Madsteez & Roids
King Kalakaua
Edition Size: 60
17 x 17 Inches Archival Pigment Print on 310gsm Fine Art Paper
$ 60.00
"Pow Wow Hawaii is hands down the best fuckn' (for lack of a better term) street art event ever! Last year when it finally came down to start painting, I wanted to localize and paint a portrait of Hawaii's last King, King Kalakaua. Little did I know, Hawaiian royalty, gods and goddesses are off limits unless you follow protocol. Thankfully, Hawaiian graffiti legends Prime and Estria took me under their wing and offered their guidance. Before I knew it, I found myself in King Kalakaua's crypt having a conversation with the King beyond the grave through a spiritual Kahu. The King held me by the neck and gave me his permission for the mural as long as I made him look good and I made sure I told his story besides just his portrait. I don't know if was fear, anxiety or what but my experience with the after life left my legs trembling like Bambi's little sticks out on the icey pond. I was in way over my head. Not only did I have the pressure of making the King look good but now I had to tell his story too.
As fate would have it, I heard that London based graffiti artist, Roids, wasn't super stoked on his current wall. I humbly asked him to jump ship to the King Kalakaua wall and without hesitation he was on the project. Roids is a true pioneer, visionary and I never would have thought in a million years I would be collaborating with him. When we were finished with the mural it was an absolute miracle because smiling from the heavens was the Kings approval in the form of a perfect rainbow directly above." - Madsteez
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