A wave of passion

A new gallery promises a series of exhibitions that reflect a marriage between contemporary art and cultural identities

SAMILA SUTTISILTUM

The name literally translates to "Travel in Water Sky" - a phrase that seems paradoxical, complex, even nonsensical, yet reflects an unmistakable imagination and romanticism.

That the name sounds meaningless yet still stirs the emotions and imagination by chance resembles the effect some contemporary art - like abstract works - have on viewers. "Travel in Water Sky", is a translation of Teo+Namfah, a new gallery.

"You know in New York, a gallery is often named after the owner," said Brad Gordon, a former US lawyer who relocated to Thailand, on the name of his Teo+Namfah gallery, which will receive an official opening ceremony this evening.

"I was discussing it with my wife, who is the co-owner of this gallery. Her name is Rattana, so we should have named it 'Brad+Rattana', but it didn't seem to work out. So we borrowed the names of our children, Teo and Namfah, which mean 'travel' and 'water sky', respectively. It's also the idea of creating something for future generations, and our children also happen to have nice names."

The soft-spoken, Connecticut-born gallery owner met his Thai wife, Rattana, during his year off from Brown University to work in a refugee camp in 1988. The pair married and spent time in New York while Gordon read law at Harvard, and in Southeast Asia during the time he worked as an international lawyer specialising in US securities and corporate law. After familiarising himself with the art scene in the region, he decided to forsake his prosperous career and settle in Bangkok to realise his dream of opening a contemporary art gallery.

"During the time I worked in Southeast Asia, I visited a number of galleries all over the region and even now, I try to get access, or talk to people who have access to the artists all over the region, industry professionals like art critics and people working in auction houses. We try to maintain an active network because the art world is so massive and everything has become so globalised."

The fact that Gordon has never had academic or professional training in art, except for an internship programme at a gallery in New York, and his association with art has always been a personal passion, seem to translate into the gallery's homey and welcoming atmosphere. The aim of Teo+Namfah is not to store precious items or put them on pedestals, but to encourage people to restore into their life something that has been missing, like art and an appreciation of beauty. He believes that a gallery should be an active space for people to familiarise themselves with art, thus explaining his transformation of the room next door into a venue for art workshops and a high-quality art equipment store.

"We do workshops because we want those interested in art to have a complete experience here, from studying art to viewing art. There will be art students from local universities coming to teach here and we also sell art supplies like Gamblin artist colours, Rekab brushes and M. Graham watercolours."

Teo+Namfah will kick-start its role on the Thai art scene with an exhibition that embodies the motivation behind the gallery as well as its standpoint, "Wave of Passion". Aiming to demonstrate the progress of and to communicate the wealth of culture in Thailand, the exhibition features work by top-notch Thai artists working in different media and from different generations, from painters such as Pichai Niran, Tawee Rajaneekorn and Tinnakorn Kasornsuwan, print-makers such as Teerawat Ngarmchuachit and Pishnu Supanimit, sculptors including Pitak Sanga and Thanee Klinkhajorn, film-makers Nonzee Nimibutr and Kamol Paosawat, musician Rangsit Jongyansitho, photographer Tada Varich as well as poet Nawarat Pongpaiboon.

"I personally like contemporary works with a cultural identity. What I'm trying to do in this exhibition is to get a mix of media, which I think is an interesting way to open the gallery. I think in Thailand, there's a number of quality short film productions going on which don't get public distribution, like this short film by Nonzee, whom you know well as a feature film director. So, I include short films in the exhibition, too."

Currently, Teo+Namfah gallery has a nearly full schedule of exhibitions this year; each will have a display period of approximately six weeks. However, Gordon still has another project in mind. He plans to publish an art listings magazine every two months, which will serve as a complete and intensive A-to-Z guide for art lovers and even tourists who feel the need to experience the art world of Thailand.

"As we live and have opened a gallery here, I feel we should contribute something to the art scene. The magazine will be published once every two months, and will have everything one needs to know about what's going on or who's who in Thai art circles, within a period of two months. We're working on it and hopefully it will be out soon."

Teo+Namfah Gallery opens today with the exhibition 'Wave of Passion' at Ozono Complex, 307 Sukhumvit 39. For more information, call 02-259-6117 or email brad@teonamfahgallery.com. A web site, http://www.teonamfahgallery.com/, is currently under construction and will be active later this month.

The exhibition runs until February 25.

Bangkok Post
Friday February 02, 2007