The annual street art festival Pow Wow Hawaii kicked off this past Monday in Honolulu. Dozens of well-known street artists from all over the world are currently gathered in the Kaka’ako neighborhood for a week of mural painting — from renowned figures like Ron English, Andrew Schoultz and Augustine Kofie to noteworthy emerging artists like Seth Globepainter, Inti, Know Hope and more. Most of the murals are currently in their early phases, but Buff Monster and Nychos evidently are very speedy with the spray paint. The duo, who have collaborated previously, have been working with a harmony that’s fascinating to observe, and somewhat surprising, considering their disparate styles.
The resulting mural (which was almost done last night, at the end of the second day of painting) is an epic portrait of a goddess-like character that resembles a harbinger of death. The central figure is typical of Nychos, with his grotesque, heavy metal-inspired aesthetic. Buff Monster added his cute-yet-creepy pink blobs (this time with demonic bat wings) on the side as the central figure’s sidekicks. Stay tuned for more updates from Pow Wow this week (make sure to follow our Instagram at @hifructosemag to see photos before they get on the blog) and watch out for our final recap of the event next week to see the completed mural.
