9 artists showcases their unique artworks at "To the moon and (never) back" exhibition

"To the moon and (never) back" is an exhibition that compares the search for love to an expedition to the far-flung lunar frontier, undertaken by a brave astronaut. Held from 8^th June - 23^rd July 2023, it is a challenging journey, waylaid by many moods and emotions such as hope, yearning, happiness, fulfillment, anticipation, listlessness, uncertainty and pain. 

This exhibition's nine artists invite you onboard their spacecraft for a journey to the moon through 238,855 miles of the Great Unknown at the Royal City Bangkok's RCB Photographers' Gallery 1.

Your first steps in the lunar landscape will unveil contents tucked away in the drawer of the past: feelings and memories distilled from the heart that may remind you of a certain someone you once imagined circling for an eternity.

This exhibition's nine featured artists search for answers to the age-old mysteries of love under the moonlight are  Art of Hongtae, Art Jeeno, Chubbynida, Munins, Peachful, toddyinthemood, Tum Ulit, UNDERHATDADDY, and Viput A on an otherworldly odyssey through the stars.

 Art of Hongtae

Art of Hongtae or Konthorn Taecholarn (Hongtae) is a multi-talented creative who has worked as an artist, writer, host, and influencer. He's been drawing continuously since childhood and also enjoys telling stories in a variety of formats, including writing, acting, and short videos. An emphasis on an open and straightforward expression of emotion lies at the heart of his storytelling. Nowadays, he continues to investigate and experiment with new narrative techniques. The most recent persona riding shotgun in his stories is "A Head in the Cloud”, a middle-aged man who buries his head in a rain cloud set against a sky at sunset that is half-real, half-dream, half-happy, half-sad. "Every- Moon - Day" is a collection of 9 paintings inspired by Hongtae’s devastating experience of heartbreak last year, and is the first series featuring "A Head in the Cloud” to be exhibited.

The moon is like the past: sweet or bitter, waxing or waning, it is always there, regardless of whether it is visible to us or not. Tonight, I'd like to get a good look at the moon once again.

 Art Jeeno

Art Jeeno (Piyaphach Jeeno), is an acclaimed manga artist, and the inspiration of many aspiring artists in the field. After graduating with a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Chiang Mai University, Art Jeeno embarked on his career as a manga artist and became renowned for his unique linework and beautiful coloring, which earned him prizes at the 8th and 14th Japan International Manga Award. 

Three of his manga – Juice #1, Juice #2, and Juice #3 – have been translated into French and published in France. 

Art Jeeno pursued his passion for fine art in solo exhibitions 'Now' (2013), in Chiangmai, and 'Now2' (2017) at Gallery 36 in Bangkok. He has also participated in the group exhibitions 'When Snowflakes Fall' (2022) and 'To the Moon and (Never) Back' (2023) at River City Bangkok. Capturing the sensitivity, fragility, fear, and loneliness that is common to the human experience  through the facial expressions and actions of his characters is his artistic signature.  

Though the moon is too far away, too far for me to reach, 

I can still make it mine, it doesn't have to know.

That’s all I need.

Chubbynida

Chubbynida or Chanida Areewatanasombat is a full-time illustrator who loves to produce illustration, animation, paper collage, paper sculptures and embroidery. Her artworks are mostly inspired by music, sounds, movies, and her personal experiences. Recently, she has developed interests in psychology and art therapy.

The concept for this piece is inspired by a scene from "Whisper of the Heart", in which a grandfather tells the story of the King of the Dwarfs and a Fairy Princess who fall in love, though they belong to different worlds. The couple can see each other at the top of every hour, but that is when the Fairy Princess turns into a sheep. Deeply moved, Chubbynida has captured the story of an impossible love between two characters who live in different places, hoping that someday they will have the chance to meet, in "LITTLE HOPE".

Munins

‘Munin’ or Munin Saiprasart is an artist who made a name for herself in the industry over a decade ago. She is famous for drawings so delicate and tender that through them a simple story becomes profoundly moving. In addition to her art, Munin’s writing is also well-known. Her written works are set apart by their emotional range. Accompanied by illustrations that make her characters come alive, her stories deeply resonate with her readers.

Previously, Munin has depicted moments that can be described as love “to the moon and back”, which means the kind of love that is still greater than the distance of countless trips to the moon and back. When she learned of this exhibition’s title, “To the moon and (never) back”, which evoked the image of an odyssean journey with no promise of return, she immediately thought of the kind of relationships that were never meant to be, and that are filled with a maelstrom of emotions, such as love, longing and attachment: a love that is felt but not fated. She tells these stories in scenes of two lovers who are touching yet kept apart by some sort of obstacle– the beautiful details that decorate the journey of an imperfect love.

Peachful

Peachful or Pachanapohn Wimonsarawong creates art to nurture relaxation, calm and peace in viewers of her work. She hopes her art provides them with companionship in their day to day lives. Through the good and the bad, art is a friend that will rejoice with us and comfort us when we feel blue.

The inspiration for Peachful’s art comes from the fairy tales and stories we grew up with, which are revisited and reinterpreted as the years pass. Over time, we each accumulate our own “fairy tales'' and stories that are shaped by our experiences, and that capture the feelings and thoughts of a particular episode of life. That is why, as can be surmised from her name, Peachful’s paintings are peaceful. However, they’re also inflected with questions that encourage viewers to reflect on the different contexts in their lives through their interpretations of her work.

Two lovers on a full moon night– “I met you, loved you and lost you”: the journey of a love story that must remain an eternal fantasy, forever unrequited, and end in pain, heartache and longing. But deep down, we all know that each one of us has that special person that we were born to love… By the candlelight, the story of a young child and a werewolf, and what could not happen in a fleeting moment on the night of the full moon, unfolds.

On a cold, wintry night in a dark forest lit only by the rays  of the full moon, a young girl who had traveled far from home came across a wolf. Strangely enough, the girl’s fear disappeared as quickly as it had come and changed into a feeling of safety, because in the deep, dark night, she now had a wolf to protect her. The connection between the two of them slowly grew in that land of dreams. 

But time’s passage wrested that full moon night from them… Leaving only memories and the dream of a forever after.

 toddyinthemood

Tossapol Klomklao, known as toddyinthemood, is a Chiang Mai-based artist, writer and creator of graphic novels who graduated from Chiang Mai University with a degree in architecture. He was initially drawn to art for its capacity to tell stories. His works, the majority of which are created digitally, are autobiographical and anchored in a lonely and melancholic key. However, his stories are also a source of solace, serving as a reminder to viewers that though life is infernal and tests us relentlessly, we are neither the first nor the last person to encounter these challenges, and soon enough, they will pass.  

toddyinthemood weaves his stories around a signature character: a woman with short hair whose interactions with her friends and animals are the gears that move the narrative forwards. The action often unfolds against the backdrop of a metropolis and a magical series of events, evoked through a strategic use of lighting and architecture that builds the emotional and melancholic affect of a scene in shades of dark blue, purple and light blue. These elements allow viewers to interpret his work through the lens of their own experiences and personally connect to his stories. 

The distance of a lap between the earth and the moon,

Is that the measure of the love given between us?

That’s not it.

It’s rather the extent of the distance between us that we have resolved to ignore.

Neither of us is actually interested in how the other is feeling inside. 

That I have carried the moon on my shoulders for all this time

is because I thought that to be abandoned and alone

would be too painful to bear.

 Tum Ulit

Tum Ulit or Tum Natakorn Ulit is an artist and illustrator, who began creating art as a way of releasing his sadness into paintings and stories. This became a gateway to expressing other sides of himself in his work, confident that there are others who feel the same way he does.

I thought that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but in our case, it didn’t.

We went on this journey together, but now there’s no trace of me left. 

 UNDERHATDADDY

UNDERHATDADDY or Chatchawan Greblumjeak is an illustrator, creative director and freelance artist. His trademark character, Chubby P, a chubby woman without a neck based on his wife, appears in most of his works. Storytelling through composition that is clear, clean and simple, in addition to a use of space that allows the colors and shapes their fullest range of expression, are the hallmarks of his work. These paintings are the product of UnderHatDaddy’s positive outlook on life. He hopes that viewers of his work will take away a brighter perspective, and feel happy and encouraged.  

There–

A place for the moon, love and us.

The way UnderHatDaddy sees it, the moon and love are framed by the same context more often than we think. If we disregard the distance– notions of near or far– the moon is always up there. Love is the same: partners go through life by each other’s side and see each other all the time; they meet when the time is right; some days they talk, and on others their gazes meet in silence. Through all of it, they know that they will always have each other.

 Viput A.

Viput A. is a Bangkok-based illustrator and designer who believes in spreading positive energy through his work. He has worked with renowned Thai and international clients including Apple, PTT, Central Embassy, SC Asset, Sansiri, Kasikorn Bank, Nescafe, Twinings and AP Thailand. He is also the owner of Viput S., a design studio based in Bangkok, where he explores communication design and art with great enthusiasm.

“Love” commences with a journey. On the way, we traverse the gamut of types of people and ways of loving: we encounter relationships good and bad; experience sadness, happiness, heartbreak and the fulfillment of our dreams. In the end, everything that we have been through coheres and crystallizes into memories that are precious beyond measure as well as lessons that will accompany us for the rest of our lives. In the words of Vincent Peale:

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars”

After all, if you believe in love and the journey, then to lose sight of what you are searching for is not proof of its absence. For we know that though the moon can’t be seen during the day, it hasn’t disappeared, and will always re-appear when the time is right. 

To the moon and (never) back is open 8^th June - 23^rd July 2023 

at RCB Photographers' Gallery 1, 2nd floor of River City Bangkok

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