The Best Artists in Thailand
Some of the best artists in Thailand are now (August, 2022) showing their work at the Thongthawapee Art Gallery at Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University. It’s all part of the 8th Thai Art Identity Exhibition (8th MOU), where Arts faculty members of 31 Rajabhat universities across Thailand contribute their art for exhibition. Rajabhat universities are similar in status and vision to State Universities in the United States, and like their American counterparts began as teaching colleges.
All art teachers at Rajabhat universities are both professional artists and instructors, so this is a unique opportunity to view work from Thailand’s best artists who have dedicated their lives also to teaching and mentoring Thailand’s next generation of young artists. At the Sakon Nakhon art exhibition, you’ll see professional Thai artists working in a variety of mediums, including acrylic, oil, water color, and pen and ink, while pursuing both modern and traditional Thai themes. Both Buddhist and Hindu themes are captured, the latter in two exceptionally made sculptures of Shiva and Ganesha.
Three academic lectures on the fine arts kicked off the exhibition, and were delivered by Professor Dr. Sakchai Uthito (President of the Esan Artists Association), Professor Dr. Prasit Wichaya (1st Prize, Sculpture Section, National Art Competition, Bangkok), and Ajarn Supawat Thonglamul (an award-winning independent Thai artist). Listening to these speakers and looking at the exhibition, one understands clearly that there is a common ground that Thai artists share (which their counterparts in the West often no longer do). That is, a desire to create works that have both emotional and spiritual value, while respecting traditional concepts of beauty.
The 8th MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) exhibition will be on display until September 1st at the Thongthawapee Art Gallery. Official hours of the gallery are 9am to 5pm daily, but in reality one cannot be certain of the gallery always being open during these times. We would suggest going in the early afternoon for the best chance of the gallery being open. If you would like to see additional Thai art in Sakon Nakhon, we would highly recommend visiting the province’s gorgeous Thai temples, many of which can be viewed as religious themed art galleries, as well as sacred places of worship.
Artwork From the 8th Thai Art Identity Exhibition
นิทรรศการอัตลักษณ์ศิลป์ถิ่นไทย ครั้งที่8
The above photo gallery is just a sample of the Thai art currently on display at the Thongthawapee Art Gallery. To view the entire exhibition of these Rajabhat university art teachers, who we consider among the best artists in Thailand, you can browse the online brochure here: 8th MOU Art Exhibition in Sakon Nakhon.
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