Epiphany

A Solo Exhibition by Pakpoom Silaphan

Curated by Panu Boonpipattanapong

On display from January 24 - February 28, 2025

at Next Door Project

Sathuphradit 5, Chongnonsi, Yannawa, Bangkok

For more information, contact Krob Yok Kong, Tel: 02-2121864

Pakpoom Silaphan is a Thai contemporary artist whose works have been exhibited in leading galleries around the world, including London, Liverpool, New York, California, Japan, India, Hong Kong, and France. His works are part of prominent collections such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and the Brooklyn Museum, and notable art collectors including Sir Paul Smith, Minnie Driver, and Richard Curtis, among others.

Pakpoom was born in Samut Prakan Province, spent his childhood in Sukhothai Province, and later moved to Bangkok to study ceramics at the Faculty of Decorative Arts, Silpakorn University. After graduation, he spent two years working in advertising before continuing his studies at the Camberwell College of Arts and Chelsea College of Art and Design in London, UK.

He began his artistic career with mixed-media works influenced by the Neo-Dada movement, the precursor to Pop Art. Using collage techniques with discarded materials such as old packaging boxes and wallpapers, combined with elements like newspaper headlines and crossword puzzles, along with silkscreen printing, Pakpoom quickly gained attention from contemporary art collectors in London.

Later, Pakpoom started incorporating old metal soft drink advertisements, like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta, Sprite, and 7-Up—collecting these since his youth—into his artwork. He attached portraits of world-renowned figures from various fields onto these metal signs in a style reminiscent of black-and-white images found in print media, blending them with simple but stylish cartoon-like drawings. This unique approach led his work to be recognized in the global art scene.

In Epiphany, his latest solo exhibition, Pakpoom elevates his approach to working with found objects by inscribing words onto these objects. What is intriguing is that these words serve to connect the objects with the history of global art movements across different periods, including pop culture, with wit, fun, and humor. It draws a parallel to the ready-made concept introduced by French-American artist Marcel Duchamp, who famously transformed everyday objects into art. It also evokes visual puns, akin to the works of Belgian Surrealist René Magritte, who used humor and language to challenge perception.

Pakpoom reduces the seriousness of the content in this body of work by writing the words in a whimsical, almost cartoonish script, sometimes intentionally misspelling or crossing out letters, leaving visible errors. This technique is inspired by the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat, known for his freeform, semi-abstract drawings that combined text with graffiti-style art.

The exhibition also features works that invite audience participation, aligning with the concept of Relational Aesthetics—a movement that challenges traditional norms by encouraging interaction with the artwork. This reduces the barrier between art and viewer, allowing them to engage beyond passive observation.

By producing thousands of pieces for this exhibition, Pakpoom's work can be seen as a "Mind Map," challenging the audience to navigate the trails of thought and discover the hidden inspirations behind each of his artworks.

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