MOS Thailand 2018: A 2-Day International Graffiti Festival That Turned the Ordinary Into a Work of Art

Posted August 21, 2018

If you’re working in the art industry or have a strong passion for street arts like Graffiti, then the name “Meeting of Styles (MOS)” should sound quite familiar. For those who don’t know, MOS is an international non-profit network of graffiti artists and aficionados that began in Wiesbaden, Germany back in 2002. Brought together and inspired by their passion for graffiti, MOS aims to create a forum for the international art community to not only communicate about work but also to support the intercultural exchange of ideas and skills.

Thailand, being a home to many artists and street art enthusiasts, organized its first Meet of Styles Thailand back in 2014 in Petchburi province. From that point on, MOS became an annual event and was held around the country in major cities like Chiang Mai, Chonburi, and Bangkok (Lat Krabang) respectively. For 2018, the international Graffiti festival made its way back into the convenience of the city center once again. This time, at a whole different scale than you’ve ever seen.

Meeting of Styles Thailand 2018 ended in great success on August 5, 2018, with great collaborations from all parties including the Ratchathewi District Office, Siam Motors Group, Care & Share Project by Appco Group, and the team at Spray Brush. Thanks to them, Chalermlar Park (near Saphan Hua Chang in the Ratchathewi area) was transformed into Bangkok’s latest landmark and hangout spot. Over 80 Graffiti artists from around the world were in attendance, breathing life into the ordinary park walls and turning them into an artistic masterpiece.

“Thailand” was the main theme for the artists to convey this year. The largest wall featured Thailand’s greatest characters with cartoon drawings of trains, Muay Thai, Tom Yum soup, Tuk Tuks, Thai desserts, and airplanes. Next to it were city names like “Bangkok” and “Siam” followed by colorful Graffiti drawings by famous street artists. The surrounding white walls acted as a canvas for the artist to portray the very best of Thailand’s culture, traditions, and lifestyle. One of the most attractive elements of the area was the Takraw court that’s now all colorful and adorable.

Both the local and international artists that were chosen for this creative charity event were all hand-picked by the team at Spray Brush. The list included NEV3R, Jesus103, AlexFace, DBT, Dr. Cas, Omeka, BigDel, Kimes, Before, Overton, Presoh, Boher, Ares, and many more. There were over 50 artists that volunteered to be part of Meeting of Styles 2018 and left countless beautiful artworks all over the Saphan Hua Chang area.

While the artists went to work, the DJs made sure everyone was having a good time with some exciting tunes. There were also a variety of activity booths including Sneaker Painting, Spray-painting, and an area where children can also draw and paint alongside the artists. The event was truly a charitable one as everything we’ve mentioned was completely free of charge.

Although the event might be over, the Graffiti arts that remained in Chalermlar Park lives on as a symbol of unity between the public and private sectors that worked together towards community development. Now, everybody can have access to awesome artworks created from a unique collaboration between international artists from around the world. Other than an unmatched atmosphere you can enjoy every time you visit the park and the beautiful pictures you can take home, this might be your chance to take a closer look into the world of street art as you’ve never before. Be sure to keep an eye out on the next Meeting of Styles and other art events around town!