Art breathes life into black leopard campaign – despite repeated attempts at suppression

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Art breathes life into black leopard campaign – despite repeated attempts at suppression

By MARISA CHIMPRABHA 
THE NATION

 

 

A CAMPAIGN calling for the prosecution of a construction tycoon over his alleged killing of a black leopard and other protected animals has expanded, with people expressing their grief and anger in essays, poems, paintings and, in the latest development, street art.

 

Premchai Karntasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development Plc, was arrested more than a month ago for poaching in Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi province.

 

Members of the public have since expressed shock and outrage after photos released by forest rangers showed that the protected black leopard had been butchered, skinned and cooked.

 

Forensic evidence showed that the animal had been shot at close range, allegedly using a shotgun seized at Premchai’s campsite.

 

As people following the case have shown dissatisfaction with the slow pace of the investigation, many have expressed their feelings regarding the case, and the hunting of endangered big cats in general, in many ways.

 

 

On social network platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram users have written about the issue using both prose and poetry.

 

People have also produced T-shirts featuring poems and drawings of black leopards, which are being sold for charity, while others have drawn by hand or used computer technology to produce pictures of the leopard, allowing others to share the powerful imagery on social networks.

 

 

 

In Songkhla province, photos of a black leopard being shot have been displayed on a roadside billboard along with other advertisements.

 

The latest artwork joining the campaign is graffiti, an art form that previously has often been associated with urban blight and lawbreaking teenagers.

 

However, the public has seemed to welcome street art depicting leopards that has been produced at many public areas in Bangkok.

 

The first mural apparently was the work of a Facebook user known as “Headache Stencil”, who painted a picture of a black leopard’s head accompanied by a symbol of a mute button on a wall on Sukhumvit Road.

 

 

The symbolism was described as urging the public not to remain silent regarding the case.

 

However, the image was quickly painted over by unknown parties, while other graffiti works near it were not touched. The painted-over image was reported to Headache Stencil by someone who went to the site to take a selfie with the work after it was defaced.

 

 

Many people then wrote comments on Headache Stencil’s Facebook page asking why it had been painted over.

 

The same fate has now obscured a work by a well-known street artist known as ALEX FACE, which he painted on Phuttamonthon 2 Road in Bangkok.

 

 

That artwork depicted the artist’s famous graffiti character Mardi wearing a black-leopard costume and a mask with a Pinocchio nose.

 

That image was immediately published in traditional and online media, receiving a lot of positive feedback – yet it too was painted over.

 

The campaign has also been joined by Win Leowarin, a national artist, who used Adobe Illustrator to paint funeral cards for a leopard, which showed the animal along with a fork and blood.

 

 

Win’s second work featuring a leopard became the talk of the town, with the imagery including a barcode on its body that at first puzzled his audience until he labelled it as “Bar Code Panther”, corresponding to the location of the Kanchanaburi wildlife sanctuary where the animal was killed.

 

 

Meanwhile, a group of celebrities has boarded the bandwagon by posting photos on Facebook of themselves showing their left hands, which they said signified the heart, with crosses drawn to symbolise their rejection of double standards in Thai law and inequality in society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That represented fears that have widely expressed that Premchai could evade justice in the case because of his status as a billionaire with powerful friends.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30340428

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-08

[Odysseus123]

This is about much,much more than Premchai...

 

This is about a population that has been bound and gagged for far to long.

 

Perhaps the Thai elites (and the elephant in the room) may come to fear the big black cat.

 

Artists are the true social and cultural antennae of our time.

 

 

[Lungstib]

Youth, silenced for so long, have found a way to protest without fear of arrest and sedition charges.

[Samui Bodoh]

If I am to be honest, I LOVE to see street protests.

 

However, I also love to see the subtlety of artists' protests.

 

A message to the 'higher-ups', don't look back as a black cat may be gaining on you...

[Darcula]

At least, these artists are busy enough not to make any watch cartoons any more.

[YetAnother]

26 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

If I am to be honest, I LOVE to see street protests.

 

However, I also love to see the subtlety of artists' protests.

 

A message to the 'higher-ups', don't look back as a black cat may be gaining on you...

agreed, and a bit satisfying that , doubtless, the junta is puzzled by all this and have no idea nor plan on how to counter it; they will , in all likelihood use their standard heavy-handed tactics starting with warnings , all of which will play right into the opposition

[metisdead]

 A troll post containing a trolling disallowed reference to the PM has been removed. 

[leeneeds]

Very easy to replace Premchai as head of the company,

why it has taken this long for him to show some integrity and remove himself , alone , speaks volumes of his mind set, 

 

A story of the tassie tigers demise similarly extinct now and regretted by all who could have done more to save the species, Wolfgang Grasse was also an artist who was commissioned by the government to do a painting for them on the Tasmanian tiger, he did so,  and all people who had a hand in its demise got a bath, the government of the day were horrified, 

Wolfgang is no longer with us sadly,  but his protest rings still across the art world as these artists in Thailand show the same mind set,  I applaud them all.

 

[mikebell]

A new rule under article 44: no felt tip pens; paints; pencils; tattoos will be allowed to be sold.

[anon789561]

i agree there is a lot more to this back lash than just Premchai who without a doubt is regretting his actions. Have to say, some of the art work i have seen doing the rounds on social media has been really impressive. there's some talent out there alright

[doremifasol]

Silent protests.......my favorites.

 

They speak louder than words.

Edited March 8, 2018 by doremifasol
dot

[impulse]

1 hour ago, YetAnother said:

agreed, and a bit satisfying that , doubtless, the junta is puzzled by all this and have no idea nor plan on how to counter it; they will , in all likelihood use their standard heavy-handed tactics starting with warnings , all of which will play right into the opposition

 

The phenomena they're protesting predates the junta by decades, and will outlive the junta for decades even after they implement elections. 

 

All the elections do is decide who's going to be the public face of the Elite who direct them under the Silver or Lead incentive programs.

 

[Lungstib]

4 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

Artists are the true social and cultural antennae of our time.

My son, an artist, and his friends would just love to hear this. So often ridiculed for their lack of 'love of money' and business. 

[mike324]

many graffiti being painted over, not surprising ....

[Kimber]

5 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

This is about much,much more than Premchai...

 

This is about a population that has been bound and gagged for far to long.

 

Perhaps the Thai elites (and the elephant in the room) may come to fear the big black cat.

 

Artists are the true social and cultural antennae of our time.

 

 

 

Yes, what a refreshing revelation on the part of the Thai people themselves,   PEOPLE POWER can wrought irreversible change once its focussed and mobilised.

 

EG: The dismantling of the Berlin wall.  

 

[maximillian]

4 hours ago, Darcula said:

At least, these artists are busy enough not to make any watch cartoons any more.

 

Yes, because it's a new pig being hunted through the streets of Thailand.

[Odysseus123]

If they keep up the pace the government will have to import migrant workers to do all the whitewashing.

 

 

[CharlesSwann]

Interesting, but I suspect this is political rather than conservational. I doubt it will do anything to combat hunting at village level, which is a much bigger problem and is commonplace. It's the ordinary local people who are stripping the country of its wildlife. In any forest at night, it seems, you can hear the shooting. In any marshland you'll see the mist-nets strung up to catch wild birds indiscriminately.

[thaiguzzi]

The little kid painting the volume sign over the cat's head with a paint tin on the floor - very Banksy. Very good.

[chama]

13 hours ago, Lungstib said:

Youth, silenced for so long, have found a way to protest without fear of arrest and sedition charges.

But don't they realize as long as they keep this in the spotlight the police have to keep investigating until things die down? How can this be swept under the rug when the youth keep shaking the rug? 

 

I hope they get the justice they seek and make a statement that this type of behavior, with the culture of acceptance through dismissal of punishment, will be stopped.  

[mtls2005]

Alex Face is in the game...

 

He's also done a Mercedes=Benz ad so...

 

 

[Sonhia]

What or who gave him the right to take the life of the Panther?!

 

I forgot that he is high-so and probably drives a Merc or BMW, so it gives him  the right to act like god!

 

He should be thrown into prison!

 

No trail. He is guilty!