Launch Together We Build/เคียงข้าง ร่วมสร้าง Mural by Chuu Wai & Co.
May 23 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Background
You are invited to the launch of Together We Build /เคียงข้าง ร่วมสร้าง, a mural celebrating migration and solidarity, on Saturday, 23 May 2026 at 5pm at Thonglor House.
Chuu Wai, one of Myanmar’s most prominent contemporary woman artists, has teamed up with SEA Junction once again, this time, with an ambitious mural art project supported by Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia and the International Labour Organization (ILO) funded by the European Union, and other institutional and individual donors. Together We Build/เคียงข้าง ร่วมสร้าง amplifies the essential contributions of workers across vital sectors of society. As one Southeast Asia’s largest destination countries for migrants, Thailand is deeply intertwined with migration, yet the voices of those who have left their homelands in search of better livelihoods and safety from conflict often go unheard. Migrants sustain local communities and national and regional economies alike, yet their experiences remain largely invisible. By placing their narratives in a public space, the mural affirms their resilience, dignity, and indispensable role in shaping societies. The mural reflects how Thai and migrant people are not separate worlds, but neighbours bound by shared labour, culture, and daily life, reminding us to care for one another across differences. This is hopeful work—one that transforms narratives of division into messages of interdependence and peace.
Centering the shared experiences of local residents and migrant workers, especially in fisheries and seafood processing, but also across other essential sectors, the mural creates opportunities for connection and understanding. The ocean and the city serve as aesthetic backdrops, anchoring its visual language and tying its themes together while conveying the broad scope of migrant labour.
The figures depicted in the mural refer to real people encountered during a visit to Samut Sakhon and a series of conversations held at SEA Junction in early May, with the mural translating their voices, lived experiences and messages from the migrants into a public art display.
Due to be completed early next week, we invite you to join us in celebrating this impressive work, which will remain on display for the next two years. The informal event will include welcoming remarks by the organizers and project partners, presentations by Chuu Wai and the other artists involved and refreshments provided by Thonglor House.
Credits
Together We Build / เคียงข้าง ร่วมสร้าง
on Thong Lo between Soi 9 and Soi 11, Bangkok, Thailand
A mural led by Chuu Wai with artists Sai Chit Min & Khant Win (YG)
With the community of migrant workers, Thai and Myanmar artists and residents of Bangkok
Mural Production: Josephine Simone
Creative Adviser: Rosalia Sciortino
Organized by SEA Junction in partnership with Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia and the International Labour Organization (ILO) funded by the European Union. Support was also received from other institutional and individual donors.
Wall offered by Jeab & Thonglor House
Special thanks to:
Every hand that touched this wall
Every voice that shaped its story
Every person who stopped and looked
Lead Artist Bio
Chuu Wai (born 1992 in Yatsaut, Shan State) is a painter, performance artist and activist from Myanmar who has lived in exile in Paris following the 2021 Myanmar coup d’état. She has been active since 2008 when she began studying at the National University of Art and Culture (Mandalay) and Technological University (Mandalay). She has had solo and group exhibitions both in Myanmar and internationally including in London, Paris, New York, Berlin, Luxembourg, Hong Kong and Canberra and often also gives art talks. For more information, see further https://chuuwai.com
For more information, please email: info@seajunction.org or phone/wa: +66970024140
Organizers
SEA Junction, established under the Thai non-profit organization Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions, from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 407-8 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium), SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. More information at http://seajunction.org/.
Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia is a multi-country, multi-annual initiative of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN), implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with International Organization for Migration (IOM) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Its overriding objective is to promote regular and safe labour migration and decent work for all migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors in South East Asia. For more information, see https://shiptoshorerights.org/.
International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice through setting international labour standards. For more information, see https://www.ilo.org/.
