From Pakistan to Sri Lanka, a vibrant tradition zooms down mountain passes and through city streets. The vernacular art form elaborately adorns vehicles with intricate motifs and celebrity portraits, while cabs brim with synthetic flowers, tassels, and dreamcatchers. A common sight on Southeast Asian roadways, these vivid modes of transport are the subject of a new book by photographer Christopher Herwig.
Known for documenting Soviet-era bus stops and metro stations, Herwig’s latest project Trucks and Tuks journeys 10,000 kilometers and 208 pages, capturing the wondrous, idiosyncratic custom. As Riya Raagini writes in the introduction, sajavat, or ornamentation and decoration, is an essential component of culture in the region, found on streets and within homes alike. “Even before modern vehicles appeared in the region, people were decorating every conceivable mode of transport, from bullock carts to boats. Naturally, when trucks, tuk-tuks, and rickshaws began to arrive in the early 20th century, they were embellished in a similar fashion,” Raagini adds.
Today, this tradition is increasingly threatened. Several countries have cracked down on vehicle modifications citing safety concerns, while the proliferation of mass-produced decals and objects overtakes what was a largely hand-crafted art form.
For Herwig, Trucks and Tuks glimpses what he calls “the poetry of the road,” a complex mix of masculinity, creative expression, and hope. He writes:
Alongside the practical elements found in the truckers’ cabs, there was often an abundance of visual imagery in marked contrast to their challenging existence. Decorated with elaborate whimsical flare, dangling good luck charm,s and wallpaper showing idyllic scenes, they revealed a dream life.
Published by FUEL, Trucks and Tuks is available for pre-order from Bookshop.
