Thanarat Asvasirayothin in Conversation with Thai Contemporary Artist, Gongkan
Kantapon 'Gongkan' Metheekul. Image Courtesy of Metheekul.
Kantapon Metheekul, professionally known as ‘Gongkan’, bridges the gap between graffiti art culture and commercial illustration through his work. Born and raised in Bangkok, Gongkan graduated from the School of Arts at Silpakorn University in Visual Communication Design and began a professional career in advertising and graphic design. However, it was after relocating to New York City for three years to study Fine Arts with a focus in painting that he altered the direction of his artistic expression. The creative liberation Gongkan found in the city had a lasting influence upon his identity as an artist and as a person who desired to see equality and freedom of expression in society.
It was during this period he discovered the street art community, finding solidarity with artists who coloured the city with their visual monikers. Gongkan lent his street art presence to stickers of surreal scenes left throughout New York’s subway line. These illustrations would later make up his acclaimed Teleport Artworks which depict people traveling, or ‘teleporting’, through black holes and arriving on the other side.
Sotheby’s Institute of Art alumna, Thanarat Asvasirayothin, interviews Kantapon ‘Gongkan’ Metheekul to discuss his Teleport Art, the signature black holes and other inspirations behind his work.
Thanarat Asvasirayothin: Your creativity extends from Advertising to Commercial Art to Fine Arts. Could you please give our readers some insights into your commercial art background, from Bangkok to New York, and the origin of Teleport Art?
Kantapon ‘Gongkan’ Metheekul: Starting from the age of twenty-five to twenty-six, I worked in Bangkok as a creative director in advertising for three years. Eventually, I wanted to get away from commercial art and become an artist, so I quit my job and moved to New York. The city allows me to express myself freely and to navigate my own creative energy and goals for developing my art practice.
Teleport Art comes from my depression, personal experiences and societal issues around topics such as gender inequality and human rights.Throughout my time in New York, I struggled to make art and find gallery representation, until I reached a breaking point. I felt blocked from society in every way because of language barriers, my race, and a lack of connection to others. From that moment, I developed Teleport, utilising a black hole to represent freedom in my drawings. Teleport is a play on people's dissatisfaction with their current situation and hope for a better, different life. People dissatisfied with what they have might ask, "Where should I go?". It serves as an escape from darkness and grief.
Then I brought the Teleport Art to the NYC street art scene. I created black hole stickers, which I placed on the streets and subway lines, depicting a character teleporting different areas in the city. I also had the opportunity to collaborate with Street Art New York Community, the street art space with locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn known for its 5-metre-long wall in the centre of the city. As a result, people began to recognise the Teleport works found in New York’s public spaces. Later on, the series was recreated in other mediums and situated in various locations, either as a commercial product or as a sculptural art piece.
Gongkan’s Sticker Bomb in New York. Image Courtesy of Artist.
TA: In The Tip of an Iceberg exhibition, what are the techniques or materials you use to make your art, along with the natural landscapes and gradient pastel skies painted in the background?
KM: There are many mediums used in this exhibition, from paintings to video art. In the paintings, I combined airbrush and brushwork techniques to create dimension. There are many dark and low points that the viewer could overlook. The story, narrated by me, tells of my personal experiences.
In The Tip of an Iceberg, I depicted the shade of the sky at different times of day to create a surreal image. I chose gradients from dark blue to light green, and from dark purple to pink to light yellow, for example. These bright hues highlight the use of water as a moral compass, unifying the works.
Survival From Oppression, 2021. Acrylic on canvas, Airbrush.
120 x 180 cm. 47.2 x 70.8in. Image Courtesy of the Artist and Over the Influence .
TA: The works included in your spectacular solo exhibition The Tip of an Iceberg at Over The Influence Gallery, Los Angeles frequently portray pools of water instead of black holes. What interests you about these pools of water, where unsmiled characters come together in unison?
KM: The pools of water signify the depth of human perception, limited by people’s subjective ways of observing their surroundings. My characters usually never smile, informing my identity and my feelings from past experiences. The viewer interprets how these characters feel, whether they are smiling, or are grieving inside-- no one knows. The title The Tip of an Iceberg sums up my work’s subject matter, that what you see is only a portion of the distortion and darkness of society. Underneath the water lies many unseen issues such as poverty, corruption, discrimination against the LGBTQ community, and the discouragement of certain beliefs.
Inequality Of Thai Democracy, 2021. Image Courtesy of Artists and Bangkok Post.
TA: In many philosophies and religious ideologies, water also symbolizes life, purity, serenity, reminding us to cleanse our minds to attain a state of perfection. Do these associations resonate in your art/your intentions behind your art? Do you see your art as a form of therapy to help you embrace discrepancies found in society and make art that conveys powerful statements?
KM: It was not entirely my true intention to convey the philosophical meaning of water as a purifying element and a therapeutic form. My artworks are meant to represent teleportation and are a sign of a journey overcoming obstacles. Water and black holes are spirited and represent freedom of thought and expression. Therefore, it is what lies beneath the water that is a mystery to be solved.
Gender Equality And Righteousness, 2021. Image Courtesy of Artist and Bangkok Post.
TA: What is the message behind Gender Equality And Righteousness?
KM: This work criticises the gender inequality found in the basic principles of Buddhism and other religions. Equality and righteousness are vital parts of basic human rights, and yet in many religious ideologies, they are unfortunately not extended to females. This work depicts how women are expected to be pure but will never reach the higher realms of Buddhism because of their sex.
Gender Equality And Righteousness shows the contradictory nature of Buddhism and comments on how much more progress is needed for sexual equality to be fully achieved. I am originally from Thailand, so I included Buddha in this work and other paintings in the exhibition in order to inform American audiences of my own background and experiences.
TA: Are there any art historical movements or artists that inspired your creation of Teleport Art?
KM: I’m inspired by Salvador Dali, through his use of intense colours to evoke a feeling of pensive introspection; surreal and silent moments in time that are both beautiful to look at but fraught with hidden anxieties. I’m not sure whether the audience is aware of this connection between Dali’s work and my work, but I hope that the colour palette and surreal nature of my painting will evoke a response - an emotional response from the audience when they look at it. My style can be more characterised as minimalist and digestible, like pop art.
No Freedom, No Love. Image Courtesy of Artist.
TA: Do you have any highlight pieces or if you have to choose one, which of your artworks are most meaningful to you?
KM: I would say No Freedom, No Love because this is the very first piece of art that teleports me to where I am today.
TA: What advice might you offer to emerging artists who need to market themselves and build their customer base?
KM: Artists must understand the importance of building a network both inside and outside their own art scene, as well as getting involved in different community groups that connect artists with individuals in business. In my case, Thai people and other individuals might buy my work because they know me or want to show support, even if they don’t typically collect art. My previous advertising experience also helped tremendously, as it taught me to create a systematic thought process for getting my work out there and discovering an audience interested in buying my art. In fact, I landed my solo exhibition at Over the Influence Gallery in Los Angeles with help from a friend’s network.
Artists are trained to be more innovative and creative, rather than profit oriented. Ultimately, people buy the story of art. Today, every artist’s path to success is flexible, as long as they understand how the market functions.
TA: Lastly, what do you have coming up in the future?
KM: I’m currently based in Bangkok, where I am participating in the group exhibition Dismantle at Joyman Gallery. Additionally, I’m working on my upcoming solo exhibition projects for Tang Contemporary Art and Macao Art Biennale.
Thank you, Kantapon!
Visit Gongkan’s website and his Instagram to find out more about his work.
Thanarat Asvasirayothin,
Contributor, MADE IN BED