I haven’t’ made a post on street art since leaving Chiang Mai, where I saw tons of beautiful art, every day. Here at the seaside, there has been much less, a surprise to me as often seaside towns have a real vibe, and that includes creativity. Here is some amazing street art in Kata & Karon on Phuket Island that I have noticed in my walk-a-bout towns.
Location
Kata & Karon are both beach towns located south of the more popular Patong Beach area. They have a very utilitarian feel and vibe with not a lot of flair. The little street art I have found is usually along the main strip near the beach, or on roads just off that.
Surfing
Both of these beaches are home to a lot of surf schools and rental places so there is an underlying surfing vibe here, especially on Kata. This emerges in the street art for sure. I love these images, they portray a sense of youth, vibrancy and fun.
Traditional
As always, I am drawn to the traditional street art in any destination. I really enjoy seeing cultural references represented with a modern twist. Graffiti and street art is a beautiful way for people to express their admiration for their culture through art.
Graffiti
There really isn’t a whole lot here! No excessive tagging, no rude and controversial images no matter how small. I don’t know the repercussions of graffiti here, perhaps they are extremely harsh. But what ever it is, the graffiti, or what I would classify as graffiti is few and far between.
Cutsie
Something I love is the friendly and cute images. They can make a person smile and have an element that I don’t see in the west very often. These cute faces with big eyes, always smiling, are adorbs.
That is the extent of the street art in these not so small beach towns. I continue my search on a daily basis, wandering the streets up and down, searching for beauty in all its forms. Street art will always be something I photograph. Finding and preserving these fleeting images is important to me.
