Hotel Art Fair organized by FARMGROUP is back with its sixth annual event on the weekend of Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd June, 2019. Since launching in 2013, Hotel Art Fair has become one of the Bangkok art world’s most anticipated events thanks to its unique concept of bringing together galleries, local and international artists and collectors under one hotel roof. The event aims to create a vibrant and supportive community for art to thrive in Thailand and throughout Asia. “A piece of art is more than an item to generate a pleasant ambience, but rather a thought-provoking medium for people to engage in conversations and to cultivate their own perceptions of the world. To buy art is to express gratitude to the artists for using their creativity to generate a piece that reflects their thoughts of the world,” said Yoichi Nakamuta, whose Clear Gallery Tokyo is one of this year’s participating galleries.
Hotel Art Fair is proud to present their 2019 event at W Bangkok, a design-led hotel which has more than 50 locations around the world. W Bangkok’s passion for art, fashion, music and entertainment is reflected in its cutting-edge design suited to a contemporary lifestyle. That makes it the perfect location for this year’s Hotel Art Fair, which comes under the theme of “Breaking Boundaries” – a reference to art’s ability to seek and to express human emotions by defying expectations and continuously evolving. “To us, ‘Breaking Boundaries’ means blending and blurring the line. That’s especially the case when it comes to art, design and creativity. Labels are beginning to carry less and less significance when it comes to the work people are producing. Everything is now integrated. That means one must step out of his/her comfort zone, forget the old ways of labelling things, and start exploring new territory,” said Vorathit Kruavanichkit, Creative Director of FARMGROUP. G13 Gallery added that ‘Breaking Boundaries’ means “to make something out of the ordinary and to discover new path where creativity can grow and be cherished.”
This year’s event will showcase the most diverse selection of participants yet, from local talents to emerging artists to major galleries from all over Asia. “We think that the rest of the world needs to recognise Asia as an art destination,” said Phathaiwat Changtrakul, Creative and Art Curator of FARMGROUP. Come and immerse yourself in the works of more than 30 leading galleries and independent artists including international names such as Richard Koh Projects, Artemis Art, L+/Lucie Chang Fine Arts, The Drawing Room – Project, Korea Tomorrow, Clear Gallery Tokyo, AA Gallery, Core Design Gallery and B-gallery along with local talents such as Number 1 Gallery, Joyman Gallery, S.A.C. Gallery, La Lanta Fine Art, and Gallery Seescape. Spectrum, a collaboration project by the Autistic Thai & Na Kittikoon Foundation, will also showcase extraordinary artworks created by autistic children.
In addition, Hotel Art Fair 2019 and Singha Corporation are proud to welcome emerging Thai digital artist Purin Phanichphant, who is visiting from San Francisco to showcase his playful, interactive art that blurs the line between viewers and the digital world. “There has never been a more perfect time to break boundaries. In times of increasing division between beliefs, political parties, and factions in our society, we need to build more bridges instead of walls. Art is a universal language and has the power to communicate ideas that may otherwise be unfamiliar or difficult to empathize with. In my work, besides moving beyond the 2D/static medium, I use interactivity to explore the concept of polar opposites and the coexistence between the two: black, white, and all the grey areas in between,” said Purin.
This year’s celebrity guest curators are Nithi Sthapitanonda and Pranitan Phornprapha. As founder and owner of A49 architecture firm, Nithi’s signature pen and ink drawings are well recognized among Thai architects and students. Pranitan, meanwhile, will bring his passion for art and music to life in an installation that reflects the spirit of Wonderfruit, the festival he founded in 2014.
