 Keiko Itakura ~ Japan
Keiko Itakura constructs extremely ornate free hand line drawings on paper, which have been featured on everything from album covers by rock bands to shopping bags for trendy international boutiques. Itakura plays with the notion of design and decorum with her works straddling the line between art and fashion. She had a one woman show of her drawings and manipulations of line in 2004 at Diesel’s Denim Gallery in New York, and Bjork's record The Juniper Tree. Her work has also been featured in Esquire Magazine along with dozens of other publications. Her obsessive line drawing often incorporates hundreds of hours of labor intensive drawing with use of a magnifying glass.
 Top Changtrakul ~ Thailand
Top Changtrakul is a performance artist and sculptor who works with building environments that often incorporate materials characterized as “junk”. His most recents show “Recreationology” (2006) used old exercise equipment in a brightly adorned room, bean bags, and a central station that sold balloons for charity. Top was born in Bangkok, but studied art in the United States and in 1996 he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of San Francisco. He later received his Master of Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2000.
 Carlos Contente ~ Brazil
Carlos' Contente is primarily a minimal public graffiti artist. His artwork relates to the history of South American iconography. Pieces use strong abrupt lines including his current graffiti work. His latest works involve using a simplistic stencil to create multiples in the shape of an almost exoticized human face. The images have been dubbed a self portrait by the artist, and placed in spaces throughout Brazil. Earlier works involved a more broad incorporation of sculpture and drawing before he began working almost exclusively in urban spaces in 2002. His work has been shown at the Paco Imperial of Rio De Janeiro in 2005, which is the same year that he received the prize Entel of International Biennale SIART in La Paz, Bolivia. He is represented by Gentil Carioca in Rio de Janeiro.
 Mayumi Lake ~ USA
Acclaimed photographer and installation artist Mayumi Lake is best known for her works dealing with aspects of human sexuality in relation to the viewer’s impulses. Her most famous and most controversial work includes the Poo-chi series of images of human armpits resembling female genitalia. She continues to challenge the viewer to question ideas about fantasy, and her most recent works involve herself in a performative role in her photographs. Her exhibitions include: M.Y.Art Prospects, New York, New York (solo show 2005), FOTOAMERICA 2004, Santiago, Chile, and Gallery O, Tokyo, Japan (solo show 2001) among many others.
 Marina Paris ~ Italy
Marina Paris is a multi-faceted artist who works in several mediums including drawing, photography, sound pieces, and site specific installations. Her work is often exhibited or installed in public spaces and involves combinations of media. She uses media to transform busy public spaces into multisensory environments that are commonly linked to the themes of collective memory and human’s relationship to their childhood. She has had numerous solo exhibitions of her work throughout Italy. She lives and works in Rome.
 Jakkai Siributr ~ Thailand
Jakkai Siributr's current project involves mangling, stretching, tearing, and abrading fabric pieces to discuss wealth in Thai culture. He has been part of many acclaimed exhibits in both Thailand and the United States. His work on traditional fabric and cloth is complicated by questions at the core of a pillaging of Buddhism in a search for luck, lottery numbers, fast quick gains, and other hustles. The viewer of his work is allowed to exist as both consumer and social critic regardless of his own cultural background.
 Philip Jeck ~ UK
For over a decade Philip Jeck has been pushing the boundaries of music by deconstructing sound with his chance approach to composition. He is a seminal figure in contemporary music at the vanguard of alternative performance techniques. His works are regularly released on albums by a variety of labels. Unprepared music is created in his work by modifications of equipment leaving performance variable. The pieces commonly use analog tape and up to thirty modified record players. He has collaborated with such artists as Christian Fennesz and Lol Sargent. His most acclaimed works include Vinyl Coda I-IV and Stoke.
Links: www.bkkartfest.com | | February 23
Grand opening Party at Playground Gallery
Sukhumvit soi 55 ~ Thong Lor BTS
7 p.m. -
“Perversion/Subversion”
Keiko Itakura (Japan)
Mayumi Lake (USA)
Marina Paris (Italy)
Jakkai Siributr (Thailand) February 25
Carlos Contente (Brazil)
Completion of graffiti project on front wall of Din Daeng National Housing
(Thanon Asoke Din Daeng ~ Victory Monument BTS) February 27 ~ 28
Children’s Discovery Museum
Chatauchak ~ Mor Chit BTS
Keiko Itakura teaches two sessions of painting, drawing and illustration
Ages 6 ~ 10
1 p.m. ~ 3 p.m. February 27
“Amazon Odyssey”
Bed Supperclub (Sukhumvit soi 11 ~ Nana BTS)
Featuring an outdoor showing of Carlos Contente’s graffiti and Brazilian-themed party indoors.
Live painting at 9 p.m. Party to follow
600 baht entry. March 2 ~ 3
“Elephants”
Top Changtrakul (Thailand)
Performance in elephant suits and photo exhibition
Lumpini Park (1 p.m. ~ 7 p.m.)
Rama IV ~ Sala Daeng BTS
Streets of Sukhumvit and Silom
(7 p.m. onwards each day) March 19
“Vinyl Coda I-IV"
Phillip Jeck (UK)
Two performances
Siam Paragon Siam BTS
7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Free admission
Closing party at Met Bar in the Metropolitan Hotel
Sathorn ~ Lumpini MRTA
10 p.m. ~ |
