BANGKOK STREET ART AND GRAFFITI

Hope Full

Hope Less

Hope Well

Text and photographs by Rupert Mann

A new book published by River Books in 2022 - Thai and English editions.

Discover the hidden heart of contemporary Thailand in Rupert Mann’s second book as it follows alternative threads of meaning amongst Bangkok’s urban decay - abandoned remnants of the Tom YAm Kung financial crisis, hidden canals and the infamous Hopewell pillars. Despite military rule, Bangkok’s street artists and graffiti writers tell of corruption’s cost, censorship’s consequence, overdevelopment’s fallout – the tensions between old and new, between urban and rural – and the role of street art, graffiti, censorship and political dissent within modern Thailand.

One of the few books to enter these subcultures in the Asian region, and the first about Thailand’s street art and graffiti scene.

Tracing how the world’s most widespread art movements, graffiti and street art, originated amongst teenagers in New York and Philadelphia, came to Thailand and was adopted, adapted and eventually became a piece of the city’s identity. As Bangkok grew into a modern metropolis, its teenagers found new tribes and repaired some of the trauma that 50 years of unprecedented development brought to this ancient city.

Skilfully designed by Bangkok-based Studio150 using colours, textures and artwork drawn from the local scene, this high-quality production captures the grit of Bangkok’s streets. Accent colours printed in fluorescent inks,
give each book its own vibrant character.

Available in Thai and English.