When the Kakaako area of Oahu gets its new boutique shopping area in a few years, what will happen to all the cool murals we see today?
Some cool, local art in Kakaako.
The industrial part of Honolulu used to be just that: industrial – gray and grimy and unattractive to visitors. Now, it has a fresh coat of paint in the form of creative life-size murals. The murals of cultural and political inspiration cover the walls from top to bottom. It’s been the talk of the town, especially with recent art-inspired events like the Night Market and Art and Flea.
Apparently, there are plans to knock down some of those warehouse structures and build a two-story shopping area. It will be filled with little boutiques and eateries. While I’m all for the addition of shops in Kakaako, I can’t help but wonder about the beautiful artwork that took time and effort and a great deal of planning to create.
It would be so sad if developers did not keep at least portions of the painted walls. Not sure how that would work or where they would put it, but maybe it could be incorporated into the new structure? Otherwise, I guess the community artists could just recreate it all over again. We’ll just have to wait and see.
