King BNE

You must be bound to your bed if you haven’t met BNE yet in Bangkok. BNEwhat?! BNE is everywhere. Mostly sprayed in black neat big letters on houses and walls, BNE keeps you guessing what the vandalism could be all about. Graffiti’s an art though.

Whereas BNE is just another of those phenomena the world could do without. But hey, somebody with a mission must be very lonely out there. And clever enough to avoid CCTV. Swiss Jufer who had drunkenly spray-painted posters of HM the King had been caught the very next day.

BNE remains on the loose. Decorating whatever with a three letter code nobody understands, sometimes even adding a crown or having the nerve to spray KING BNE WAS HERE, as CNN’s Dan Rivers reports in the vid below.

King BNE of what? The sprayer not only runs the risk of being accused of vandalism if you know what I mean. The authorities better be on high alert. BNE is by no means a local fad. Expect a plot with global implications.



Via Siam Report






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July 6, 2009 | Filed Under Culture & Arts, Truly Bangkok 

Comments

9 Responses to “King BNE”

  1. MongerSEA on July 7th, 2009 10:24 am

    Graffiti is not an art, Dan. It’s an eyesore and one that for most people is every bit as unwelcome as the droppings of soi dogs. Here’s hoping the perpetrator takes his tired act to Singapore and faces justice there. A hefty fine and five or ten strokes of the cane is just the ticket.

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  2. Julian on July 7th, 2009 3:30 pm

    There *are* “BNE was here” stickers (not graffitti) in some places in Singapore, such as Boat Quay. I first saw them in Bangkok in January, and now they made it here too.

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  3. whoopla on July 8th, 2009 12:21 am

    BNE ain’t no Banksy:

    Graffiti is most definitely a form of artistic expression – it’s like saying you don’t like rap music, therefore it is not a cultural phenomenon.

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  4. stefan on July 8th, 2009 8:03 am

    Born Neanderthals, the first Picasso’s were cave etchings – some preamble to graffiti – so graffiti is a primordial art form … still, BNE is a vacuous narcissist. Definitely give Banksy credit!l And yes, BNE deserves punishment for being so un-imaginative.

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  5. Mariyah on July 8th, 2009 9:55 am

    Right on, MongerSEA!

    Never understood how it could be described as “art.” Puleese.

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  6. KV on July 25th, 2009 10:42 am

    I do remember seeing BNE graffiti and stickers couple of years ago in Bangkok already. And it is IMPOSSIBLE this to be work of one man. It is obvious even in Bangkok alone as the stickers and graffiti are EVERYWHERE, from high traffic places to small sois and back alleys. For some reason most are talking about “he”, and as in “one person”. Yea sure, one person around the world in big cities and in smallest of streets, no way.

    Anyhow as the groups is intriguing but indeed should be stopped as it creates great costs to cleaning of public space. Well, everyone knows that it does not matter in dirty city of Bangkok but more developed cities sure care about the cleaning costs. Interpol to the rescue, this group should be able to be caught by cameras by now.

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  7. - on August 30th, 2009 10:30 pm

    My theory is that BNE is a “tourist.” I live in Bangkok which is plastered with BNE stickers and graffiti and recently visited Kuala Lumpur.

    There the same stickers and similar graffiti exist.

    Interestingly those stickers were mainly found in more touristy areas, such as china town and the train stations.

    I think it is possible that one person who is spending some time in each city is capable of doing exactly this.

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  8. MLA on November 11th, 2009 12:15 pm

    No I’ve seen these stickers in places tourists NEVER go to.

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  9. Graffiti | Off Track Planet - The Backpackers Ultimate Travel Guide on July 7th, 2010 9:31 pm

    [...] whether we’re shouting “I was here” on lamp posts in Bangkok and Tokyo (as does King BNE) or “Fuck Bush” on walls all over the world (that exact phrase appears in 25 countries [...]

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