Meet Alex: Your Chief Storyteller and Author
From the Berlin Wall to the Streets of Hong Kong
I am a ‘Berliner’ by birth, born at a time when my hometown was home to the world’s largest continuous street art canvas: the Berlin Wall. But my obsession truly began on a grey, rainy summer day in 2010. Slightly disheartened by the weather, I was walking down Friedrichstraße in Berlin’s Mitte district, hunched under my umbrella with my eyes fixed on the pavement to avoid puddles.
What suddenly appeared beneath my feet was no puddle, but ‘Das ist doch kein Wetter’ written in big, bold, block capitals. Roughly translated as ‘This is really crap weather,’ the message brought a massive smile to my face. Someone else out there could relate, and for a second, the world felt a little less anonymous. I went back a few days later when the pavement was dry, and there it was—still speaking to me.
‘For a second, the world felt a little less anonymous.’
I was hooked. It was the start of a lifelong habit: I found myself constantly searching for those hidden gems on pavements and down narrow alleys, documenting them before they could disappear. I had become what is often called a ‘street art hunter,’ dedicated to chasing and capturing these fleeting urban conversations.
The Expert Who Wrote the Book
My years as a Lufthansa flight attendant allowed me to nourish that ‘hunter instinct’ and scout the world’s streets—from São Paulo to Paris—but a layover in Hong Kong changed everything. I didn’t just fall in love with the city’s grit and energy; I fell in love with the man who is now my husband and made this city my home.
Settling here allowed my hobby to evolve into a professional mission. My 15-year archive of the city’s shifting walls eventually became Colourful Hong Kong - Street Art Stories. Rather than a traditional guidebook, I see this book as a curated documentation of the scene so far—a 308-page journey featuring over 200 photographs and the personal stories of selected artists who have shaped Hong Kong’s visual identity.
Walking with me means seeing the streets through this 15-year lens. Together, we’ll peel back the layers of a city that changes every single day, revealing the stories behind the walls before they vanish forever.
The Wanderlust Walks Difference
I founded Wanderlust Walks Hong Kong in 2018 to move beyond ‘pointing and naming.’ To me, sharing a passion is about the techniques, the ‘making-of,’ and the human stories behind the paint. To provide an ‘insider’ experience, I stay embedded in the scene:
The Festival Insider: Having documented HKWalls since its early years and served as an official guide for their festival tours, I’ve seen the scene evolve from the inside. My history with the festival means I don’t just show you the finished murals—I share the ‘behind-the-scenes’ stories of how these massive urban art events actually come to life.
Deep Connections: I regularly interview artists and document walls while they are being painted to capture the ephemeral beauty of the streets before it disappears.
Total Context: I bridge the gap between the art and the city’s identity. As a licensed Hong Kong Tour Guide with an M.A. from Freie Universität Berlin (North American Studies, Art History, and Economics), I give you the full picture. We’ll talk artist techniques and neighborhood heritage, but we’ll also dive into local customs and the best places for an authentic HK snack.
