BANGKOK — Nearly three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, two segments landed in Bangkok on Monday as a part of an upcoming street art festival.
Three muralists from three countries – Thailand, France and Germany – joined forces with embassies to paint two original segments of the Berlin Wall which were unveiled at the German Embassy on Sathorn Road.
With the talents of Bangkok’s Mue Bon, French artist Kashink and German Julia Benz, the two remnants have been transformed into pieces of art and symbolic reminders of peace.
But much as the fearsome concrete divider once split Berliner from Berliner, the segments themselves will be kept in the garden, which is inaccessible to the public. The embassy said Monday it is considering a way to allow access.
One side of each graffiti-festooned segment was painted by each artist while the fourth side was painted by all.
The two segments were donated to the embassy by Berlin entrepreneur Axel Brauer.
The Berlin Wall separated neighborhoods and families when it was erected in 1961 by the Soviet Union to physically and ideologically divide the capital city. It was used by people to scribble and paint murals as a form of artistic expression and resistance.
The fall of the Berlin Wall began in late 1989 following a peaceful uprising which presaged the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“This concept of no violence, it opened the door to peaceful change … It shows that we can disagree about anything as long as we agree to disagree peacefully,” said incoming German Ambassador Georg Schmidt.
Schmidt said the embassy decided to follow the “bring happiness to the Wall” practice, bringing artists of three nations – Germany, France and Thailand – to collaborate for the Street Urban Culture Highlight festival.
The event consists of graffiti, music, dance and food takes place at many venues such as MBK Center, Sathorn 11 Art Space, Alliance Francaise, Siam Discovery and EmQuartier until December 1.
