The face of a city is like that of a child. It constantly changes, develops, and matures over time. Old buildings fall and new buildings rise to replace them. New roads are built to manage increasing congestion, then widened, then rerouted, and then finally elevated to form an entirely new skyline. This process of change is gradual, and inevitable. But, the one thing that can miraculously transform the face of a city overnight, is Street Art.
As a city of nine million people, Bangkok is no stranger to development. But thankfully for Bangkokians, it’s no longer a stranger to the beauty of Street Art.
Since the invention of the aerosol can,Graffiti, Tagging, and more latterly Street Art have become features of every major city in the world. Every city has its share of each, but here in Bangkok Street Art was placed on steroids with the advent of the city’s first Bukruk Festival in 2013. (Bukruk = Trespass)
In 2013, a group of Thai artists including - Mamafka, P7, Yuree, Alex Face, Tawan Wattuya and Rukkit - gained permission to add colour and beauty to a derelict building site in the area known as Ratchathewi. As far as I am aware, it would become the first legally endorsed Street Art in Thailand.
The reaction to the transformation was overwhelmingly positive, and two years later the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority decided to transform the Ratchathewi site into a small park, complete with a children’s play area and a backdrop of art that’s being constantly updated.
Then in 2016, some of those original Ratchathewi artists organized the second Bukruk Festival and invited famous artists from around the world to join them. Moving outwards from Ratchathewi, over the course of ten days they transformed the once drab and heavily tagged walls along Klong Saen Saep and occasional buildings all of the way down to Song Wat Road and the Chao Phraya River at Sapan Thaksin. (Klong = Canal)
Since then, as their works have faded and flaked, various artists have returned to provide Bangkok with an eclectic, vibrant, and ever changing backdrop to daily life.
I take my hat off to these artists, and hope that they continue to inspire and add colour to the busy lives of Bangkokians and Tourists alike.
If any fellow Steemians are travelling to Bangkok and would like more information, locations etc., then I’ll try to assist. And, if you’d like to see more of Bangkok's amazing Street Art, then just ask and I’ll try to post more over time.
Riding and smiling as always … Geoff