Kamea Hadar x Defer New Collaboration – San Francisco, USA

During POW! WOW! Hawaii 2014, artists Kamea Hadar and Defer (K2S) collaborated on a mural that marked the start of a year-long series of collaborative walls, gallery shows and other creative projects between the two artists entitled “Paradise Lost”. The second installment of the series are two large-scale murals in San Francisco and a viewing of canvas pieces at First Amendment Gallery, San Francisco.

“Paradise Lost deals with both Defer and my perspectives of Hawaii. With Defer recently moving to Hawaii from his hometown of Los Angeles and my being from Hawaii we both bring two different perspectives of what paradise can be. Much of my recent work deals with fire and the title also alludes to Milton’s epic poem about The Fall of Man, The Temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan, their expulsion from the Garden of Eden and of course Hell. On the surface the title speaks of Hawaii losing its natural beauty and traditional ways, what many people consider “paradise”. It is also important to stress that in my eyes fire also represents change and that Hawaii’s move into the modern world and urbanization is necessarily all bad. With the benefits of modern technology, and ease of travel Hawaii is quickly transforming from an “island” into a cultural hub. Honolulu as a city is quickly becoming as relevant to contemporary culture as any other big city in the world, but this takes some compromises. The balance between moving forward and still keeping traditions/cultures and preserving paradise are what makes Hawaii an interesting place and what inspired Defer and I to collaborate and create Paradise Lost.” — Kamea Hadar

Reconvene after the jump for a closer look at the piece and keep your eyes peeled on Street Art News for more exciting projects from Kamea Hadar and the POW! WOW! Family.