Ghost Crab Graffiti Mural Koh Yao Noi Island, Thailand
Mutant Ghost Crab Graffiti Mural at Baan Suan Sunset View in Koh Yao Noi Island, Thailand
Cartoon character style graffiti mural by Vinni Kiniki featuring a mutant four-eyed ghost crab with bright green claws and a pink shell, painted at Baan Suan Sunset in Koh Yao Noi, Thailand
MURAL OVERVIEW:
- Client: Baan Suan Sunset
- Location: Tropical Paradise, Koh Yao Noi, Thailand
- Theme: Beach and nature – inspired by Thailand’s famous ghost crab
- Dimensions: 4m wide x 2m high
- Paint Duration: around 6-8 hours
- Materials: Ditton King spray paint, MTN 94 spray paint and some local Thai spray paint brands
- Objective: Paint a fun, eye-catching mural to make the hotel entrance more funky and inviting
In this article I will explain the story behind the this mutant graffiti mural depicting the famous ghost crab painted at a hotel on the chill idyllic island of Koh Yao Noi, Thailand.
In this article, I will share the story behind a quirky and memorable mural I painted on the chill island of Koh Yao Noi in southern Thailand at the Baan Suan Sunset View hotel. It features a mutant ghost crab (or as they call it in Thai, “Pu Lom”) looming large across the entrance wall of sea and sunset facing hotel.
When people look through my portfolio of graffiti murals, a common question I get is: “How do you even paint all these?” And my usual response is, “For love or money, I’ll find a way.” It’s true, I love painting. Like most street artists, I’ll make it happen whether I’m on a legal wall commission or sneaking something in under the radar. Sure, I’ve got my personal code I abide by: things I won’t paint over, topics I avoid, but hard rules? Not really. That’s part of the freedom I live for and love to exercise as an artist.
Street art murals can and are painted under the most extreme circumstances, whether out in the wild or commissioned by a client, a well placed, detailed mural requires effort and skill. Between leaky spray cans, intense weather, or grumpy members of public there’s a plethora of things that can make the process more difficult. When the stars align though, a decent wall, good weather, solid materials, and good vibes, it makes for a perfect day of painting. Luckily, this mural had most of those things going for it, and even the distractions were entertaining.
I found myself for a bit of chill time and leftover spray paint in idyllic Koh Yao Noi island after completing a painting commission in the neighbouring island of Phuket. Thanks to the legends over at the Under Pressure Shop: Art and Graff Supplies Phuket i had a stash of some high quality spray paint brands, a couple of cans of (Indonesian produced) Ditton King, a few MTN 94s, some Hype Spray (Thai low-pressure art brand) and a full set of fresh spray caps. Not quite enough for a full production, but too much to waste. That meant that the next piece I paint has to be extra efficient: every drop of paint had to count.
Now, Koh Yao Noi isn’t exactly an urban graffiti playground. It’s a peaceful, mostly untouched paradise with barely any street art scene. Tags here and there, sure, but nothing satisfying for someone with a mural-sized paint itch. After making some local connections and visiting a few beach bars, I met the owner of Baan Suan Sunset, who had a blank wall at the entrance of the hotel begging for a splash of colour. Perfect match.
The brief was simple: make the entrance pop and feel more fun for arriving guests. I explained my paint situation (limited colour stock, limited time to order more before moving on, not much margin for error), and the owner was totally cool with it—even offered me a stay at the resort while I worked. We agreed on a concept featuring the local ghost crab (or “Pu Lom” as Thai people call it), which scuttles around the island beaches in huge numbers.
As usual I took a photo of the entrance to the hotel and created my mock up directly onto the photo to give a clear picture of what I was offering. After seeing the initial mock up the only specific requests from the owner of the venue were to include the hotel’s name and a “Happy New Year” message, it was just before the Western New Year at the time of painting. Aside from that, I had creative freedom. I sketched it out on my iPad using Procreate and worked it around the palette I had. Limited colours? Time to get weird—in the best way.
During the proposal I added a second set of eyes and a moustache to the crab, because why not? The result: a trippy, four-eyed, mustachioed crustacean standing two metres tall and four metres wide. It now greets guests with a weirdly warm stare, flipping the usual crab/human power dynamic right on its shell.
Painting the mural at the Thai-owned Baan Suan Sunset Hotel was pure bliss. Perched overlooking the Andaman Sea and right next to one of the island’s hippest cocktail bars, the hotel lives up to its name, an unbeatable spot to catch a jaw-dropping sunset. Between sips of fresh coconut and chats with curious locals, it was one of those rare painting experiences that feels like equal parts work and holiday. And to top it all off? Wrapping the day with mellow sips at the neighbouring bar, soaking in that golden-hour glow from the hotel grounds.
During my the painting of the crab mural i had to take a break while this educational talk about coconuts was happening.
The mutant crab mural still lives proudly on the front wall of Baan Suan Sunset. If you ever find yourself sipping a drink and watching the sun dip dreamily below the Andaman Sea, give Pu Lom a nod. And maybe raise a glass to the idea that where there’s a wall and a will… there’s a crab-shaped way.
Loved this crustacean creation? From mutant murals to tropical paint sessions, you never know what creature might crawl out of the next can. Sign up to my newsletter to be alereted about more street art, sunshine, and interdimensional weirdness or check out more murals, sketches, and visual experiments in the portfolio, or get in touch to chat about commissioning me for your custom mural project — let’s make your walls weird (in a good way). Cheers!
