A Little Bit of Bangkok
My good friend Kevin took Joshua and I on a whirlwind tour of Bangkok during our first full day in the big city. We got to see a LOT of interesting sites and eat lots of delicious smells...but one of the main attractions that filled my photographer's cup with wonder was the graffiti art at Chalermla Park.
I am lucky to have a lot of amazing friends who live all over the world...and all of them have happily taken me to the nitty gritty graffiti areas of their neck of the woods. This however is the first location I've been to that incorporated the art into an actual park (and not just some sketchy back alleys leading to more sketchy deserted buildings.)
After leaving Baan Khrua, a silk-making neighborhood, we started trekking towards the park...which was pretty easy to find, just follow the graffiti!
@osirisrain
This beautiful flower-haired portrait by Osiris Rain pulled me in immediately. Rain is a mural artist based out of Charlotte, NC.
BKK is an acronym for Bangkok, but aside from that I couldn't tell you what these pieces of art mean. I would love to hear your opinions and interpretations though!
Once I got past the initial awe of all the art, my eyes got the opportunity to watch all the fun happening around me. Children fresh out of school playing together on colorfully painted tires, and a group of guys playing Sepak takraw (kick volleyball) caught my gaze. Of course it was quickly detoured right back to the vibrant murals behind them. In the middle you can see a huge baby named Mardi created by Alex Face. His signature baby character can be found on walls of abandoned buildings throughout Bangkok and the world. This seemingly cute baby, named Mardi and inspired by Face’s daughter, reveals his social conscience as it is actually always angry and constantly worried about the gray future of the world she sees through her third eye.
I thought I had gotten my graffiti fill and seen all the art available. Then we turned the corner and I instantly fell in love with this adorable little boy, quietly playing by himself amongst the piercing graffiti. A pretty beautiful way to end our art walk if you ask me.
