Art 101: Exploring Bangkok’s Street Art

On The Hunt For

On a Friday night, some Israeli friends of mine told me they had heard something about a graffiti event the next day, and we spent all Saturday morning trying to track it down. The event page was very easy to find, but contained very little information.

I eventually tracked down an address and we decided to hire a songtaew. Literally translating to “two lines,” a songtaew is a red pickup truck with two bench seats in the back and an overhead cover. If you’ve ever seen The Hangover Part II, they spend quite a bit of time in one. Usually they go up and down main roads, and passengers can hop on or off wherever they’d like. If you have enough people, hiring one is cheaper than getting multiple taxis.

Since I could speak the most Thai, I sat in the cab with the driver while everyone else sat in the back with their adult beverages and music. We drove to the general vicinity of the event, and began pulling over to ask locals if they knew the address. (Bangkok is constantly under construction, and GPS maps aren’t too reliable.) Most people just stared at me blankly, but eventually I was transported back to 1999 when a soup seller gave me directions according to landmarks like “left at the giant Singha billboard” and “go straight when you see the cat painted on a street sign.”

Ryan Farley / Own Work