Exhibitions
BANGKOK CITYCITY GALLERY
Sep 30 - Nov 11, 2023
© 2023 Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, HEAVY.
All images courtesy of Artist and BANGKOK CITYCITY GALLERY
BANGKOK CITYCITY GALLERY is holding HEAVY by renowned filmmaker Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit. In a world where film and most media has transcended into the digital sphere, the artist reflects upon the intangible nature of his creations, lamenting, “he is unable to touch his own work.”
HEAVY showcases a staggering collection of over 120 large-scale framed photographs. Meticulously organized into stacks, the expansive installation manifests as a virtual archive given physical form. The selection, drawn from a staggering collection of more than 50,000 images captured over a decade, chronicles everyday sights and moments from his filmmaking process. A significant portion represents personal images, often not intended for print, making their presence all the more insightful. In curating these photos, the filmmaker noticed an emerging trend — a subconscious preference evident in the images he gravitates toward both in creation and appreciation.
The exhibition’s title – HEAVY – isn’t merely a descriptor of the physical weight of these large-scale photographs. It is also symbolic of the emotions encapsulated within. Looking through his own extensive library of photographs was, in his own words, “exhausting.” There’s an undeniable heaviness felt from the photographs, a sentiment that is paradoxically ironic, given the weightlessness of digital mediums.
Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit（Born in 1984, Bangkok, Lives and works in Bangkok, TH）
Thamrongrattanarit is an intrepid storyteller working across a range of formats to engage audiences. He started making experimental short films and documentaries during his years in the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, gaining prominence as a film and advertising director. Expanding beyond films, documentaries, and music videos, his narratives have been expressed through photography as well as exhibitions. With a strong focus on experimentation, his unique narrative formats are complemented by a strong focus of drawing in audience interactions.
36 (2012), the first film Thamrongrattanarit directed, wrote, funded, produced as well as distributed, won him the New Currents Award at the 17th Busan International Film Festival. His subsequent films, MARY IS HAPPY, MARY IS HAPPY (2013), The Master (2014), Heart Attack (2015), Die Tomorrow (2017), BNK48: Girls don’t cry (2018), Happy Old Year (2019) and Fast and Feel Love (2022) serving to establish his significant audience base in Thailand, as well as at international film festivals such as the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Venice International Film Festival, amongst others. Happy Old Year was also the recipient of Best Film at the Osaka Asian Film Festival in 2020. His solo debut exhibition titled i write you a lot . premiered at BANGKOK CITYCITY GALLERY in 2016, and was followed by second hand dialogue in 2019.
