The World Askew

Thienchai Nogngam

Exhibition

Drawing from his surroundings, Thienchai begins with fragments of lived experience: news, people, places, social encounters, and images or memories that surface unexpectedly in his mind. Rather than reproducing these sources directly, he rearranges and transforms them into surreal pictorial worlds in which disparate events, symbols, figures, and spaces coexist. Familiar realities are shifted slightly out of place, allowing new and often ambiguous relationships to emerge.

Working between Surrealism and representational painting, Thienchai is known for vivid colours and visually engaging compositions that often conceal darker undercurrents of irony and social critique. Beneath their playful and sometimes fantastical appearances, his paintings address contradictions within contemporary society while incorporating philosophical reflections on human existence and the nature of truth.

The title The World Askew captures this condition of instability: a world that remains recognisable, yet never entirely settles into place. Through Thienchai’s paintings, reality becomes fragmented, rearranged and open to interpretation, inviting viewers to reconsider both the world before them and the ways in which they make sense of it.

On view: 24 August – 30 October 2026
Opening reception: Monday 6 July, 18:00 h

Catalogue (EN/TH)
Thienchai Nogngam has played a significant role in the development of Thailand’s contemporary art scene as one of the pioneering members of the “Dharma Group.” His association with the collective dates back to its third exhibition at the Bhirasri Institute of Modern Art in 1976, marking the beginning of a sustained artistic practice that continues to the present day. Alongside his own creative work, Thienchai has remained committed to passing on his knowledge of visual composition and artistic practice to younger generations, extending his contribution beyond the studio to the broader development of Thailand’s artistic community.