PRELUDE

The air hung heavy with thick smoke as the room erupted into laughter. Around the couch on the second floor, we passed around a clay pipe called a chillum, loaded with gold flake tobacco and hand-rolled hash from the Himalayas. I picked up the pipe and held it upright, taking small inhales from the bottom through a thin cloth as the tobacco mixture burned up top. Behind me, I could hear the rattling of two spray cans, as HIMBAD decorated the wall with blue and white, creating his signature mascot. It resembled a creature with owl-like eyes, wearing a mask with pointed ears and another set of eyes.

THE ART AND THE ARTIST

I was invited to this Street Canvas Night by HIMBAD himself, one of the featured artists and organizers. Hailing from the UK, with an art degree from the prestigious Central Saint Martins, HIMBAD is someone who has displayed his work around the world in New York, Miami, London, Berlin, and of course, Bangkok. I met him at Speakerbox, where we realized a lot of our interests overlap. Namely, our love for cannabis, art, and music. 

The event was co-hosted by Golden Temple cannabis, a company that does cannabis phenotyping and strain hunting based down South in Hat Yai.

When HIMBAD invited me to Puff and Paint, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The idea of spray painting the shops walls was a lot of pressure. Luckily, I quickly realized this was not my responsibility. PUFN had invited a team of artists and given them all the supplies they needed. It was my job to simply sit back, indulge, and watch the magic happen. 

THE SPACE

Walking into the shop, the first person to greet me was Ethan, the owner of PUFN. He invited me in and told me to explore the space and hang out wherever I felt comfortable. PUFN spanned all four floors of the building. There was a couch area on the second floor, a music studio on the third floor, and a beautiful rooftop that sat above it all.

On the second floor is where I spent the first half of the evening, conversing with HIMBAD, his friends, and my own. I loved the way HIMBAD expressed himself. Speak to him for just a few minutes and you will have the sense that he has found his calling. He feels like someone who is perfectly settled into who they are, aligned with what the universe wanted them to be. I ask him to pose for a photo and he adopts a martial arts like stance. With a lit joint in his left hand, and his right hand holding back his leg, he reminded me of a young Master Oogway. His paint splattered shorts and loose fitting button-up perfectly matched the essence of his being. I was sad to learn after that he would be leaving for the UK for months the following day. I knew I would miss interacting with a creative and warm personality like his.

I spent the rest of my time on the rooftop of PUFN watching the sun set. While HIMBAD also made a piece up here, most of the wall was covered with intricate street art by the other artists, including @mechanome_,@thaiberpunk13, and @mrkreme. One that especially stood out to me was the piece by Mechanome. He started with an outline of a big circle, and eight tinier circles intersecting the big one. Slowly he started adding colors and filling out where the circles meet with moss green, neon green, and grey. After about an hour, the circles began to resemble a face. He gave the character a ponytail and a hand holding a lit joint. Finally, he used black spray paint to fill in the gaps and outline the finished piece before signing his name in the left hand corner. 

The cherry on the sundae of this event was the barbecue. Next to the rooftop stairs there were a team of chefs barbecuing ribs, sausages, and burger patties. There were also fruity drinks and other special concoctions all free of charge for the artists and their friends. As the munchies started to hit, we started getting firsts, then seconds. The energy that PUFN managed to create at this event was truly special. It was a coming together of art, cannabis, and food in a beautiful and intentionally curated space. Even after being active in the cannabis event space for 2 years, I’m grateful to say there are still spaces and gatherings that surprise me. On my way out, I found the courage to make a tiny UFO and a tractor beam with my friend Thomas. A far cry from the artists for sure, but it still felt good to be part of the process.

Pufn Weed Shop

1040/27 Sukhumvit 44 Phra Khanong, Klongtoey, Bangkok

Open 24 hours, 7 days a week

@pufn.bkk

HIMBAD AKA Kuba

@himbad

@goldentemplecannabis

By Ayush Madan