JOY COMES IN ALL SHAPES AND FORMS

One can say that being an artist means to take inspirations from surroundings and put them into art. For Timur Fork, it was the streets, the trains and the railway tracks in Moscow, Russia, that sparked his interest in art and drew him into sculpting and graffitiing. He started as a street artist in 2000.

Timur Fork: To see my works in volume, I began sculpting sketches out of clay to understand how shadows and other elements would fall. Over time, I thought — why not paint the clay model itself as it is? It could become my signature style since no other street artists were doing that.

Not only in his home country, but Fork also traveled around the world to explore other art cultures such as in Barcelona, Paris and other European cities. He was recently in Osaka, Japan, for finishing a project with WALL SHARE, a Japanese company that utilizes blank walls for art, aiming to bring art to more people and transform public spaces. ‘Happy Home’ is the name of the mural in Osaka that Fork used his signature style of plasticine realism to depict a home filled with happiness.

Timur Fork: We communicated to WALL SHARE through Instagram. They worked with many international artists previously. After our conversations, I was invited to work on a piece in Japan. When I saw the space, I thought of the character right away. I wanted ‘Happy Home’ to generate positivity in the community. Not only that, I learned that the next-door neighbors were elderly people living by themselves. So, I wanted the character on the wall to bring joy and happiness to everyone, all ages.

Fork tells us that the countries he has visited always inevitably leave an imprint that he starts using subconsciously. The more he travels, the more he learns about the countries’ local cultures. He always believes that seeing the world gives oneself a broader perspective, and that an artist should not be afraid to experiment with new inputs.

The artist previously expressed that 'art should not burden the viewer with complex concepts,' because he thinks that life is already full of complexities, so he doesn’t want to focus on more problems. He rather chooses to highlight the positive things in the world.

Having said that, Fork also said it doesn’t mean that art should be shallow or simplistic. On the contrary, it is actually quite challenging to distance oneself from all the surrounding noise and connect with one’s true nature: pure, spontaneous, and open, like in childhood.

Timur Fork: For me, joy is one of the highest expressions of our inner nature. I always try to depict this feeling — untainted by intellectual games, not seeking to impress the audience with overly complex intellectual concepts. In our age of information overload, there’s already too much of that around us. I want to show something simple, sincere, and kind.

In the LIGHT THROUGH 15 WINDOWS Exhibition: The Unmissable Art Experience, which he displays five pieces of work along with other 14 artists, Fork hopes that viewers would immerse themselves to the exhibition and feel the blending of colors and the formation of shapes, and find joy within them.

Timur Fork: In this exhibition, I want to express nonconformity to rigid artistic norms and an openness to new forms. That’s why I hope that, for the Thai audience, it will be something fresh and inspiring.

LIGHT THROUGH 15 WINDOWS Exhibition: The Unmissable Art Experience runs through 31 March 2025 at  Agni Gallery Address: 15/2, Soi Ruamrudee, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok, 10330

Opening Hours: Daily from 10.00 am – 7.00 pm

For more information:

• Tel: +66 81 507 4715
• Email: contact@agni.gallery
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