Here is the second submission to the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie.
THE PEOPLE UNDER THE FREEWAY, deals with the lives of homeless or near homeless people who live under a freeway in Bangkok's Thailand notorious Klong Toey Slum. All photos were made in early 2019.
Here is the face book write up:
Here is THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY submission photos to the same very nice mid level Alberta based art gallery. Sending 10 or 11 of them in tomorrow, along with a artist statement write up and CIV. This series of photographs was made this last trip to Bangkok Thailand in May-June 2019. The freeway is located in Bangkok's notorious Klong Toey Slum.
My hope is to raise some money through the exhibition, through artists talks, through people seeing the photos that I can use to help the people under the freeway.
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Anapon in his slum home under the freeway, The People Who Live Under The Freeway, Klong Toey Slum Bangkok 2019.
Khun (Mr) Anapon. I have known Anapon since 2012. He is the first person I photographed UNDER THE FREEWAY.. Khun Anapon is a kind soft spoken man, he can hardly walk as one of his feet is badly broken and miss shaped. He lives in a small wooden room under the freeway next to some railway tracks and cooks his food on an open fire in front of it. Anapon is an ex Muay Thai boxer who has traveled internationally to box. He told me once in Thai., "POOYING YEEPOON SAUWAI MAK!" (Japanese women are very beautiful!). |
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Bia 55, in his small home with king photos,'The People Who Live Under The Freeway', Klong Toey Slum, Bangkok, Thiland 2019
Khune Bla is a very nice man who drives an old truck for a living. His home is made from scrap would and has a cardboard style roof that leaks in the rain. When I gave him some money for the roof he dug around and insisted on giving me a small digital camera he had found in return. He is a huge supporter of the royal family and his pictures of the current king and past kings everywhere. |
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Bia 55, in his small home with king photos,'The People Who Live Under The Freeway', Klong Toey Slum, Bangkok, Thiland 2019
Another photograph of Khun Bla in his home. |
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Chompoo 62, 'The People Whol Live Under The Freeway, Bangkok, Thailand 2019
Chompoo sleeping under the freeway. The train tracks are sometimes active. |
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| Khun Dom is a friendly but rather erratic man. He likes to put on a show for the camera a times but then settles and and is friendlier and softer. He has drug use in his past. |
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Dui 35 under the freeway, in his home, 'The People Who Live Under The Freeway', Bangkok Thailand 2019
Khun Dui lives with Ying (see other photo) in this cloth room with mattress under the freeway. People park cars all around their home. They have lived in this space for 4 years. To make money Dui scavenges metals from electronics and repairs cell phones etc. |
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Jack 'The People Who Live Under The Freeway', Klong Toey Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2019
Jack is a very quiet person, he would go through sharp mood changes often just staring into the distance and not speaking for hours. This photo was made after drug use in his home under the freeway next to a very busy road. He fell asleep as I photographed him. |
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Jack, The People Who Live Under The Freeway', Klong Toey Slum, Bangkok Thailand 2019
Jack smoking ICE in his dump shack home under the freeway. |
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Lavah, walking without shoes under the freeway, The People Who Live Under The Freeway', Klong Toey Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2019
Khun Lavah was very drunk the day of this photograph, the only time we met. He was wondering the streets barefoot without a shirt. |
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Ooh 40+, cooking her supper, 'The People Who Live Under The Freeway', Klong Toey Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2019
Khun Ooh, is a very sweet lady. She told me she used to have a farang husband (Western) but now does not. She works everyday collecting cans and bottles and has a dog she loves deeply. Others in the area have told me she suffers from mental health issues related to her past life.. She has always been extremely kind and friendly to me. I miss her and look forward to meeting her again soon. In the photo she is starting a fire so she can cook some rice for dinner. |
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Oye 72, 'The People Who LIve Under The Freeway', Klong Toey Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2019
Khun Oye was a woman I met only once, she was very surprised to see a farang man (white Westerner) under the freeway. |
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Vee 40, Om 58, Champoo 62, digging through garbage bags,'The People Who Live Under The Freeway', Klong Toey Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2019
Everyone is going through collected garbage and saving what is valuable. |
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Ying 37, 'laughing under the freeway, The People Who Live Under The Freeway', klong Toey Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2019
Khun (Miss) Ying was always laughing, her boyfriend is Dui (see earlier pic). One day when I was photographing Ying I saw some things on a stand next to a road. I asked her if she was selling them to passing people. She told me no she was not, then she gave me a green glass statue,a Hindu style serpent / She insisted I take it. I now have that statue in my darkroom in Canada, it is a fond memory of Khun Ying.
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