The best street art and graffiti in Hong Kong

In efforts to revitalise certain old buildings and new residential complexes in Sai Yin Pun, Ki Ling Lane and Chung Ching Street were given a colourful facelift with murals featuring themes of art and music by nine local and international artists. Whether you’re looking for a kaleidoscopic canvas for your next selfie or simply interested in seeing the neighbourhood in a new light, Art Lane should be your next port of call.

Ki Ling Lane and Chung Ching Street, Sai Ying Pun

Head to Cadogan Street in Kennedy Town, where trams turn into Catchick Street outside The Merton, to find a stunning mural by Dublin artist Aches. This slightly dizzying but undoubtedly gorgeous art piece is a celebration of Hong Kong’s culture of lion dances, and has been painted using subtractive colour theory – where colours are layered to create new shades – in a mix of cyan, magenta, and yellow. We haven’t tried it yet, but it almost looks like the lion might pop out if you look at it using 3D glasses.

21 Cadogan Street, Kennedy Town

Known for her retro-inspired cartoons, Hong Kong-based illustrator Mooncasket has crafted a colourful mural outside the walls of Sheung Wan’s popular beer store Craftissimo. Featuring a friendly bear holding flowers, the artwork celebrates the end of the city’s mask mandate and symbolises those warm, fuzzy feelings we get from being outdoors. Other elements of nature, such as flowers, a mushroom, and the sun, were also incorporated into the design to create a garden-like atmosphere that invites viewers to sit back and relax.

Shop D, G/F, 22-24 Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan

There’s a little alley sandwiched between Hollywood Road and Tai Ping Shan Street that has been nicknamed Graffiti Lane, and it’s easy to see why once you stroll down it personally. Find stylised text, blocky cartoonish characters, and bright splashes of colour decorating most of the back entrances of businesses on Sai Street. There’s a particularly striking piece by local artist Fever created as part of HKwalls 2024, featuring dark neon surges topped by a large monarch butterfly.

Near 182 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan

Legendary street artist Invader has made multiple undercover trips to our SAR and left his mark at various spots all across town during each visit. Many of his works can be seen in and around Harbour City, including the famous mural at the Ocean Terminal Forecourt, featuring the ghosts from Pac-Man in his signature retro video game style.

 Ocean Terminal Forecourt, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui

There’s no way you can walk down Hollywood Road without noticing the enormous figures of a few silver screen legends covering an entire building in the heart of the city. Hong Kong artist Rob Sketcherman has painted murals of the old-school Hollywood greats Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Charlie Chaplin, and Frank Sinatra for the boutique hotel within its walls. Bright, eye-catching, and glamorous, this three- to five-storey mural is simply perfect for Hollywood Road.

53 Hollywood Road, Central

Featuring 30 sets of giant murals, the 'Lift Up Kowloon East' project by local architect Derrick Leong and designer Annie Long breathes new life to the Kwun Tong area by taking characters from different periods – from the Song dynasty to modern day – and industries in Kowloon East, and painting them onto each of the columns under the Kwun Tong Bypass. Folks are welcome to view the murals along Kwung Tong Promenade, where they can discover and learn about the transformation of Kowloon East. Start from the Energizing Kowloon East Office (Vessel 01) located outside the Kowloon Flour Mills and make your way down towards Hoi Bun Road Park!

122 Hoi Bun Road, Kwun Tong

The wall flanking the flight of stairs beside the La Cabane wine cellar has been taken over by a vaguely cosmic-looking blue landscape with flowers. A step closer to this mural by Hong Kong-based Brazilian artist Jum reveals melting petals, the growth of golden tendrils, and eyeballs sprouting from the middle of blossoms. While it might sound a little terrifying on paper, the actual mural is an ethereal garden dominated by a beautiful shade of blue that we find very calming to look at.

10 Shin Hing Street, Central

While walking down Aberdeen Street, you might find yourself doing a double-take at the sudden appearance of what seems to be miniature buildings. This is actually a mural by Belgian artist Jaune, which depicts a row of Hong Kong buildings, complete with air conditioning units, laundry hanging haphazardly outside windows, and the bamboo scaffolding so prevalent in Hong Kong constructions. There are even little sanitation workers inhabiting this miniature version of the city – a throwback to the artist’s own experience working in the profession. 

11 Aberdeen Street, on the corner of Kau U Fong, Central

Since Sham Shui Po has been nicknamed the ‘Brooklyn of Hong Kong’, it makes sense that there is some cool art to be found here as well. Man Fung Building is home to less of a mural than a large-scale art installation – the entire building has been painted with multi-coloured geometric shapes that come together to depict a fox, transforming a simple commercial building into a piece of art in itself.

180 Tai Nan Street, Sham Shui Po, but best viewed diagonally across the junction near 2 Wong Chuk Street

This mural by Hong Kong-based designer, illustrator, and artist Wong Ting Fung features abstract Chinese characters in green and red, inspired by the colours of the Tin Hau temple. He freestyled his design onto each wall in about 12 hours, incorporating elements of the surrounding area into the piece like a collage. 

Next to the playground, visitors will also get to see murals by artists from HKwalls 2021 festival, including Neil Wang, Carol Bellese Choi, Zoie Lam, and Kristopher Ho.

25 Man Nin Street, Sai Kung

Czech artist Mára Čmára uses illustration as a form of communication, translating his ideas into a beautiful visual language that often combines analogue drawings with digital colouring. For the 2023 HKwalls festival, the artist fashioned a two-wall mural featuring bunnies – a call on this year’s Chinese zodiac animal – along with bright peonies, which symbolise wealth and prosperity.

13a New Street, Sheung Wan

Having started graffiti painting in the late 90s, California-based artist Jurne and his creations have been featured in exhibitions and festivals around the world, including New York, London, Berlin, New Zealand – and now, Hong Kong! Working in collaboration with Antoine, a fellow graffiti artist from France, this massive mural on Square Street showcases Jurne’s signature style with large letters that spell out his name. The background of the wall is a deep, saturated blue, against which Jurne sketched out his name and used spray paint to bring it to life. Meanwhile, a primary colour palette of yellow, blue, and red is employed for the lettering.

Square Street, Tai Ping Shan

Los Angeles-based artist Lauren YS often paints in a bold and rebellious manner – and this one is no different. Titled ‘Mind Temple’, the mural drew inspiration from two main themes: her twin sister's experience living and working in Hong Kong and the importance of mental health. With the idea of creating a visually safe space in the neighbourhood, Lauren also researched into the Tai Ping Shan area to incorporate elements that would reflect the mural’s surroundings. The mural, in its entirety, was created with spray paint, utilising a calming colour palette of green, blue, and pinkish tones to evoke the scenery of dawn or sunset. A dragon design was added to the shorter side of the wall parallel to the stairs in order to enhance the mural's overall composition.

Square Street, Tai Ping Shan

Hong Kong-based artist and illustrator Kristopher Ho is a familiar name in the street art community. As part of the 2023 HKwalls street art festival, Kristopher created a mural featuring a wolf being gently petted. To Kris, the wolf portrays the idea of being a 'lone wolf', symbolising the need to make time for our inner selves; while the hand, which has several natural elements growing out of it, represents personal growth and learning from past experiences. 

Shing Wong Street, Sheung Wan

Replacing the famous Bruce Lee mural on Tank Lane is a new piece by Chinese artist Nut. Known for his beautiful porcelain-style animal paintings, the artist has created a magnificent eagle drawn to resemble ceramics for HKwalls 2024.

Tank Lane, Sheung Wan

The King of Kowloon – real name Tsang Tsou-choi – is a bit of a Hong Kong legend. He was probably our city’s first graffiti artist, who spent much of his time scribbling his signature wonky words all over public spaces to declare his belief that the Kowloon had once belonged to his ancestors and was taken forcibly by the government. Most of his graffiti has been erased by the authorities over the years, but one piece that remains easily seen can be found on a pillar at Tsim Sha Tsui ferry pier, next to the upper deck entrance to the ferry towards Central.