This September, Bangkok hosted Krung Thep Creative Streets as part of the European Heritage Days 2025. Organised by the Danish Embassy together with the French Embassy in Thailand and other European partners, the initiative brought street art to the city from 15 to 19 September and opened historic buildings to the public during the final weekend.
Among the invited artists was the Danish Christian Storm. He created his own mural on a city wall and joined five others in a collaborative work on the Embassy of Denmark’s wall.
“For an artist who once left Denmark searching for opportunities, being invited back by my country’s Embassy in Thailand to showcase my graffiti feels like proof that my path has come full circle. Graffiti was once seen as illegal, something people didn’t appreciate. Now I get to use it in a way that connects cultures. That’s amazing,” Christian Storm says.
A life built around graffiti
Christian Storm, now 48 years old, has been painting graffiti since the age of 14. What started as teenage mischief turned into a lifelong passion. For years, he worked by day at a kitchen company in Denmark and painted graffiti by night. Eventually, the chance came to turn his art into a career.
“I never really planned to make a living from it, but suddenly it became possible. Graffiti was always my hobby, and now I get invited to practice it around the world. It makes me feel lucky.”
Denmark, however, offered limited opportunities for his style of work.
“I had a friend living in Korea, and I thought it would be exciting to take a chance there. That’s also where I met my wife, and it made sense for us to build a life together,” he explains.
Since 2021, he has lived in Seoul with his wife, an artist known as Junkhouse. The couple often work together and support each other on large projects.
He enjoys living in Asia, finding constant inspiration in the region’s vibrant urban scenes. But he also misses Denmark, family and old friends – which is why he tries to return home at least once a year. When he is back, he also enjoys painting. This summer, he created a mural in the Danish city of Assens as part of a city development project, and at other times he has contributed with his art at Roskilde Festival.
Inspiration from cultures and colours
Travel has been central to Christian Storm’s development.
“I’ve always moved between cultures, mingling with locals rather than being a tourist. You meet all kinds of people, different religions, different backgrounds – it’s very inspiring,” he explains.
But he does not see his work as bound by national or cultural context.
“Of course, it’s different to paint in different places, but I don’t think so much about where I am. I focus more on what I want to create and what I think looks good.”
He often finds ideas in the small details of everyday life.
“I sit in cafés, watch people, look at colours, and store it all in my memory. That’s where a lot of my inspiration comes from.”
Painting in Bangkok
At Krung Thep Creative Streets, Christian Storm found himself painting in the middle of Bangkok’s busy streets.
“When I paint on a big street wall, there is so much happening around me – traffic, people, noise. I put music in my ears and focus completely. It’s an inner process. But it’s also fun to hang out with the other artists. This event is a really cool experience for me,” he says.
The collaborative work at the Embassy of Denmark was painted in red and blue tones, chosen for their symbolism in Thailand. For Christian Storm, the invitation to take part was both an honour and a personal milestone – showing how far graffiti has come, and how far he has come with it.
