Books: For creative protest, in Thailand the writing is on the wall

Illustrated book traces history of political street art and graffiti

In addition to showcasing a rich variety of artwork, Rupert Mann's "Bangkok Street Art and Graffiti" contains essays peppered with interviews that address the history of street art and graffiti, from its origins in the U.S. and Europe to its rise in Thailand. (Nikkei montage/source photos by River Books and Tom Vater)

TOM VATER, Contributing writer

April 13, 2022 08:00 JST

"In 2013, a friend took me down the railway tracks behind Klong Prem prison. I saw this forest of cement columns covered in artwork and I was instantly attracted," says photographer Rupert Mann, author of "Bangkok Street Art and Graffiti."

"There's no other place like that I know of in the world. It was like walking through a politically charged art gallery. And there were artists working there. I thought, there's a book in this, and that's how many interviews began."