Cool Street Art in Asia

"Is street art vandalism or public fascination?"

I wouldn't be the first to say that word 'street art' is extremely confusing.

In general, street art is either considered as public art or just pure vandalism.

When I talk about street art, I'm not thinking about kids with spray cans ready to color the walls with awful yellow and orange 'signatures'. That's just plain vandalism in my opinion.

Street art is more like an expression of thoughts and opinions, channeled into awesome paintings. I don't find good street art to be offensive in any way - they're just as good or even better than the art shown at some fancy gallery shows.

Probably the only thing that separates street art from gallery art is the permission.

CLICK ON ONE OF THE PICTURES TO START THE PHOTO GALLERY!

Is street art illegal? What does the law say?

The legal distinction between art and graffiti is the permission. Did this person have permission to paint the street walls?

If yes, it's art. If no, it's graffiti.

Well, nowadays it's not that simple. It's in fact a lot more complex, but I won't go into that here. You're here for the photos! :-)

Enjoy the pictures! :-)

Street art in Hong Kong

Bruce Lee street art in Kowloon, Hong Kong

Hong Kong is not only about skyscrapers and delicious Cantonese food, but also art. Street art isn't any exception.

We stumbled upon this street painting somewhere in Kowloon.

Electronic gadget street art in Hong Kong

Another cool street painting in Kowloon! A nice promotion for electronic gadgets.

Painting of a cartoon lady on Nathan road in Hong Kong

This was painted along the walls on Nathan road in Kowloon Hong Kong...

Street painting on Nathan road in Hong Kong

...and the same with this one

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Street art in India:

Cool street art in Pushkar of a man and a cobra

I accidentally came over this painting when I was strolling around inPushkar (northwest India). It wasn't far from the hotel I was staying at (Oasis Hotel).

Varanasi is the 'city of dead' bringing religion and art together. Most of the paintings I saw were on the ghats or close to the ghats. Lots of impressive art work! :-)

We're still in Varanasi. Just walk along the ghats and you'll see all kinds of street art and paintings on the walls. We started our 'sightseeing' from Assi Ghat.

Strolling around the ghats is a must - observe the spriritual life and the cool street art.

The guy portrayed to the left is Satya Sai Baba who was an Indian guru. Photos of him are portrayed extensively, including in Indian homes. He's well-known for his support for charity work, hospitals and education.

The guy to the right is Shirdi Sai Baba - also an Indian guru and a popular saint. He's at least seen as a saint by Hindus and Muslims.

Cool street art in Cambodia:

This might not be a traditional street art painting, but it's still very nice. I found it outside a shop in Phnom Penh in Cambodia, after visiting theKilling Fields.

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Art in Thailand:

Art painting in Chiang Mai.

Cool art in Chiang Mai in north Thailand

Another art painting in Chiang Mai, at a toilet inside a club.

Do you have a cool street art photo from Asia? :-)

It would be really cool if you could share it with us. You get full credits and exposure right here on Backpacking Tips Asia.com. Contact me here. :-)

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