Modern 3D and contemporary paintings along Hoa Lo Street have made pedestrians stop in their tracks to appreciate the works of eight local and foreign artists.

Prefab 77, a Newcastle-based artists collective, had made a big impression on the UK street art scene. They brought the same excitement during the Tiger Translate Growth event, a unique show of contemporary music and arts held April 30 - May 1 in Hanoi.

Belgian artists Jaba One, Vietnamese Hoang Art, Nguyen Viet Dung, Nguyen Hoai Linh and Pham Huy Thong worked with Prefab 77. Their modern approach was in stark contrast with the impressive space of Hoa Lo Street, a historical relic from French colonial era.

There are no barriers in graffiti as creativity is let loose, and this is apparent in the artists’ works. The paintings showed their charm with a mix of East and West cultures and styles, and the artists fused traditional and modern features with ease.

One example was a fresh take on Dong Ho painting (a kind of Vietnamese traditional painting that originated from Dong Ho Village). The artists impressed the audience with their unique approach by stylizing the pigs with cowlicks. The expression reflected a jubilant, boisterous world and was reminiscent of a punk rocker’s mohawk.

The paintings were created while the artists were listening to rock, which clearly influenced the art as the scratched designs in the surface created raw art that rocked the audience.