After making waves in the city with the launch of its Art Rotation Series last year, luxury boutique hotel 137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok will host multi-award-winning artist Therdkiat Wangwatcharakul in the second edition of the art showcase that celebrates top Thai talent.
In ‘Volume 2’ of the series, Therdkiat, who has a Masters in Painting from the Silpakorn University, the Kingdom’s foremost school for fine arts, showcases two new collections. The first titled ‘Home Boats’, revolves around the vessels that ply the Chao Phraya River, and uses aluminum as a medium to tell the story of the journey the boats endure. The second set uses the subtle interplay between light and shadow on old architecture to remind us of the poetic beauty we are surrounded by.
No stranger to the global art circuit, Therdkiat has showcased his unique brand of work all over the world, including solo exhibitions in the Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan. Along the way, he picked numerous prestigious awards including the prestigious ASEAN Art Awards Juror’s Choice, the first prize from the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, and the top honour in the SAMART Contemporary painting exhibition, among others.
Therdkiat does not paint pretty pictures of sunsets or lotus ponds. Instead, he uses oil on aluminium, and at times oil on canvas, to tell a story. His figurative works bring to life the constant struggle of everyday living in the chaos of an urban Asian city. Evoking minimal urban-scapes, his socially relevant compositions have focused on mundane architectural detailing, weathered cracked concrete walls with a partial window frame, weary commuters on a public bus, stray dogs or pigeons vying for scraps. His meditative and contemplative works draw attention to the subtle interplay of light and shadow, manmade and nature. He has also exploited staining techniques that infuse his canvases with a metallic veneer similar to his aluminium surfaces.
Therdkiat Watcharakul’s sensitive compositions will be on display at the Baan Borneo Club, and Louie’s Tiffin Grill at 137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok from 1 February – 14 March 2019; the exhibition will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For the Art Rotation Series, launched last November, the hotel has partnered with Bangkok-based design consultancy Farmgroup to bring some of the hottest names from Thailand’s art world to it through a series of curated exhibitions that rotate every two months. With this initiative, the two partners hope to make The Kingdom’s top artists more accessible to hotel guests, art collectors and the community the hotel is located in. The first in the series kicked-off with 10 stunning works by award-winning artist Suwannee Sarakana. The collection included a portrait of the late King Rama IX, which was sold through a silent auction with a part of the proceeds going to the Chaipattana Foundation.
