IBU.2019

On a small structure on the grounds of The Bureau of Silly Ideas, Arch 18 Valentia Place, there is this stencil of a woman in a traditional seated pose. She smiles warmly at the viewer and is wearing clothes with subtle floral patterns.

Directly beneath the image, ‘IBU.2019’ is spray-painted in red letters. ‘Ibu’ means ‘mother’ or ‘madam’ in Indonesian and Malay, suggesting that the artwork honours a mother figure and was created in 2019.

Above the stencil is a yellow sticker featuring a lorry and Thai text (รถพ่วง, meaning ‘trailer’ or ‘semi-trailer’). It is unclear whether this sticker – and the small sticker bearing the text ‘No one is illegal’ – form part of the same artwork. The artist is unknown.