A retrospective posthumous exhibition celebrating the life of Chavalit Soemprungsuk
.
How content and fulfilling the artist’s life must be, to be able to create artwork with such precision and simplicity, and to perceive its perfection and completion. In Less is OK, a posthumous exhibition of Chavalit Soemprungsuk, we take viewers on a journey that explores various angles of the artist’s life beyond the artworks.
.
Aspects range from his dedication to art, his energy, openness to new ideas, to his support of younger artists. Additionally, there are more personal qualities that many may not be familiar with, from his relationships, his unique fashion sense, his quick humor and sometimes cheekiness, to his forthrightness, sharpness, and fast wit. These are aspects that many who had known him love as part of his charm and character, while others might experience them for the first time in this exhibition.
.
Works and materials in this exhibition followed Chavalit Soemprungsuk from a young age to his last moments, and what he had left behind for us. He lived life to the fullest, with no regrets, to create artwork that is so pure and simple. Lines, forms, and colors were derived directly from his thoughts, senses, and emotions. For Soemprungsuk, his whole life and work is not ‘less is more’ but ‘less is OK’.
.
About the artist
.
Chavalit Soemprungsuk (1939-2020)
.
Chavalit Soemprungsuk was a visual artist based in Thailand and the Netherlands. He started his art study when he was in his secondary school, Vajiravudh College, followed by the College of Fine Arts. He then attended Silpakorn University where he graduated from the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Art in 1962. He was one of the last groups of students to have a chance to study with Silpa Bhirasri. He also learnt from many Thai masters of that generation including Paitoon Muangsomboon, Fua Haripitak, Sanan Silakorn, Khien Yimsiri and Tawee Nandakwang.
.
After graduating, Soemprungsuk received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture of the Netherlands, making him the first Thai student to ever attend Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. Unsatisfied with the teaching style, he left school and started his career as a professional artist. With dedication and determination, along with his unique body of work, Soemprungsuk eventually became the first and only Thai artist who earned the accolade as a national artist of the Netherlands.
.
His art practice has continued to develop over time, starting with realistic styles while in Thailand, gradually becoming more abstract, focusing on geometric forms, straight lines and color fields. He has worked with various media such as painting, drawing, printing, sculpture and mixed media.
.
In his exhibition, ‘In Amsterdam with Chavalit Soemprungsuk’ in 2013, he donated over 4,000 pieces of his collections to the Thai government. These include artwork, books, furniture, belongings and even structural parts of his Amsterdam studio, under the condition that all of these assets must be accessible to the public with the aim of benefitting younger generations of artists.
.
After 50 years of his career with a nationally and internationally recognized artistic repertoire, Soemprungsuk was honored with the title of National Artist in Visual Arts (Painting) by the Office of the National Culture Commission (ONCC) in 2014.
.
For the last decade of his life, Soemprungsuk has switched from making physical art pieces in his studio to digital works displayed through social media platforms. He later started producing tangible digital prints. Part of these works were exhibited at the ‘80+ Art Festival Thailand’, a festival of exhibitions in various locations during November 2019 – March 2020 to celebrate the artist’s career at his 80th year of age. It was considered the last exhibition of his life. He passed away in April 2020 while he was working on an exhibition at MOCA Bangkok, which later continued after his death.
.
Chavalit Soemprungsuk is currently considered a leading artist in the field of abstract art and non-objective art and one of the most prominent figures of modern art in Thailand.
.
Venue: RCB Galleria 1 on 2nd floor
.
Free Admission
.
*River City Bangkok is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with strict preventive measures against Covid-19 and limitation of visitors inside all exhibitions.

Event Contact