Vagabondage by Pakitsilp Varamissara

June 6 - August 30

Vagabondage
A painting exhibition by Pakitsilp Varamissara
6 June – 30 August 2020
Toot Yung Art Center

The Toot Yung Art Center proudly presents “Vagabondage”, a selection of recent works by Chiang Mai based Thai painter Pakitsilp Varamissara, marking our 10th anniversary of collaboration.

In the year 2019, Pakitsilp traveled throughout Thailand, exploring the rich cultural heritage and mystical landscapes of the Sukhotai and Surathani regions.

From these two escapades he came back with plein air oil on canvases vividly expressing his mood and masterly technique. Depicting the ancient ruins of Sukhotai, misty seascapes of Surathani, an open window or simple clouds, this body of works gives us a poetic and refreshing take on landscape painting today. Upon his return, the Toot Yung Art Center invited him to create a large watercolor on hand made bamboo paper giving him carte blanche for the theme. Pakitsilp humorously chose to depict an invasion of Aliens, coming to save a handful of worthy humans before the chaos of an eventual nuclear war.

Pakitsilp’s paintings are like a chess game, in which he excels. He reached a state in which he no longer plays against others nor himself, but freely experiments the art of playing, obliterating the notion of winning or losing. He ultimately cultivates the art of being himself with no concern whatsoever of trends or criticism. He has reached the fundamental goal of any creative mind; absolute freedom.

Pakitsilp Varamissara was born in Lopburi in 1954. He trained in the discipline of traditional Thai painting at Silapakorn University in Bangkok, which has served as a foundation for the artistic challenges of his impressive body of work. The rich cultural heritage of Thailand inspires the artist as he works to reconcile tradition and modernity, most recently achieving a simplicity that borders on abstraction. His fascinating oeuvre subtly interweaves symbols of Buddhist iconography, Thai folklore and everyday modern life.

After several cultural trips to Europe organized by the Toot Yung Art Center (2009 and 2013) he shifted and radicalized his technique. In the footsteps of Bonnard, Monet, Redon or Rouault, Pakitsilp started painting with bright heavy strokes of acrylic, and later on oil paint. Since then his art has evolved in a very unique way, skillfully mingling notions of traditional Thai art with fresh modern ideas and compositions. His career was marked by a retrospective at the National Gallery, Bangkok in 2012, bringing him reputable fame amongst the biggest local collectors and artists.

On the occasion of Pakitsilp Varamissara’s exhibition we are pleased to introduce Surathani based painter Kribpawut Pradit, in our boutique space. Kribpawut (b.1971) is a great admirer of the art of Pakitsilp. Their encounter was a radical turning point in his career since graduating from the Department of Fine Art ,King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. (1997)