Art in Bangkok: Top picks for July

Bangkok’s art scene is slowly returning to normal, with the recent unrest even providing some artists with pause for thought. 

Bangkok Art Map, published every month and distributed free in Bangkok, explores these exhibitions and more in its list of the top picks for the weeks ahead. (Click here to download the PDF version of the complete BAM! July map.)

Honored Art Exhibition for Tawee Ratchaneekorn, until July 28

Awarded National Artist status in 2005, 76-year-old veteran artist Tawee Ratchaneekorn has been one of Thailand’s most idiosyncratic creators for over 50 years. A versatile artist known best for his painting, but who has also worked in drawing, print, mixed media, and sculpture, Tawee is recognised for his raw, expressive, socially critical interpretations of the modernising face of Thai society. 

In recognition of his service to local art, Silpakorn University is exhibiting over 200 works by the retired lecturer. Under the subtitle "Society, Sins and Hell," the exhibition is rich with the artist’s familiar crude caricatures of the human condition, often intersected with menacing bestial metaphors.

Silpakorn University Art Gallery (PSG), 31 Na Phra Lan Rd (opp the Grand Palace). Tel: +66 (0) 2 221 3841. Open Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm, Sat 9am -4 pm.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism, July 15 to August 15

Having devoted much of the last few years to the establishment and expansion of Ardel Gallery, artist Thavorn Ko-Udomvit presents his first solo exhibition in four years. Attempting to unify the deep divisions in Thai society as exposed by the recent political unrest, Thavorn uses color-coded imagery in his reconciliatory photographic and video installation. 

Ardel Gallery of Modern Art, 99/45 Belle Ville, Boromratchonnanee Rd (Km 10.5). Tel: +66 (0) 2 422 2092. Open Tue-Sat, 10:30am- 7pm, Sun 10:30am-5:30pm.

RAM, until July 30

Young Bangkok based American photographer Luke Cassady-Dorion’s experiences and observations as a student at Ramkamhaeng University are the backbone of this series of color photos. One among 100,000 students on campus, the lens man is stimulated by the resourcefulness and complexities of facilitating mass education at an affordable price.

Kathmandu, 87 Soi Pan, Silom Rd. Tel: +66 (0) 2 234 6700. Open Tue-Sun, 11am-7pm. BTS: Chong Nonsi

Agalico Budur

Agalico Budur, July 13 to August 13

Mainstay Buddhist themes of desire, ego and suffering, truth and mindfulness are given an imaginative interpretation by artists Wachirapan Intaraworapad and Ekachai Milintapas. The two stylized figurative painters add curious, almost Gothic symbolism that includes skulls, crows, and a certain vampiric resonance to their sensational compositions.

Artery, Silom Galleria Unit B09, 919/1 Silom Rd. Tel: +66 (0) 2 630 3006. Open Mon-Sat 10:30am-7pm. BTS: Surasak

Form of the Shadow, until July 24

After last year’s similar looking solo exhibition "The Graceful Contradiction at Number 1," Somphop Saengprom returns with more of his polished realist depictions of naturally hewn pebbles. Accessible and tactile in their straightforward yet detailed treatment, the smoothly weathered rounded solid forms instill a sense of timelessness and calm. 

Number 1, Silom Galleria, B1, 919/1 Silom Rd Soi 19. Tel: +66 (0) 2 630 3381. Open Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm. BTS: Surasak

Body Language (II)

Body Language (II), July 10 to August 21

This is the second stage of a two-part exhibition highlighting young female artists who produce metal sculptures using the human body as a metaphor for individual themes. After Pieng-or Pinpart opened with her battered female sculptures depicting the mania of personal illness, Angkana Kongpetch’s delicate wiry skeletal forms examine Buddhist notions of time and mortality. 

Thavibu, Suite 308, Silom Galleria F3, 919/1 Silom Rd, Soi 19. Tel: +66 (0) 2 266 5454. Open Tue-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun noon-6pm. BTS: Surasak

Taste the Danger, July 8-17

Paris based Chinese artist Shen Yuan has produced a perishable site-specific installation using natural spices and fresh flowers imbued with a deep metaphoric layering that hints at themes like cultural transition and importation, as well as color-coded partisan politics. 

Tang Contemporary Art, Unit B-28 (Basement), Silom Galleria 919/1 Soi 19. +66 (0) 2 630 1114. Open Mon-Sat 11am–7pm (closed public holidays). BTS: Surasak

Whitespace Retro

Whitespace Retro, July 16 to August 8

Since opening back in 2007, Whitespace has hosted some engaging exhibitions by a variety of emergent, as well as occasionally established, artists. Under the curatorial guidance of artist Maitree Siriboom, the compact space has defined itself as one of the capital’s few non-commercial viewing platforms. In recognition, 15 previous exhibitors hang variants of previously displayed art. 

Whitespace, Lido Bldg 2F, 260 Siam Square 3. +66 (0) 2 252 2900. Open Tue-Fri 1pm-7pm, Sat-Sun 11:30am-8pm or by appointment. BTS: Siam

Proxy, until July 30

Set up by Bangkok based American artist Jeff Gompertz just a stone’s throw from Nospace Gallery at RCA, Chat Room is the block’s second non-commercial studio-arts venue. A creative reaction to the recent street protests and government crackdown, Gompertz has joined forces with expatriate and Thai artists for an ongoing series of new media related exhibitions and performances.

Chat Room, RCA Block D, viewing by appointment at Tel: +66 (0) 87 822 8588.