. The ephemerality is part of the fun. Chris Allnutt travelled to Hong Kong as a guest of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and the Hong Kong Tourism BoardWhat’s your favourite street art in Hong Kong? Tell us in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter
