Bangkok and Chiang Mai - Urban Art, the ever-changing landscape!

Whenever I travel, I like to experience all aspects of life in the place I am visiting. By visiting overlooked areas other tourists avoid, I am able to see more of a country and the people who live there. Thailand is a country of contrasts; around every corner there is another temple or religious monument, but there are also clues to other aspects of Thai life. Graffiti, rather like paintings in a gallery, document particular points in the history of a nation; although it is often unnoticed and unappreciated, its artistic merit is equally important.

I have always been an admirer of graffiti art. My daily walk through The Lanes in Portsmouth on the way to work in the UK, was an artistic journey, that never failed to impress. I would often see Graffiti artists at work, adding to the urban landscape and would often stop and chat, about a skill I admire. It isn't usual to pay tribute to such a controversial activity, but I can appreciate the expertise that creates such thought-provoking, unique pieces of art.

Bangkok and Chiang Mai has its own urban art scene, and the work I saw whilst travelling through these two distinctly different regions was as good, if not better, than anything I have seen before. Not only was I impressed with the street art I observed, but I was also eager to see more.

Including samples of the graffiti I saw in Thailand, within my travelogue, alongside pictures of religious Wats, Buddhist architecture and sublime natural beauty, may seem strange, but the transient nature of these images show the real Thailand. They record the lives of the street artists who have created them, adding character to the cities where they are displayed. Creating a lasting reminder of events that shape all our lives, leave a lasting impression on all those, like me, who view them!

Graffiti works because of its unpredictable, temporary and fleeting nature, without it, our cities and the great urban sprawl would be all the poorer. Maybe all of us should accept the merits of street art and encourage it positively, then and only then will we see the true value of this unique, progressive and often gritty aspect of urban life.

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