August 9, 2023
Last Sunday, I was roaming around Mid-Level Central looking for interesting places to photograph using my phone's camera. I don't have any set plans for that day, so I just let my feet wander to random locations and scour the streets for interesting spots to shoot. I should mention that the best location in Central for amateur photographers in this area. Since there are works of art on every corner, I call it "Art Street." Murals, graffiti, and other works of art can be found in various locations along streets and alleys. Walking in this neighborhood is, therefore, not boring. Along the streets, there are a lot of interesting spots and attractions for your eyes' pleasure.
While walking along Peel Street somewhere in Mid-Level Central, this dining shop caught my attention. It's called Uma Nota, a Japanese-Brazilian cafe that serves Japanese and Brazilian cuisine, street foods, and cocktails.
It was the colorful staircase and rustic interior that caught my attention. I thought of dining in, but upon checking the menu prices, I backed out, lol. It's good to visit the cafe with a group to lessen the spending.
I stayed for a while in this place, not because of the cafe, but because of the art mural on the cafe's exterior facade along the street. You can see it in the first photo.
An upward curve formed on my lips when I saw the mural. It depicts happiness despite the situation around it. Regardless of the problems we are facing in this world, we should just laugh at them, and not worry much about things that are out of our control. Otherwise, we'll be consumed by negativity and won't be able to live peacefully and happily. So smile and laugh often. It is free anyway.
This is just one of the motivating murals I saw in Hong Kong. There isn't a name for this art mural, so I call it Just Laugh. As much as I wanted to search for the artist name of this mural, I just couldn't read the signature well even if I zoomed out the photo, and I forgot to consider checking it that day. The only readable name is Uma Nota which is the name of the cafe on the right.
Aside from Uma Nota's art mural, on the other side is a closed roll-up door full of vandalism (second photo), which, if you take a closer look, can be considered an art mural too. Some passersby even stop by to take a selfie with it. There are more cafes and shops in Mid-Level with art mural walls and graffitied streets. This initiative is supported by a non-profit organization to make Hong Kong's streets more attractive and artistic. It's definitely a great idea to attract more tourists and encourage everyone to embrace art and culture.
When I image searched the first photo for the artist name in Uma Nota's facade, I learned that there was Art Festival last March! Wth did I do last March that I missed this art event? I can't believe that an art lover missed the art festival. And other international artists came to Hong Kong to paint and graffiti Hong Kong's walls and streets. With this, I found out that Uma Nota's art mural was one of those art created for the festival. So that means, there are more art murals in other parts of Central that are yet removed. This will be my next target the next time I visit Central. I'll go find other art murals from the art festival!
This is in submission to #ArtStreet 156 Contest initiated by 
Happy humpday everyone!
(All photos are mine)
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