Interview by William Chan
Jakarta-born graffiti artist Boner has won the Macau stage of “!Outloud x WALL LORDS 2026 International Graffiti Competition”, following two days of live painting and competition at the Nam Van Lake Anim’Arte Graffiti Area.
The event concluded on Saturday as part of the ninth !Outloud International Street Art Festival 2026 — STILL & NEXT. Organised by the Macau City Visual Arts Society and funded by the Cultural Development Fund, the competition brought together eight graffiti artists from China, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand.
Boner was selected as champion after the jury assessed the artists’ lettering originality, visual balance and onsite completion. He will receive full sponsorship for round-trip airfare and accommodation to represent the Macau stage at the next stop of the international WALL LORDS tour.
The jury comprised South Korean graffiti pioneer Jay Flow, experienced artist Semi and Australian street artist Vans. Vans said the participating artists’ technical ability exceeded his expectations, particularly in line control, colour transitions and lettering structure.
“Although the participating artists this time mainly come from Asia, their line control, colour transitions and lettering structure techniques far exceeded my initial expectations,” Vans said on Saturday. “Their overall execution and onsite control gave the jury a massive surprise.”
SINIC, a Hong Kong-based graffiti and street artist and one of the organisers of Wall Lords, told the Post in an exclusive interview on Friday that the competition has been running for more than 10 years and has developed a strong reputation in Asia. Artists are invited through an open call before organisers select participants whose work and experience suit the battle format.
“This is the first time Wall Lords has been held in Macau,” SINIC said. “The competition already has a certain reputation in Asia, so when we open the call, artists in the community will know about it. We then select participants who are capable of taking part.”
The competition was held beside Nam Van Lake and required each artist to develop a large-scale work over two days. The artists began their pieces on the first day and returned to refine details and complete them on the second. This year’s challenge centred on lettering the word “Pataca”, allowing each participant to interpret the subject through a personal style and visual language.
For SINIC, the battle format is important because it is becoming less common. Graffiti is often created in informal or unauthorised settings, while large-scale murals are increasingly commissioned as completed works. A structured competition connected to an arts festival remains unusual. “Graffiti does not often enter a formal system connected to an arts festival. That is why we have continued doing this. It is still relatively rare in Asia and internationally.” He noted that this edition’s winner, Boner, will be awarded a ticket and hotel stay to participate in the next edition of WALL LORDS.
The competition also extended beyond the professional artists. !Outloud has also set up a free wall for local people to try out graffiti art, inviting local residents, students and aspiring creators to use spray paint and take part in an open session. The WALL LORDS graffiti on Praia Grande will not be removed - it will stay there until the next graffiti artists cover it. Now locals can see the eight pieces of artwork from Wall Lords finalists at the Macau Stage at Anim’Arte. Meanwhile, during the festival, the organisers have invited artists to create new pieces in Praça de Ponte e Horta.
Jakarta-born graffiti artist Boner sprays at Anim’Arte in Nam Wan on Friday. – Photos provided by !Outloud
Boner’s interpretation on the word “Pataca”
