Gongkan and Naraphat Sakarthornsap present 'Pollution' exhibition

New exhibition from two of Bangkok’s most influential artists highlights hidden concepts of pollution

Though an effervescent city that brims with life and radiates energy from all corners, Bangkok can be a challenging place to live. Chief among the aggravations for resident Bangkokians are the snarling traffic and sometimes overwhelming pollution that blankets the city periodically, especially in the 'cooler' months between December and February.

It can be easy to wonder why on earth we chose to make Bangkok our home. Perhaps the key reasons are the sometimes hidden but bright-burning art and music scenes that shine brightly through the cracks in the infrastructure. The city may be chaotic, but it's home to a great many talented artists and musicians whose work adds colour and definition to the haze that permeates the air here.

It's fitting, then, that two favourites from the art community – Gongkan and Naraphat Sakarthornsap – are launching an exhibition designed to draw attention to issues surrounding pollution. It's not only physical contamination with which they are concerned, but also the psycho-spiritual toxins we encounter and contribute to in our daily lives. Pollution in the form of unkind words, negative attitudes, and cruel or thoughtless acts.

“Pollution is in the surroundings that we can never avoid. It is slowly ravaging and damaging us. At the same time... In some cases, people can cause pollution to the mind, affecting the feelings with certain actions,” say the artists. “We want to create a space for people to ponder upon the things around them, the things they did in the past, intentionally or unintentionally.”

Gongkan, real name Kantapon Metheekul, graduated from the school of arts at Silpakorn University in Bangkok. Shortly afterwards, he relocated to New York where he spent three years working in creative departments of advertising agencies. When off the clock, he created street art and illustrations centred on the theme of him being transported through time and space to his beloved homeland. His time living overseas broadened his horizons and helped inform his work, and a common theme is “the hope of an ultimate utopia being found by the subject” of his art by journeying through a black hole. His work has been shown around the world, in New York, Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, and Bangkok, to name but a few.

Naraphat Sakarthornsap lives and works in Bangkok. In many of his works, he presents stories of social inequality through photographs in which flowers embody the leading role. Other important themes of his exhibits are the mysterious letters and words that he uses to cryptically title his photos, each of which is carefully chosen and purposefully interconnected. The flowers that Naraphat uses, too, are often embodied with profound meanings and have become the keys to finding the answers neatly hidden in his artwork.

The “Pollution” exhibition launches in August River City Bangkok. You can follow Gongkan for more information here