The art works are untitled, just as the show itself is called "A Painting Exhibition With No Title". Veteran Thai artist Somboon Hormtienthong does not wish to guide -- or misguide -- his audience making their way through his series of abstract works presented at Numthong Gallery.
Essentially, the show's inherent focus is on abstraction -- the abstraction of vivid images and tangible experiences as they are processed by the mind. As time passes, only certain shapes, colours and motifs subsist, as if imprinted on one's retina.
The experiences that have found their way onto the artist's large-sized canvases are his own, memories of his prolonged stay in Germany following his studies at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts, and of his return to Thailand.
Somboon Homtienthong/Numthong Gallery photos courtesy of Somboon Homtienthong/Numthong Gallery
The 11 paintings currently on display at Numthong Gallery were carefully selected by Somboon himself and constitute a rather small portion of the series he has been creating at his riverside studio in Chiang Khan since 2008.
"I wanted to show to the public that Somboon has never quite given up on abstract painting," says Numthong Sae Tang, the curator and gallery owner. As a duo, Numthong and Somboon set up the Thai Pavilion at the 47th Venice Art Biennale last year under the theme "Krunghtep Bangkok", in which the artist reflected on the changes experienced in the city.
Somboon's vision of Bangkok as a "lost city", which he manifested through installations of ready-made objects and furniture, as well as realistic charcoal drawings, garnered mixed reviews and was overshadowed by the participation of young Thai artists Kawita Vatanajyankur and Anon Pairot in the Alamak! Project, also held in Venice at the same time.
The two-toned acrylic paintings, in primary shades of blue and yellow, are possibly evocative of the rural landscape and surroundings in which Somboon works, while the contrast between both colours creates a palpable tension in his work, a balance that strives towards a feeling of stillness and tranquillity. With masterful brushstrokes, the artist paints straight, unwavering lines that extend beyond the canvas's limits and circular shapes reminiscent of the mind's continuous, cyclical rumbling and its struggle to achieve clear thinking.
"Somboon is capable of finding peace and tranquillity even in busy settings," Numthong adds. His studio by the Mekong river might seem like the embodiment of a peaceful retreat to many, but Numthong argues it is in fact noisy for people who aren't used to the sound of passing motor boats, birds or insects.
"A Painting Exhibition With No Title" is on view at Numthong Gallery, Soi Aree.
