It's all been there done that on the Cannes Lion advertising award circuit for Kantapon Metheekul. The young creative executive has won many awards, been featured in several publications and has illustrated for a handful of high street and luxury fashion brands -- but that's not his true calling. As someone who loved to draw since he was five, it was only natural that Kantapon's veins throbbed to become a full-time artist -- to draw his own creations and not what others briefed him to. After three years of working for advertising agencies, he packed his bags and headed to New York to become an artist.
Leaving behind his cushy career and starting out with nothing, Kantapon, who uses the artist name Gongkan, charmed New York within two-and-a-half years with one of his most recognisable works of people sticking out of black holes. Creatively making use of outdoor environments, the sticker bombs he planted throughout the city led to a queasy notion of Kim and Trump kissing, commissions to do street murals, as well as two exhibitions currently happening in Bangkok. Currently in town, Kantapon is showcasing his second solo exhibition "Teleport" while another collaboration with Siam Discovery's ODS (Objects Of Desire Store) offers a limited edition of products. Totes, T-shirts, plates, pins, and of course, stickers, flaunt his surreal minimalist drawings mixed with a tinge of whimsy and dark humour. Muse talks to the rising artist about the struggles of trying to make it in the world's capital of dream chasers.
How tough was it to get started out there?
I started completely with zero and went with nothing. No connections, friends, social life or any pathways to get into the art circle there. At that time, I was homesick so I made the Teleport collection, which represents how I could warp back home instantly or go anywhere where I was happy. I wasn't very happy and was quite stressed at that time of my life in New York. I used to have a job and had steady pay, but living there I had no friends and my English wasn't that great either so I couldn't really communicate with people. My future looked difficult because I wanted to become an artist, but the competition there is immense. It took me a bit over a year until I got the idea -- it really was rock bottom and I was so stressed that I could draw this. It's really from my inner core so I think the work turned out well and different, so it became of interest to people.
Do you use art to express your views on social issues or politics?
For this Teleport exhibition, it's about crossing dimensions of bad ideas and getting away from bad feelings. Some of that includes politics or even everyday things like gender or racism issues. You see a lot of support for gays and lesbians in New York as they are more serious about human rights and equality there than in Thailand. I wasn't in Thailand when the black panther incident happened, but when I heard the news, I wasn't happy about it. I got a space to create artwork about it and for me, it was not so much about how the panther died, but about how the law isn't sacred at all. My more famous work [of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un kissing] came to be because at that time, there were many anti-Trump people and he was very popular. I thought if I warped these two people to be able to love each other and to finally stop destroying the world, it would be humorous, even if it's dark humour.
What artists do you look up to or have influenced your work?
Dali. I like him because he draws surreal too and it is art that comes from within him. When you see his works, you just think that there must be so much going on in his head. I like surreal pictures because I don't draw things you can see in front of you. I draw things from the unconscious or pictures you see in your head and want to interpret things you see in your head. I guess I'm a dreamy person and like to imagine things that don't exist on Earth, which was why drawing still or real life didn't appeal to me.
Is living in New York more conducive to creating art than living in Bangkok?
It pressures you more than being in Thailand, because there are no distractions. In Bangkok you're in a safe zone where you have friends, money and things to celebrate. You don't have to be that stressed about your future and you can take it easy. But your work isn't that deep and it's not really from your true substance because you're quite comfortable. When you're there and don't have anything at all and have to prove yourself, it makes you give your all to your work and it all comes from your innermost strength after being alone with yourself. I don't think I could have drawn this much if I were still in Bangkok.
How dependent are you on social media to popularise your work?
I'm not so engaged anymore; I used to be but it doesn't move my work forward. If you're just concerned about your works generating amounts of likes, you will just draw the things others already have and it will be the sort of drawings that are likely to be widely liked by a large consensus. I used to be obsessed with it and know now that it pushes you too much to be 'successful' and 'famous' and it's unnecessary. It creates work that isn't very deep and I felt that I'd rather create things that I really love, that a few people really like too, rather than try to catch a mass group but they only like it on a shallow level.
What medium do you like to work on most, after your experiences?
I like to draw on walls because it has a bigger impact and you really unleash the energy in you. It's completely out of the frame and a lot of fun. It's extreme, with colours everywhere, with you going up and down the stairs and painting on these 10m spaces or whole buildings. I never thought I'd be able to do this, back at Bangkok I'm normally drawing in an air-conditioned room. I guess for me, 'making it' is getting to draw something that is truly myself and that it is in a powerful, public space in New York. It's a great feeling for me when my work makes people happy or helps them heal. I created Teleport really wanting to give encouragement to others. The black hole is meant to give encouragement to people who feel like they're stuck in a rut in their life. I wanted to say that there are holes you can wiggle through if you just stick through with this a bit more.
What advice would you give to others seeking their dreams in New York?
I think the first step is you mustn't be afraid of not having anything to eat. You have to be very serious about it too, because it can be very easy to give up before you make it. It will definitely be tiring. It's a tiring city but you need to understand that you aren't there on a holiday to relax. You're there for your purpose and you need to work at it every day. But don't feel that you must be at a certain point or must make it immediately, because things happen in its own time. Rest some, but don't stop. Stopping completely means you won't make it at all but if you continue at it, there is still a chance of getting there.
Teleport is on display at Warehouse 30, Charoen Krung 30, until June 15. Open daily 11am-9pm. Kantapon's products will be available until July 15 at ODS, 3rd floor, Siam Discovery.
