BUKRUK DOCUMENTARY

BUKRUK URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL II HIT UP THE STREETS OF BKK WITH PUBLIC WALL PAINTINGS, ARTIST TALKS, EXHIBITIONS,  A MUSIC FESTIVAL AND MORE  EARLIER THIS YEAR, ALL OF WHICH IS CAPTURED HERE – IN A DOCUMENTARY SHORT THAT BRINGS IT ALL TOGETHER.
 

BUKRUK Urban Arts Festival II Documentary, 2016
Directed by : Gabriel Camelin
Music by: Marine Caillat

Artists: Aryz, ROA, Escif, Saddo, Aitch, Daehyun Kim, Kult, Lolay, Daan Botlek, Fikos, Sten & Lex, Motomichi Nakamura, Nychos, Florence Lucas, Le Dernier Cri, The Archivist, Martha Cooper

Curated by Myrtille Tibayrenc and Nicolas Dali, this year’s BUKRUK event was the second of its kind, and likely not the last, to be held in Bangkok. art4d caught up with the two curators, to get the low down on all that goes on behind the scenes of those massive mural paintings.

What is the main concept behind BUKRUK?

To have public art in Bangkok for everybody to enjoy because I think the majority of people don’t step into galleries and museums easily. We wanted to do it in the street so it could be a part of everyday life and a part of the city.

Why did you choose to utilize the Charoen Krung area? What was the potential here?

We met up with a bunch of people who were trying to fight to preserve the ancient buildings they still have in this area and we thought it was worth fighting for. We took the example of Penang where they put a bit of street art in an area and then it became a booming touristic area. They then started renovating all the ancient buildings and preserving them as they at last found out the value it had. Another reason is that a lot of people who actually live in Bangkok never come here because there is no attraction really. It is just shop houses and nothing to buy. Now people come a lot and they notice the ancient buildings.

Any disadvantage or challenge the area posed?

The mafia. We had to bribe them a lot just to have a little space in front of the wall to paint. I am not sure that is quite special to this area, it is everywhere.

 

 

How about the audience? How would you describe most of the people who come to see the walls?

It started with the motorbike taxis as the first audience in this area, they were every day bringing food and beer and trying to joke. The cool thing with this kind of art as well is that it belongs to them, as it is their area and their identity somehow. It changed slowly the shape of the space and it is for them.

Did the new creative district developing in the Charoen Krung area play a role in BukRuk?

At first we wanted to concentrate on Chinatown and make a little stroll around the really beautiful antique area there. Then we met with the creative district and they told us their project extends all along the river. We were invited to several meetings and met with people from the TAT and the GM from the Shangri-la Hotel. Everybody was very excited about BukRuk so we decided to join forces and be a part of the creative district. It was very great to work with them and they have many initiatives and are very supportive.

Plans for BUKRUK 3?

Yes, in 2018. For me it is a personal dream to invite more South American and North American artists and not focus on Europe. Another idea is to spread BukRuk to other big cities around Thailand like Chiang Mai or maybe Sukhothai.

 

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