Hong Kong is often romanticised by visitors charmed by the skyscrapers dramatically posing in front of looming mountains. In the midst of designer shops and five star hotels, no-one really pays attention to the less glamorous side to the city.
Calm Before the Storm
But graffiti artist Nick Walker, hailing from Bristol, England, visited Hong Kong in December to create art pieces especially for his first solo show in Hong Kong, which is on display at Sai Ying Pun’s Above Second gallery until Oct. 24.
Walker says, “[Hong Kong has] an abundance of old signage and history, and also a very gritty edge which is something I love to portray in my street scenes.”
Basking in the Glory
Having worked with graffiti since the 1980s, Walker began using stencils in 1992 to create independent pieces of art. He has also painted sets for science fiction films, most notably working with director Stanley Kubrick.
However, for his Hong Kong exhibition Walker adds in a new element to his work: numbers. “I call this the Smoke series,” he explains. “Originally I was inspired by Jasper Johns and began to implement numbers into my paintings as background or fragmented, but now I am solely focusing on the numbers themselves.”
The Morning After
What: ENTROPHY, solo exhibition by Nick Walker
When: Until Oct 24
Where: Above Second, 9 First Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong (Google Maps)
Tickets: Free entry
