POW! WOW! Long Beach returns for the 5th year in Long Beach, California from July 21st-28th, 2019. Twenty artists from home and abroad will participate in this international mural festival . The first ever partnership between POW! WOW! Long Beach and the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles brings Taiwanese graffiti artist DEBE, who will join the entourage of artists to become the spotlight and synergy of this public art event!
This year’s POW! WOW! Long Beach is a week-long live art exhibition featuring world- renowned artists from Taiwan, Japan, Belgium, Dubai, Mexico and the U.S. Long Beach buildings will be converted to the artists’ canvas and presenting stunning artwork for the public eye. In addition to seeing more than 70 mural creations across 40 square miles in Long Beach streets which were made over the course of 4 years, the public will also be able to witness the creating process of more than 20 giant murals coming to life throughout the week.
In an effort to promote Taiwanese artistic endeavors on a global scale, the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles and the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan took the opportunity to collaborate with the organizers of POW! WOW! Long Beach for the first time, to bring aboard a Taiwanese graffiti artist to showcase his talent. DEBE has been a graffiti artist since 2005 and was deeply influenced by U.S. graffiti “Wild Style”, especially with the use of spray paint. From graffiti, abstract drawing and typography design, DEBE’s creative style visually integrates abstract geometric forms with natural ore elements to break free from traditional rules and restrictions, and to explore the possibilities of graffiti art, allowing the philosophical concepts to convert into diverse colors and lines, and to present the moments when energy flows. Its seemingly complicated and organic movement is actually profound and rich in layers. DEBE has been invited to London, Hong Kong, Beijing, Washington D.C., and Hawaii to showcase and exhibit his live paintings and artistic street creations. This time in Long Beach, his work can be seen from the parking lot of the Long Beach Convention Center.
Emmy Yang, the Director of Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles, exclaims that the artistic creations in Taiwan are versatile and rich in form and quality, and ignites a high level of energy. Among diverse forms of art, street art and graffiti especially represents the unlimited and creative spirits of the young generation in Taiwan. With the participation of DEBE this year, , Taiwan Academy hopes to raise international awareness of the abundant talents coming out of Taiwan, and to pave way for cultural exchanges between Taiwanese and international talents.
“It is well documented that art and culture are highly influential and a powerful tool for building identity for cities and regions. As we celebrate the economic growth in Long Beach through various developments throughout the city, continuous support for POW! WOW! demonstrates that the City of Long Beach understands the importance of culture and how its enhances the landscape and value of a city in a different way,” said Julia Huang, President CEO of Intertrend and an Advisor to POW! WOW! Long Beach.
POW! WOW! is a well-known international arts organization that started in 2010 in Hawaii. It features hundreds of artists worldwide presenting cultural events such as mural painting, arts, and music, entering public spaces of urban cities such as Taipei, Tokyo and Seoul.
POW! WOW! Long Beach is one chapter of the the international POW!WOW! series. In addition to art exhibitions, the program includes a series of events. Come to enjoy MADE by Millworks Pop-Up flash shops, outdoor movie screenings, artist interviews, an exhibition curated by Thinkspace located in the Edison Theater at The Art of Bloom, KCRW x POW! WOW! Long Beach Midsummer Music Closing Party, and much more. For further information, please visit the official website for details:
http://www.powwowlongbeach.com/.