The Peninsula Bangkok is proud to participate in the Elephant Parade, the world’s largest art exhibition, which will take place in Bangkok in December 2015. The hotel is once again embracing this unique charitable initiative, which raises funds and awareness for the Asian Elephant Foundation, as part of its innovative corporate responsibility and sustainability programme. This year, The Peninsula Bangkok is partnering with celebrated Thai artist M.L. Chiratorn Chirapravati to create an eye-catching elephant statue that is hallmarked by his imaginative painting style.
Crafted and hand-painted at the artist’s studio in Chiang Mai, The Peninsula Bangkok’s black and white elephant statue named MeeSook – meaning “enjoy happiness” in Thai – is decorated with flowers, and wears a signature Peninsula page cap on his head. MeeSook will be exhibited alongside 87 other inventive elephantine creations as part of the annual Elephant Parade, which takes place at three locations across the Thai capital in December. At the end of the exhibition, in March 2016, the 1.5-metre-tall MeeSook will be auctioned to raise money for elephant conservation projects in Thailand.
M.L. Chiratorn Chirapravati, or Kru Thoe in Thai, is a multi-talented Thai artist, illustrator, fashion designer, food stylist, cookbook author and professor. In 2007, the influential Siam Discovery magazine named him as one of the 10 most important people in Thailand’s art, design and lifestyle sector. A doyen of charitable causes, M.L. Chiratorn Chirapravati worked with UNICEF for several years to design its Christmas greeting cards. In October, he also created 20 exclusive pink-themed artworks for the 2015 Peninsula in Pink showcase at The Peninsula Bangkok to support breast cancer awareness.
The handcrafted MeeSook elephant statue by M.L. Chiratorn Chirapravati is the latest initiative by The Peninsula Bangkok to support the global Elephant Parade charitable art project. It follows a kaleidoscopic exhibition of brightly painted elephant artworks, which was hosted at the hotel from 20 December 2014 until 31 March 2015. Staging the psychedelic elephant circus also involved setting up an Elephant Parade® Shop at the hotel to showcase what is the world’s largest art exhibition and workshop of decorated baby elephant statues.