MoNWIC and Bangkok Art and Culture Centre invite you to The opening reception of “Damrong WONG-UPARAJ : A Retrospective of Versatility and Discipline” via live streaming on Facebook Fanpage: Bacc หอศิลปวัฒนธรรมแห่งกรุงเทพมหานคร
Exhibition Period: today – 5 December 2021, at Main Gallery on 8th floor, bacc
Supported by Faculty of Arts, Silpakorn University and Fine Paper Takeo (Thailand)

Artist: Assistant Professor Damrong Wong-Uparaj
Guest Curators: Adulaya Hoontrakul and Assistant Professor Vichaya Mukdamanee, D. Phil.

This exhibition presents an expansive visual and biographical examination into the works of Assistant Professor Damrong Wong-Uparaj (1936-2002), awarded 1999’s National Artist title in the painting category and whose multi-disciplinary abilities were self-nurtured by his own determination to learn and explore. His career spanned over 40 years, each of which was spent dedicated to the development and progress of Thai Art. Aside from his main role as an artist, Damrong was also a teaching and lecturing professor, a writer, a curator, a director for art centres and an art conservator, all of which contributed to introducing “Visual Arts” to the general public in Thailand.

This exhibition features 70 paintings and printmakings, academic essays and video interviews of the artist’s classmates, colleagues, family and collectors, all of whom played important roles in Damrong’s life throughout different periods. As one of the last cohorts of Professor Silpa Bhirasri’s students, Damrong learned about the ways of fusing Euro-American art styles with Thai art influences and subject matters. He also honed his skills through being a student and working professionally in both local and international capacity, having spent time in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Japan among many other countries, resulting in a series of very fine paintings and prints that reflect on Damrong’s own yearning for simplicity, serenity and local charm.