HKwalls 2026 innovates moving street art

HKwalls Street Art Festival debuted its 11th edition from March 21 to 29 at the former Police Married Quarters in Central, turning Central and Western District into an open studio for street art. 

More than 20 local and international artists from 14 countries took part in  workshops, art tours and traditional wall paintings, with the festival proposing a moving street art exhibition that allows artists to paint on trucks and let them roam across the city.

Jason Dembski, co-founder of the HKwalls, said he had tried multiple channels to cooperate with truck owners willing to have their track be graffitied, including approaching individual truck owners on the street and contacting companies.

“All the truck owners will keep the artwork for around three months,” he said. “Especially the drivers who are independent owners, they all seem very happy about the artwork and want to keep it for a long time.”.

He added the project was an opportunity to integrate street art into more parts of Hong Kong.

Ten artists jointly completed the graffiti or hand-painted designs for six trucks, which will later be used for regular cargo transportation.

Taiwanese graffiti artist Leho, 30, said it was rare to have a chance to complete such a full-scale work on a truck. 

“It was usually identified as illegal graffiti in Hong Kong to paint on a vehicle," he said.

Mooncasket, a 35-year-old local illustrator, painted on a truck for the first time. 

“I feel like the works that are created on small canvases might only sit inside a gallery or at home, while the audience could interact with my artworks and get more attention when there was a truck painting,” she said.

Lindsey McAlister, 65, an artist who has attended the festival as a visitor for years, said she was looking forward to seeing the graffiti-covered trucks on the street. 

“I will go and find graffiti on the walls during the festival, but I think people who are not quite so art inclined may not do so,” she said.

“If a piece of art was on the wall, you had to expect people would see it because they were in that particular area,” Lindsey added. “The truck has actually taken art everywhere and everybody can see it.”

Sarah Ann, 32, who came from Tuen Mun to attend the festival for the first time, said she was able to see a variety of graffiti techniques and improvisational ideas up close. 

 “I will come back there again to attend HKwalls next year,” she said.

The festival is also marking its fourth year of integrating digital art on LED screens, with works displayed on large screens at Kai Tak Mall and the Tsim Sha Tsui harbourside, alongside the murals in Central and Western Districts, until April 21.