Interview with BEEJOIR

Because we all have already seen images like "LV Child" or "Shell blood for oil", we were very curious to know a bit more about the man behind these striking works.
So for our first interview, we scratched our heads more than usually and asked a few questions to Beejoir.

You live in Bangkok but you're not thai, right ? Why and how did you end up there ?
I left school in England at 17 and decided to go surfing in Indonesia for a couple of months, which turned into a couple of years and then a couple more years, eventually after living all over Asia and Africa it was time to settle down Bangkok was just the easiest place at the time.

Did you go to any art school ? Is it something that you always wanted to do ? How did you enter the magical world of art ?
My art teachers at school were close to 80 (husband and wife) they had taught my father and most of my older relatives, 55 years teaching at the same school must make you a pretty numb person especially in an overcrowded comprehensive. They were only interested in classical style art, if you couldn't paint a watercolour of a flower you were either shit at art or rebelling, they pinned me as someone who didn't want to learn and forced me to leave art class at 14. They were also our sexual health teachers!
Our small town was pretty void of art, the only thing that really switched me on were these amazing social and pollitical scenes painted by a local Graffiti artist (MAU-MAU). So our came the spray cans.

Can you please tell us about the techniques you use for inside and outside works ?
I like to vary it and don't want to get pigeon holed as a graffiti/stencil/pasteup/fine artist, whatever fits the message I'll use. Stencils work fine for getting pieces up in seconds but the more you paint the more time you realize you have (apart from getting nicked last week).

Any particular influences, artists you like,... ?
I'm not so much influenced by artists as much as I am with normal every day people. I admire so many artists, some not just for their art. Hirst and Warhol for their business minds, how they manipulate the public to think of their art as something higher when in relaity its just really fucking good PR.
Old masters blowme away, when back in London I can spend days in the National gallery fuck theres so much skill and talent that seems to have been lost. Of the new wave I'm fond of Matt Smalls portraits the mans really got something going on there, Micallefs black and white work which fills my house against the girlfriends will, Banksy for what he's created and Adam Neate who's last exhibition was a show stopper.


The culture is totally different and the governement is very strict in Thailand.
How is the thai art scene ? Are there a lot 'street' artists ? Is there an influence of the occidental trends ?
There are a growing number or graff artists, it started a lot like it did at home with just pure writers and taggers but there is not so much of a ''street art scene'' yet though its on its way. The Thai Police are very different to those at home, for one you can bribe them but many just don't get what your doing, Phai from AMP and I have been caught a few times putting up large stencils only to be admired by the police when we have finished. You never know though with police out here, the one bad one could really fuck you up!

You're well known for your messages against big multinational companies, against almost everything that money and power rules. For that your images have a strong impact.
Is it something you feel necessary to do ? In the street or in galleries ?
Street pieces and Gallery pieces have the same message, its just street pieces get seen more by the public but mostly get ignored in a gallery they can't be ignored. Most of my pieces are missinturprated hugely, I'm not so much against the big corporations but the everyday people, you and I. We are the people that make these corporations, we are the people that support them and only have ourselves to blame.

Are you involved in humanitary, charity actions ?
A little, theres a large slum close to where we live and Souled Out Studios give a good chunk of its proffit to building class rooms, libraries and stocking it with what ever it can. I've never been too fond of charities, money seems to go missing a lot or gets spent on PR, managing directors and all of that crap it was nice to find one that just sorts shit out.

Disney is always very pissed when someone reworks on something with their characters.
Did you ever have any problems with Louis Vuitton because of your LV child ? Do you know if they saw it and what was their reaction ?
We went to their flagship store opening in Bangkok dressed in dinner suits and gave the head honcho of LV a print no idea of his reaction we grabbed two bottles of Champagne a hand full of cigars and fucked off.

LV Child:


Where you approached by brands or agencies to collaborate on something with you ? If no, would you like to ?
What about doing a tee-shirt for Nike for example ? What do you think about artists that work for famous brands ?
I'd do anything for money I'm fucking shameless! Nike, Halliburton, Shell, McShit, I'd do it all. Again its not the companines its the public that cause this mess.

Every prints you make are almost sold out in seconds. Some of these are for the secondary market to make very quick cash out of your artwork.
What do you think about that, about this print fashion and about the secondary market ?
mmmmmmm If I was a student in my 3rd year of uni and had the chance of making a quick 2k would I say no to it? Would I bollocks!
Its always been there its just more accessable now. I don't mind people flogging my work for a profit, but I don't like people asking me for a piece that they will never sell then a day later its on ebay.

Any problems with the police for vandalism, ...?
Lots.

What's coming next in the near future for Beejoir ?
An Exhibition in the Leonard st in Feb and some more street work in the UK next month!

Many thank to Beejoir for his time !!!

the studio:





new works:





Swoon&Beejoir: