POW! WOW! and Thinkspace present works by new contemporary artists

Beyond the sweeping street murals its participants paint throughout Kakaako each year, POW! WOW! Hawaii is helping to transform Honolulu into a global creative hub as artists arrive from all over the world to pool their talents in this weeklong celebration of culture, music and art.

More than a dozen countries and 20 U.S. states are represented in “POW! WOW! Exploring the New Contemporary Art Movement,” which opens tonight at the Honolulu Museum of Art School. The exhibit, now in its third year, contains work by 122 artists, some of whom — including Edwin Ushiro, Aaron Woes Martin and artists who go by the single names Ekundayo, Hula and Slick — were born and raised in Hawaii, according to exhibit curator Andrew Hosner.

“These are artists who are making their way in the new contemporary art movement,” Hosner said of all the artists in the show.

“I’ve worked with many of them in the past; some are good friends,” he added, speaking by phone from Los Angeles, where he is curator and co-owner of Thinkspace gallery.

What distinguishes new from — dare one say — old contemporary art? “With contemporary art you think Warhol, pop art from the ’50s to ’60s. With new contemporary art it’s art influenced by recent pop culture that young people grew up with,” Hosner explained. “It’s also affordable for the average person who’s getting to that stage in life to start collecting pieces.” He said that he himself has been collecting new contemporary art for the past 10 years.

The show displays 16-by-20-inch prints and paintings, as well as installations and sculptures in a variety of media and genres. “The exhibit brings together the worlds of pop surrealism, graffiti, street art, illustration and outsider art,” Hosner said.

Honolulu native and POW! WOW! founder Jasper Wong said he met Hosner in L.A. three years ago and asked him to take charge of the exhibit. “A great curator not only curates; he or she has an invested interest in seeing an artist grow, and cares for their livelihood,” Wong said. “Hosner is that in spades.”

For local and other artists exploring Hawaii themes, Hosner said, the new contemporary art exhibit presents an opportunity to show the public works that go beyond typical, tourist- driven art. “The exhibit displays a side of Hawaii’s art that people might not be used to. … It gives these artists a creative outlet.”

One of the exhibit’s standout pieces, Hosner said, is a painting in acrylic and airbrush on Mylar by Baltimore artist Gaia, part of a series that focuses on the peak of Mauna Kea and the ongoing conflict over placing telescopes at the site. The title comes from a statement by local artist Solomon Enos: “The stars can wait if there is something painful in your eye.”

Another Hawaii-specific piece is “Annexation of the Kanaka Maoli,” an oil painting on found wood and tin cans by Peter Adamyan, a California artist.

The show’s variety of styles and materials bridges “The Gatherer,” a lovely, realist oil-on-paper by Australian muralist Fintan Magee, and “Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” an acrylic on hand-carved wood sculpture by Portuguese illustrator Mario Belem.

“Black Hole Sun,” a spray aerosol and acrylic painting on canvas, was made by Low Bros, a Berlin brother duo known for combining animal characters with human features, graffiti, hip-hop and skateboarding elements in their work.

An installation by mixed-media street artist Aaron Li-Hill, a Canadian based in New York, will be unveiled at the exhibit’s opening reception tonight.

“Everyone who is in this show exceeds at their craft,” said Hosner. “Jasper’s given us a great roster of artists this year.”