Exhibitions
Tang Contemporary Art Bangkok
Dec 16, 2022 - Jan 28, 2023
Tom, 2022, Acrylic on linen, with uv archival varnish, 100 × 100 cm
All images courtesy of Tang Contemporary Art Bangkok
In the East the orchid represents perfection (for the symmetry of its petals with the stem) and purity, while in the West it’s related to love, for its ability to grow everywhere. “Orkys” is the scientific term for “orchid” and it's the title of the show, meticulously chosen by the artist, to best express the exhibition’s leitmotif and, at the same time, to render homage to his passion for botany.
Orchids appear, freshly and delicately, on the backgrounds of Himbad’s new series, where his typical supernatural creatures show their special powers. A bat, suspended upside down, is staring at us; from its open jaws, we can see the mysterious eyes of another entity. The same eyes show up from the huge and scary fauces of a feline monster. Orchids appear in the woods where a simple house fluctuates in the air, against the marvelous multilayered forest background, while a little cat interrupts the composition, surfing on a cloud.
Vegetative mutants, the orchids transform and re-generate in multiple ways, just as HIMBAD`s characters, mutant entities, symbols of the artist’s judicious selection of astounding variety. The scenes he creates are a compendium of graphic metamorphoses. They seem to be generated by a stream of pre-logical neuronal connections, drawn on a dream. Free from any predictive sketches, the artist lets the composition to self-generate, we perceive the freedom of happening in his canvas and the absence of rules limitation.
Soak in the sap of the hot cedar at the canopy onset, 2022, Acrylic on linen, with uv archival varnish 100 × 100 cm
Hom mak, 2022, Acrylic on linen, with uv archival varnish 100 × 100 cm
HIMBAD depicts a fantastic world, with a distinctive and unique aesthetic, unveiling an anthology of artistic inspiration which sources from a heritage of high culture, with references to mythology, poetry, literature and science.
Just like the orchids adapt to different environments, we find HIMBAD’s artworks spread around the most random locations. His paintings have been consecrated by appearing in real temples of art, such as: the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Modern in London or MoMA New York, as well, in form of murals, on the walls of the most remote and unexpected places: Ibiza, Chiangmai, or New York.
Michela Sena
Hunt/ed in the lands on the southern cross, 2022, Acrylic on linen, with uv archival varnish, 200 × 600 cm (200 × 200 × 3P)
HIMBAD was born in 1983. He graduated from Central Saint Martins in the UK. Traces of his work can be found worldwide, including New York, Miami, London, the Ibiza islands, Berlin, the Middle East, Pakistan, Tokyo, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha, and Hangzhou.. You may find his works inadvertently. He dives into our archetypal mind and reaches deep into the subconscious. His inspirations came from his study of Celtic, Greek, and eastern mythology. He adds a touch of his unique humour into his works. He has been actively involved in graffiti art creation since his artwork was presented at the Tate Modern in London in 2015 and has yearly exhibitions worldwide. In addition to graffiti art, he has participated in several crossover projects, such as fashion and music.
