10 Art Shows to Check Out in Bangkok This September 2020
The September selection of notable gallery exhibits and art shows in Bangkok includes photography, paintings, fine jewellery, and an inventive take on traditional Thai weaving.
Bangkok’s art scene is (almost) in full swing again, which is good news considering that the much-anticipated Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB 2020) is only two months away. For the month of September, several galleries and art spaces, including Subhashok The Arts Centre and River City Bangkok, have more than one show on display simultaneously, so make an afternoon or evening of it and try to see it all. And remember to check each gallery’s website for updated opening hours.
The Sea Ghost & Beyond
Nova Contemporary: Until September 19
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Textiles have long been considered a significant cultural handicraft tradition in Thailand, but contemporary weaver Ploenchan Vinyaratn redefines the process and materials of tapestry by incorporating new forms into her artistic practice. Her latest show, The Sea Ghost & Beyond at Nova Contemporary gallery, is inspired by the way discarded fishing nets wreak havoc on ocean ecologies, with their ghostly strands entangling and strangling Mother Nature. By incorporating scraps of fabrics and dead-stock yarns, as well as plastic waste, hand-spun paper documents, and items such as used stockings, she constructs her own handwoven utopian vision of an alternate reality. The large, suspended sculptural work in the centre of the gallery – the eye-popping ‘Sea Ghost’ itself – meshes all the ideas together spectacularly, showing viewers that discarded water bottles can literally be woven into something approaching beautiful – simultaneously obscuring the existing boundaries between art and craft.
novacontemporary.com
Joy Land
Tang Contemporary Art Gallery (River City Bangkok): Until September 20
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Joy Land, on now at Tang Contemporary Art Gallery (River City Bangkok), is a wonderful, life-affirming solo exhibition by Thai artist Kitti Narod, a graduate of the renowned Poh Chang Academy of Arts at the Rajamangala University of Technology. His lighthearted but thoroughly engaging paintings cheerily express the quiet joys of everyday existence, as well as human – and occasionally feline – connectedness; all serving as a timely reminder for us to appreciate the simple pleasures we’ve been granted. As a member of the LGBTQ community, Kitti reveals that part of his identity through the men and women depicted in his works, presenting his vision of an ideal society in which everyone has a safe, secure place. Overall, his large acrylic on canvas pieces incorporate the vibrant tropical elements of his homeland, with plenty of bright, pure colours, while his creatively composed depictions of intermingled bodies provide plenty to contemplate.
tangcontemporary.com
Apertruth
Subhashok The Arts Centre (SAC) Gallery: Until October 25
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The group show Apertruth, which has an extended run at Subhashok The Arts Centre (SAC) Gallery, showcases the works of eight Chinese photographers. The show is divided into two groups, each displayed in a separate room, with the images in the first section portraying different perspectives on the general nature of existence and how it is closely related to the notion of probability. By contrast, the second room is centered around the notion of “what should be”, as told through images that are more tense and analytical. As a whole, the variety of these intriguing artworks encompass everything from the atmospheric light and delicate shadows captured by Xiaoliang Huang, to the sharply defined and infinitely complex compositions by Lanpo Zhang, to the provocative photo collages of Bo He, which use hundreds of news event images as components to create mind-boggling, multi-layered portraits of various people.
sac.gallery
Memory Machine
Bangkok CityCity Gallery: Until October 3
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In Memory Machine, his first solo exhibition with Bangkok CityCity Gallery, Thai aritist Dhanut Tungsuwan transfigures his elusive memories into physical presence utilizing canvas, brushstroke, and crisp colour imbued with beautiful ambivalence. Memories are fragile and ephemeral at the best of times, but they exist even if one does not always recognize it. In his works Dhanut explores memories as an unknown territory; a desolate landscape and an unfamiliar space of the mind. So, what then is the “machine” alluded to in the show’s title? Since this young artist was born in the generation of hyper-connectivity and information technology, he has immersed himself with uncountable images that are recollected, reproduced, and recirculated, and ultimately regenerated.
bangkokcitycity.com
Mother’s World
Ardel Gallery of Modern Art: Until October 4
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The Mother’s World exhibition at the Ardel Gallery of Modern Art is a new series of works from Ruthairat Kumsrichan, a Thai contemporary artist and art instructor teaching at the Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University. Centered around the idea of depicting the love between a mother and her children, the show is deeply personal yet ultimately universal (with the artist having first-hand experience raising a child of her own). The collection includes acrylic and organic colour paintings, embroideries, papier-mâché items, and pottery. The shape and composition of mother and children in various postures demonstrates the affection and strong bond between the creator and her tots.
ardelgallery.com
Doppelgänger
Kalwit Studio & Gallery: September 11 – November 1
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Doppelgänger is the 7th solo exhibition by Thai artist Verapong Sritrakulkitjakarn, also known as ‘Ayino’. This show brings together oil paintings and woodcut prints, in order to represent the wealth of artistic diversity within a single person. His patchwork pieces can sometimes be interpreted as irrelevant, however the artist believes that, in fact, everything is connected and quite relevant. He also feels that the image should not only represent symbolic meanings, but should also generate a specific situation that arises in the viewer’s mind. In short, his work allows the audience to perceive things in many dimensions, and not limited to a single meaning. As for the title, the German word Doppelgänger (meaning, roughly, “double goer”) is synonymous with the idea of a person having an evil twin, which makes things doubly interesting.
kalwitgallery.com
Venus Resurrection
Galleria 3, River City Bangkok: September 12 – October 11
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Although acclaimed artist Kraisak Chirachaisakul, the patriarch of Kalwit Studio & Gallery, is most well-known for his stunning, coloured mezzotint prints, he is equally adept as a fine art painter. Midway through this month art fans will have a chance to appreciate his work in oils when the solo exhibit Venus Resurrection unveils his most recent series of paintings. Using the scintillatingly beautiful Russian model Anastasia Maslova as his “muse”, the artist places his “Venus”, and her flowing blonde hair, front and centre in these colourful canvasses, which harken back to the classical painting styles and technique of the old masters.
rivercitybangkok.com
ATTA 10th Anniversary
ATTA Gallery: Until October 24
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ATTA Gallery celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a commemorative jewellery display featuring 52 artists who have exhibited at the gallery over the years. It’s all for sale, with every piece in the show priced at an even THB 10,000! The participating artists include: Nutre Arayavanish, Sofia Bjorkman, Becky Bliss, Bibun, Jittrakarn Buntherngpiboon, Nadene Carr, Sungho Cho, Sun G. Chua, Rebekah Frank, Marie Grewening, Adam Grinovich, Nik Hanton, Herman Hermsen, Karin Herwegh, Ferran Iglesias, Mari Ishikawa, itoaya, Karin Johansson, Helena Johansson Lindell, Jiro Kamata, Beppe Kessler, Marie-Louise Kristensen, ApawanKultawanich, Matt Lambert, Niklas Link, Marta Mattsson, Claire McArdle, Mikiko Minewaki, Maarja Niinemagi, Larah Nott, Emiko Oye, Jo Pond, Tabea Reulecke, Deborah Rudolph, Lucy Sarneel, Danni Schwaag, Tereza Seabra, Pirada Senivongse na Ayudhya, Pedro Sequeira, Catarina Silva, Nadine Smith, Rudee Tancharoen, Amy Tavern, Julia Turner, Flora Vagi, Nelly Van Oost, Tanel Veenre, WALKA, Reawyn Walsh, Ryota Watanabe, Florian Weichsberger, and Mel Young.
attagallery.com
Mind’s Shadow
Joyman Gallery: Until September 27
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Joyman Gallery, in collaboration with Thavibu Art Advisory, presents a solo exhibition by Myanmar artist Aung Kyaw Htet. Entitled Mind’s Shadow, it expresses the culture of Buddhist faith that is deeply rooted in the artist’s birthplace, as expressed through painting – a universal language that enables artists to communicate without barriers to people of all nations and languages. Renowned on the international art world stage, Aung Kyaw Htet’s works have been purchased by museums and collectors all around the world.
joymangallery.com
ImproVibration
Palette Artspace: September 5–30
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A series of freeform abstract paintings by Sittitham Rohitasuk will be on display at Palette Artspace as part of a show entitled ImproVibration. Using the combination of the words “improv” and “vibration” as his jumping off point, the artist expresses his freedom and sense of movement with a dizzying mix of bold brushstrokes, liberal daubs of thick paint, and a jarring combination of vibrant colours.
