This story covers the first Absolute Art Tour of Bangkok.

1. Absolute Art Tour: Contemporary Thai Art, 'Up Close And Personal'
Steve Thompson takes a closer look at Bangkok's contemporary art scene by
joining 'Bangkok Art Map' editor and art critic Steven Pettifor on his inaugural Abs
olute Art Tour of Bangkok.
I recently got the chance to join the very first Absolute Art Tour of Bangkok, organized by
Exotissimo Travel Thailand in tandem with Bangkok Art Map, whose editor - Steven Pettifor -
hosted the four-hour tour around some of Silom's most interesting galleries.
A Wealth of Expertise
Our host, a leading art critic, curator and artist, certainly boasts a wealth of experience. Long-
term Bangkok resident Pettifor has developed a deep knowledge of the local contemporary ar
t scene as Thailand editor for Asian Art News and World Sculpture News (published in Hong K
ong). This experience was put to good use in his debut publication, Flavors - Thai Contempor
ary Art (available here), which offers a tantalizing taste of the kingdom's burgeoning art scen
e.
Since the inaugural Absolute Art Tour took place on a Saturday, Pettifor opted to visit a single
area of the city, which makes good sense for those familiar with the capital's often unpredicta
ble traffic conditions. In this case, we got the opportunity to visit several galleries along or of
f Silom and Sathon.
First Impressions
After meeting up with Pettifor at 1 pm at the Dusit Thani Bangkok, the tour got underway in
a comfortable, modern minibus, which whisked us off to our first destination – Surapon Galler
y, which is located on the first floor of TISCO Tower on Sathon Road.

2. During our visit, the gallery was hosting a series of the latest works from award-winning
silkscreen specialist Pongsiri Kiddee, entitled: The Wonders of Color And Beauty (see photos,
above). The collection of 40 silkscreen prints on canvas and paper were inspired by the artist’
s appreciation of the architecture of Sukhothai-era temples.
Pongsiri uses tiny geometrical squares, rectangles and circles to create colorful works, which
are meticulously produced by using up to 20-30 layers, resulting in a highly original finish.
Clearly familiar with the artist’s history, methods and inspiration, Pettifor guided us expertly
around the gallery, while involving the gallery owner in his introduction to the artist’s work. Al
though this exhibition has now come to a close, you can find further examples of the artist’s
work on the gallery’s website here.
I was particularly impressed by the way our host imparted his knowledge in a neutral and
balanced way, while allowing participants sufficient time to get their own feel for the exhibits.
After the opportunity to conduct a short Q&A with the owner, we headed back to the minibus,
then made our way to the next destination.
Color Field
Our visit to Galerie N included a nice personal touch, as the artist joined us personally to
respond to questions about his work. Clearly hugely inspired by nature (the collection was ent
itled Nature in Spaces), Seni Chaemdet provided us with some interesting insights into his bol
d and colorful oil on canvas paintings.
It should be noted that aside from addressing the group collectively, Pettifor was also happy
to provide insights on a more personal level, based on participants’ specific interests througho

3. ut the tour.
Depth of Knowledge
The ‘personal touch’ was also evident during our visit to H Gallery on Sathon Soi 12, where
we got the opportunity to meet with Bangkok-based Irish curator Brian Curtin.
Surface Depth was a particularly diverse exhibition (see example, above), featuring the works
of a host of emerging and established Thai and international artists, including Pornpraseart
Yamazaki, Norasert Vaisayakul, Sutthirat Supaparinya, Arin Rungjang, Olivier Pin-Fat, Nigel Po
wer, Heman Chong, Dutton and Swindells, Adam James, Simon Larbalestier and Simrin Mehra
-Agarwal.
The curator’s presence proved to be especially useful given the wide range of techniques
used by the artists featured in this exhibition, including acrylic on linen (Simirin Mehra-Agarwa
l – ‘Metamorphosis of the Grand Chandelier of the Transept Crossing’), gliclee digital print on
aluminum (Nigel Power – several works) and HP pencil drawing on wall (Heman Chong – ‘LET
IT DIE’), among others. For further information about H Gallery, visit the website here.
From H Gallery, we headed for Kathmandu Photo Gallery, which is just a short distance away
from Wat Sri Mariamman (the Indian-style temple) on Soi Pan (see map). Although Peter Nits
ch's interesting photos of Bangkok's unique and often rather chaotic shophouses has now co
me to a close, you can still enjoy the shots by visiting the gallery's online archives here.
Four Sight
The ‘grand finale’ of our Absolute Art tour was a visit to Silom Galleria. The large, multi story
Silom Galleria Building (address: 919/1 Silom Road [see map]) hosts four galleries, allowing u
s to cover an amazing eight galleries in four hours!
Thavibu Gallery, located on the third floor of the building, got its name from its three focus
countries – Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar (Burma [Tha-Vi-Bu]). During our visit, the gallery

4. was hosting an exhibition of interesting dog-related sculptures called Breed by Chatchawan A
msomkid.
Chatchawan, who teaches sculpture at the King Mongkut Institute of Technology Lad
Krabang, has received both a BFA and MFA from the same institution. Marking his debut solo
exhibition, the sculptural installation comprised resin-molded canines performing acrobatics. T
hese bestial parodies are considered to be extremely pertinent to the current heightened soce
tal discord in the kingdom. Although this exhibition has now come to a close, you can still che
ck the sculptures out online here.
Next door, Gossip Gallery was hosting a collection of highly original sculptures by Tanadol
Derujijaroen. While I personally did not appreciate these works, art appreciation is notoriously
subjective, so you can take a closer look by visiting the gallery's website here (please scroll d
own the page to see one or two examples).
Tang Contemporary Art was hosting an exhibition featuring the works of Preeyachanok
Ketsuwan and Maitree Siriboon called Differ-ence during our visit.
Preeyachanok, a native of Chiang Mai province, relates her prints on paper to her rural
community’s unique cultural traditions through the use of various symbols, including human h
air. Maitree, a native of the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, juxtaposes traditional
symbols of the rural region known as Isan, such as buffaloes, with a proudly Gay young urba
nite in color prints and photographs that resemble a form of self portrait. Having worked direc
tly with these artists, Pettifor was perfectly placed to comment on their works, providing a go
od deal of personal insight.
Finally, we come to Reflections From Within by Jirasak Plabootong, which was on display at
Number1 Gallery (B1 Floor) during our visit.
A graduate of Graphic Art from Silpakorn University, Jirasak’s art works, featuring acrylic and
acrylic and golf leaf on canvas, somehow manage to successfully meld the ancient with the co
ntemporary. Although this exhibition has also now come to a close, you can check out some e
xamples of Jirasak's work by visiting the Number 1 Gallery website here.
Having reached the end of tour, we congregated at Cafe Ice on Sathon Soi 8, where we
enjoyed a refreshing drink and an informal chat with our host, before thanking him and biddi
ng him and our fellow participants a fond farewell.
To learn more about the Absolute Art Tour of Bangkok, visit Exotissimo's web site here.
To learn more about the Bangkok Art Map, visit the website here.