PEX PITAKPONG: WELCOME TO MY WORLD

NANZUKA presents the Thai artist Pex Pitakpong’s debut solo exhibition in Japan Welcome To My World at NANZUKA UNDERGROUND. The exhibition features an installation consisting of seven canvas pieces and 99 drawings.

January 11 – February 3, 2024

Pex Pitakpong was born in 1971 in Bangkok where he currently continues to live and work, and graduated in 1991 from Silpakorn University with a bachelor’s degree in visual communication art. Working as a freelance illustrator for various magazines since 1998, his profound interest in pop culture such as manga and anime eventually led him to pursue his endeavors as a painter. It was in 2015 that he officially kickstarted his artistic career with the creation of his original character “Mari.”

Pitakpong’s artwork, characterized by his vibrant and distinct use of color, depict boys and girls adorned as animals, plants, and imaginary creatures. Such fantastical characters in themselves harbor symbolic meanings, serving as metaphors for different peoples’ diverse ways of life.

For example, the exhibition includes the new work “Akha,” inspired by the Akha people, a small ethnic group residing in the highlandsof Asia. The Akha people, who engage in semi-nomadic agriculture in mountainous regions, speak their own language and have preserved their unique culture including their native dress, traditions, and social practices, to the present day. On the one hand, there are many members of the Akha people who face problems of statelessness, leading to social challenges encompassing human rights issues, economic poverty, and educational disparities. Through his work, Pitakpong attempts to reflect his own concern and exploration of such complex themes.