YOUR CHARACTER WITH THE AGED CHILD’S FACE HAS BECOME ICONIC. WHAT LED YOU TO CREATE THIS FIGURE, AND HOW HAS IT EVOLVED SINCE ITS FIRST APPEARANCE?

I created this character in 2009, and almost 16 years since, Although this character was inspired by my daughter, it doesn’t just represent my daughter alone. It’s more of a representation the newer generations.

My work has constantly changed according to social contexts and what I wanted to communicate during different periods of time. Sometimes, I use this character as a tool to talk about social issue, politic and often time to speak about the city me and my family live in. If you look at my early work, the techniques I’ve used have too, changed with time.

THE BIRTH OF YOUR DAUGHTER PLAYED A BIG ROLE IN SHAPING YOUR ART. HOW DID BECOMING A FATHER SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE AS BOTH AN ARTIST AND A PERSON?

After my child was born, my life was never the same. In fact, I may not have been as prepared at that time, but that may have given me the determination and energy to work tirelessly, because I was no longer working just for myself, but for my family as well.

The changes in the world also have affected me and my work, When I look at my child, I think back to my own childhood, the environment, and the way I grew up. This is most evident in the environment near my birthplace in Bang Pakong, Chachoengsao. Over the past ten years, everything has changed, much like many rural areas around the world. What were once vast fields stretching as far as the eye could see during my childhood have been replaced by motorways, industrial factories, and housing developments across the canal. We can no longer play in or use water from the canal. My daughter sees the place where her father grew up in a completely different way than I did. During this time, I’ve chosen to paint landscapes in different places, partly because I want to preserve them in paintings before they inevitably change.

THE THIRD EYE IN YOUR WORK REFERENCES THAI SPIRITUAL BELIEFS. WHAT DOES THAT SYMBOL MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY, AND WHAT DO YOU HOPE IT COMMUNICATES TO OTHER

The third eye, for me, is an eye that represents belief and superstition. I grew up believing in things that couldn’t be seen with the human eye, such as ghosts and spirits. After I started spraypainting the third eye, it has made me encounter different group’s beliefs regarding it. I’ve been rejected from spraying the third eye in some places because it’s a demonic symbol. But in other places with different beliefs, it becomes a sign of pure, good power. Nowadays, I see the third eye as a symbol of not just acknowledging differences, but also embracing them with respect. I think, this is what I do hope to communicate with the other.

YOU BEGAN PAINTING IN ABANDONED URBAN SPACES. HOW IMPORTANT IS THE ENVIRONMENT OR SETTING OF YOUR WORK TO ITS MESSAGE?

I feel like a child exploring and adventuring; having the freedom to paint anything I wanted in abandoned urban spaces. However, these buildings are not truly abandoned, and I would often encounter their inhabitants. Once I saw a small child running and playing, and beside him was his mother, cradling a small infant. Concrete walls and exposed floors are far from suited to a child that age. On a separate occasion, mattresses, appliances, and other traces of life told me that someone would return to that abandoned building that night. In most people’s eyes, these buildings are overlooked or seen as forgotten and abandoned. But for others, these buildings were structures that offered protection and shelter. My experiences in uninhibited urban areas allowed me to see the small lives in a big city such as Bangkok. I realized that my work had made its way into the lives and spaces of strangers, sleeping, playing, and walking alongside them or from beyond the windowpane.

I think elements of these lives have undoubtedly made their way into my work, inspiring countless walls and paintings over the years.

YOUR MURALS OFTEN APPEAR PLAYFUL AT FIRST GLANCE, BUT CARRY DEEPER, SOMETIMES TROUBLING THEMES. HOW DO YOU BALANCE CHARM WITH CONFRONTATION IN YOUR IMAGERY?

The cute and innocent appearance of my character invites people in, revealing heavy messages that often catch the viewer off guard. I think that communicating my feelings towards the content that I present through my work is what keeps a balance between visual perception and message. It’s probably because the heavy topics that I discuss has happened and continue to happen, and I too continue feeling as a result.

YOU’VE MENTIONED WANTING TO CONNECT WITH EVERYDAY PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE UNDERPRIVILEGED. HOW DO YOU SEE PUBLIC ART SERVING A SOCIAL OR POLITICAL PURPOSE IN THAILAND TODAY?

Ever since the first time I sprayed paint on a wall, I’ve always thought of my work as a form of release, about interacting with the city by speaking out about society, about the city I live in, speaking about my identity as just one person living in a complex, bustling metropolis.

It can be a confusing time in both Thai and world politics during this time There are wars all over the world, both wars that are causing people to lose their lives or trade wars that are making life harder for those still living on. I think other street artists and I are trying to find a way that we can contribute to this situation. For example, this year I worked with the city of Bangkok to develop a sports field under an expressway. We created artwork and made the area safer and more accessible so that people can have more alternative public spaces for their activities. without having to pay more for safety and convenience.

PENGUINS AND OTHER CHARACTERS HAVE RECENTLY APPEARED ALONGSIDE YOUR BABY FIGURE. WHAT ROLE DO THESE NEW ADDITIONS PLAY IN YOUR VISUAL STORYTELLING?

I was spray-painting in the sun, on an unusually hot day that Bangkokians had become used to. My eyes drifted onto a pile of broken concrete, scattered across the foot of the wall. I imagined that the pieces of concrete was ice floating around the north pole, and that made me have a funny thought; What if climate change has caused the concrete turning to ice and caused penguins to immigrate to Bangkok and other ASEAN countries?

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO COLLABORATING WITH 4BYSIX, AND HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK CONTRIBUTING TO ITS MISSION OF COMMUNITY IMPACT THROUGH ART?

I was attracted to the various projects that 4BYSIX had working with communities and the everyday man. Seeing that the bulk of that were art projects, I agreed to join in. I see art as a tool to communicate with people, especially when it is in public spaces. My work can reach people differently based on their individual experiences, and I hope that my work can inspire someone.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PIECE YOU CREATED FOR 4BYSIX? WHAT INSPIRED IT, AND HOW DOES IT CONNECT TO YOUR LARGER PRACTICE?

Ongoing wars in the world really impact me and fuel my need to create work to speak out. The fireball in this piece could be the movement of a flame in a war or someone celebrating with fireworks. I want the fire itself to be ambiguous, but what is clear is the child sitting at the bus stop amidst the fireballs. I want peace and well-being to be like a bus with a fixed schedule, so that the children can wait for it with hope. This is connected to a recurring theme in my work that talks about concerns about the future of children who are growing up.

As for the work on the steel plate, a part of the bus that 4BYSIX sent me, its connection to my larger practice can be seen as part of the overall picture of my work. Because most of the work I do on the wall is in public areas interacting with buildings, environmental elements, or street furniture; I often insert my characters into the picture while making a connection with existing elements.

AS SOMEONE WHO BLENDS TRADITION, FAMILY, AND FUTURE INTO YOUR WORK, WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO EXPLORE NEXT IN YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY?

My latest series of works from the past two years are ‘en plein air’ paintings from my journeys on the road, both by car and by bike. I think of it as part of my exploration and experimentation, just for the fun of my work. What I want to do now is to make art as I move through the landscape, while expecting to meet people I’ve never met and hear stories I’ve never heard before, as well as explore myself as I age.