MUEBON

Bangkok-based MUEBON (real name: classified) is renowned for biting social commentary on subjects spanning from wealth disparity to environmental activism to the pervasive influence of contemporary media — messages he delivers via his rotating cast of colorful characters, including a flightless cartoon bird named PUKRUK and Mr. TV, possessor of a television screen face. MUEBON is perhaps most synonymous with his Mickey Mouse-inspired skull stickers and wheatpastes, memento mori urging viewers to expel their feelings of anger, frustration and hopelessness in favor of embracing acceptance and finding inner peace.

A product of the first generation of Thai street artists, MUEBON has played a pivotal role in propelling the craft to notoriety and respect across his homeland — and beyond. Raised in the slums of Thonburi, MUEBON (an alias translating to “fidgety hands”) grew up obsessed with Japanese manga. He began his graffiti art career as a teen, often painting under the cover of darkness to avoid the local police, and defied the odds to earn a fine arts degree, in 2005 graduating with honors from the Rajamangala Institute of Technology. While street art remains MUEBON’s passion, he also has exhibited paintings and sculptures in galleries across Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan and Moscow, and in 2018 he partnered with luxury label Hermès.