Jungle Hides Street Artist’s Work

When street artist Fin Dac was working on a mural along Gough Street, he was secretly spending his days painting a giant mural named Senaka, hidden deep in Hong Kong’s wilderness. The mural’s creation, captured on a drone video, took place over several days, at a private residence. We sit down with the mystery homeowner (MHO) for an exclusive interview about living and painting in the jungle. Localiiz: How would you describe where you live? MHO: I get a lot of nature visiting me, snakes, spiders, bats, rats, wild pig, I even had a 12-foot long python hanging around the neighbourhood last year. You definitely have to be on your toes at night with lots of rustling undergrowth around. The day we shot the drone footage I found a very recently shed snake skin in one of the plant pots. There’s lots of birds around here which I love. Hawk, eagle, kingfisher, egret, heron, wagtails, it really is a very special place, if you like that kind of thing of course. Basically, I am pretty much surrounded by jungle. I love it. Localiiz: When did you learn of Fin? MHO: It must have been around 5-6 years ago when he was just starting to make a name for himself in Europe. I came across his work in London through my social media network of friends. It was his Geisha characters that really caught my eye. I contacted him to see if he would be interested to come to Hong Kong, if I could line up some potential walls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Ap8fC0nx8   Localiiz: How did Fin come to be in Hong Kong? MHO: The universe aligning I guess. I had tried a number of avenues to bring him over for projects since we first connected. Everyone I showed his work to loved it, but for one reason or the other it just didn’t happen. It was really frustrating to be honest. Then, I had some much needed repairs done to the house and it went from there. Localiiz: Did Fin stay at your home? MHO: Yes. It was such a funny few weeks I have to say. I managed to arrange a commissioned job for Fin on Gough Street for Lovers & Friends, so it was cool he got to experience and feel the city life. The street party was a lot of fun too. Fin also experienced the lesser known rural life of Hong Kong living in a small village community, close to the nature, beach, and waves. It was cool to kick back and relax at my place after painting late into the night at Gough Street. Localiiz: Why did Fin paint the roof? MHO: Some work had been done on the house so I took some photos and sent them to Fin. To be honest I was thinking about the external walls, then he said “Is that a roof terrace?” I couldn’t believe I’d been sitting underneath the solution to get Fin here all this time. Localiiz: What do you think of roof? MHO: I keep pinching myself to be honest. The mural is super cool and you can’t help but stare into her eyes while sitting having morning coffee. Since Fin left I took the time over Christmas and New Year to paint the railings to match the mask. It was really peaceful and therapeutic being up there with a brush in hand for a few days.  I was also lucky enough to score some amazing outdoor furniture from the guys at Thicas Interiors in Tai Koo. It looks even more amazing now than it does in the video. Localiiz: So other artists have painted your house? Which parts? MHO: Ah good question. I had a little gathering to celebrate Fin finishing the mural and to shoot the drone shots for the video. The awesome Stern Rockwell came along for the party, and after a few beers he decided to do something in my toilet… It looks super cool and I hope on his next visit he’ll do some more in there. Fin is definitely coming back soon, so let’s see what else we can get up to next visit? I am very much on the prowl now trying to find the next amazing space.                                              

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