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”.
Artist
Gongkan
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.
Curator
Nim Niyomsin
b. 1980, lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand
Nim Niyomsin is an independent curator and writer. She received a Master of History of Art from Birkbeck, University of London. Niyomsin specialises in contemporary art, photography, and public art events.
Prior to working independently, she had worked with the Artist Pension Trust and Horniman Museum in London and was recently the Marketing Department Manager for international art and culture at the Emporium & EmQuartier (Bangkok), organizing public art festivals and cultural events. She is currently an independent curator with exhibitions at Museum of Contemporary Art Bangkok, Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center (Bangkok), PhotoBangkok, 333Anywhere (Bangkok), 1PROJECTS (Bangkok), SAC Gallery (Bangkok), Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film (Singapore) and Forty7 Gallery (London). She has written for magazines such as Fineart Magazine, Why Magazine and the Bangkok Trader.