Bangkok’s Wettest Art Dream: Burin Pong
Thailand is a vivid place to be - the food, the culture, the smiles, and famously, the ladyboys attract all.
The queer community seems more expansive than its neighboring countries and occupies a big chunk of the young creative class and its corresponding art scene. Bangkok looks like a queer haven for many outsiders, but the truth is, while the LGBTQ+ community is active and growing, same-sex households don’t see the same protection as opposite-sex couples.
The reality is that while most people respect and love the community, recognition, and safety for LGBTQ+ people need more development. This is where artist Burin Pong stands out: fetching the sexiest of queer wet dreams and transcribing them into charged, gesticulated art, he’s making space for a better future.
Burin Pong is undeniably a leading figure in Bangkok’s young LGBTQ+ scene: a self-proclaimed “gaymer” [a portmanteau for a gay gamer], they are merging their love for video game characters and life-sized queerness. Being an intrinsic part of humanity, queerness is fluid, and Pong represents that deliberately, not only through the swift movement of long limbs but also through the oozing sexiness of his subjects.
Video game characters and sex appeal have long gone hand-in-hand but as heteronormativity seeps in media, these characters often lack representation. Depicting a clear image of queerness is tricky, but context helps enormously: Burin Pong gives us exactly that. By creating an artistic universe where they mix the proudest parts of his identity, Pong gives a chance for people to indulge in the possibility of having really queer gaming skins; the artist never omits the fun, freedom, and sensuality that comes with being LGBTQ+. Placing his cursor all over the spectrum of masculinity, androgyny, and femininity, his talent and effervescence are simply addicting.
As the world further drools over Burin Pong’s beautiful art, hidden voices are made louder, and that’s what we need more of.
