UPCOMING: Gongkan Solo Exhibition: INTROSPECTION
Tang Contemporary Art, Bangkok
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Artist: Gongkan
Curator: Nim Niyomsin
Exhibition Dates: 6 November - 12 December
Venue: Tang Contemporary Art Bangkok
Opening Reception: Saturday, 6 November at 4:00 PM
Tang Contemporary Art is proud to announce the opening of “Introspection,” the first solo exhibition for Thai artist, Gongkan, with Tang Contemporary Art in its Bangkok space. Running from 6 November to 12 December 2021, this exhibition reveals the young artist’s introspective journey through different mediums - paintings, sculpture, and for the first time, an interactive digital platform.
Introspection is the first series of works from the Souleport Project, an ongoing psychological artistic exploration, by Gongkan - Kantapon Metheekul. Further developing and expanding on his teleportation concept, this exhibition represents an inner portal, a self-exploration into the artist’s mind and memory. It is a pursuit of full comprehension and contentment, representing an attempt to strengthen a spiritual foundation and step into new possibilities.
The idea of acquiring an understanding of one’s mind is considered crucial in both philosophical and psychological domains. Since ancient times, major philosophers like Lao Tzu and Socrates have emphasized the importance of knowing oneself. In modern psychology, to maintain a satisfying and meaningful life, self-concept and self-analysis are essential notions.
In this exhibition, Gongkan purposefully explores his past, present and future prospects in order to fully understand himself. He challenges and exposes his own vulnerability from the darkest side of his mind - anger, resentment, fear, and suspicion - to the delightful recollection of innocent and imaginative youth. He reveals his insights through his painting, sculpture, and, for the first time, his interactive digital platform, a psychological survey accompanying this exhibition and a part of his ongoing research.
Humans are constantly working between an ideal and a real self, how we see ourselves, and how others perceive us. We want to reach our full potential, a self-actualization, while balancing our physical and mental well being. Any doubt or disagreement can cause feelings of disconcertion and loss. In the last decade, the world has seen a significant increase in mental health conditions, worsening further with uncertainty from the pandemic and excessive reliance on social media. Yet, people still tend to overlook their inner state.
For Gongkan, this exhibition is both a creative excursion and a necessity. It is his journey to find happiness and the balance that comes with fulfilment and understanding. Viewers can follow this expedition into the artist’s mind while at the same time reflecting on their own perception. Introspection is not a means to an end but an ongoing process. As once said by Carl Rogers, a world-leading psychologist, “The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination”.
About the Artist
Graduated from Silpakorn University, Faculty of Decorative Arts, in 2011, Kantapon Metheekul, better known as Gongkan, currently works and resides in Bangkok, Thailand. After graduating from Silpakorn University, the artist moved to New York City, where he spent 3 years working in creative departments of advertising agencies. In his spare time, he created street art and illustrations centred on the idea of him being transported through time and space to his homeland. His work, which he named “Teleport Art”, gained notoriety in the New York street art scene and later in Bangkok. The element of time is a predominant concept in Gongkan’s paintings: surrealistic canvas, populated by human figures, realized with graphic flat strokes. Through presenting different visions of the present times or rewriting the past, the artist creates alternate realities in the process.
His selected and recent solo exhibitions include: “Tip of the Iceberg”, Over the Influence, Los Angeles, 2021; “YESTERTODAYMORROW”, River City Bangkok, Bangkok, 2019; “Teleport to Taiwan”, Taipei, 2019; “Black Area”, Funstown, Beijing, “Street Art with First Street Green Art Park”, New York City, United States, 2018; “The Another Dimension”, Siri House, Singapore, 2018; Selected group exhibitions include: “Vogue HOPE” by Vogue Magazine, Siam Center, Bangkok, Thailand, 2020; “Wonder Forest: Asian Illustration”, Powering Art Center, Xiamen, China, 2019; “Asia Illustration Fair”, Power Long Museum, Shanghai, China, 2019; “Lucid Exhibition”, Seoul, South Korea, 2016; “The Warmest Winter”, New York City, United States, 2016.
Tang Contemporary Art
Tang Contemporary Art was established in 1997 in Bangkok, later establishing galleries in Beijing and Hong Kong. Tang Contemporary Art is fully committed to producing critical projects and exhibitions to promote Contemporary Chinese art regionally and worldwide, and encourage a dynamic exchange between Chinese artists and those abroad. Acting as one of the most progressive and critically driven exhibition spaces in China, the gallery strives to initiate dialogue between artists, curators, collectors and institutions working both locally and internationally. A roster of groundbreaking exhibitions has earned Tang Contemporary Art internationally renowned recognition, establishing its status as a pioneer of the contemporary art scene in Asia.
Tang Contemporary Art represents leading figures in Chinese art including Ai Weiwei, Huang Yongping, Shen Yuan, Wang Du, Liu Xiaodong, Yang Jiechang, Xia Xiaowan, Sun Yuan & Peng Yu, Yan Lei, Wang Yin, Wang Yuping, Yangjiang Group, Guo Wei, Zheng Guogu, Lin Yilin, He An, Zhao Zhao, Wang Yuyang, Weng Fen, Yang Yong, Xu Qu, Xu Xiaoguo, Ji Zhou, Cai Lei, Ling Jian, Liu Yujia, Zhu Jinshi, Qin Qi, Chen Yujun, Chen Yufan and Chen Wenbo, additionally collaborating with international artists such as H.H.Lim, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Sakarin Krue-On, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Adel Abdessemed, Dinh Q.Le, Michael Zelehoski, Jennifer Wen Ma, Rodel Tapaya, Natee Utarit and Heri Dono.
To know more about the artist and gallery, please view or contact:
Room 201 - 206, River City Bangkok, 23 Soi Charoenkrung 24, Talad Noi, Sampantawong, Bangkok, 10100 Hours: 11AM - 7PM, Tuesday - Sunday
Email: bkk@tanggallery.vip
Tel: +662 000 1541
Website: www.tangcontemporary.com
Facebook: @tangcontemporaryartbangkok
Instagram: @tangcontemporaryart
LINE: @tangbkk