Siriporn Raweekoon
A new and inspiring addition to the large number of art galleries in
Chiang Mai opened on July17 at Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Fine Arts.
The gallery will feature works of art including paintings, sculptures,
ceramics, mixed- media works and installations created by CMU’s students,
graduates, lecturers and senior faculty members. All the works of art on
display will be for sale, with 30% of the profits being used to fund
supplies of materials for art students’ use. Students from CMU’s Faculty of
Fine Arts will also be able to gain inspiration for their own works from the
exhibits.
A
close- up of one of the pair of large ‘Sand Pictures’ of dragons shows the
texture created by coating the canvas with sand before beginning to paint.
The opening was a fun occasion, presided over by CMU’s president, Pongsak
Angkasith and attended by guests of honour including Chiang Mai’s deputy
Governor Chumporn Saengmanee. The new gallery and the surrounding area was
crowded with visitors, students and alumni, viewing the exhibits and
enjoying music provided by a traditional Lanna band as well as a rock band,
both featuring students from the Faculty of Arts. Other entrepreneurially-
minded students had brought selections of their specially-designed t-shirts,
which sold well at very reasonable prices! Famous Thai artist, Ajarn
Thepsiri Suksopa, was on hand to provide charcoal portraits of guests and
their families.
Somkiat
Tungnamo (left) pictured during the opening ceremony of CMU’s new Faculty of
Fine Arts Art Gallery, giving a souvenir of the event to the CMU President,
Pongsak Angkasith.
The works of art on show at the opening reflected the amazing talent of the
young people studying at or graduating from CMU, and of their teachers.
Paintings in a variety of styles, subjects and sizes, most with a modern,
somewhat abstract flavour, vied with ceramics, mainly of free-form shape,
with thick, meticulously applied colourful glazes. Two large paintings of
dragons in particular caught the eye – the ‘Sand Painting’ technique, used
incredibly well in these images, is ancient and traditionally used across
south-east Asia for temple and other decorations. With this technique, cloth
is textured with sand before the artist commences painting. Another unique
and very interesting technique shown was the use of monochrome glass mosaics
to create a large portrait of His Majesty the King. All the works on display
were affordable; all represented the flowering of art and its varied
components and techniques within Chiang Mai University.
The new CMU Art Gallery, (very well worth a visit!), is open Monday to
Friday between 8. 30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. daily, on the ground floor of CMU’s
Faculty of Art building.
Many from the crowd who attended the opening
spent some time happily browsing through the selection of art books for sale
– and, of course, buying the specially-designed t-shirts!
Famous Thai artist, Ajarn Thepsiri Suksopa,
pictured drawing a charcoal portrait of one of the guests’ children.
A fine – looking new gallery at CMU for the
exhibition of Faculty
of Fine Arts students’, alumni’s’ and teachers’ works of art.
Students from CMU’s Faculty of Fine Arts,
pictured during their traditional Lanna music performance at the opening of
the new art gallery.
A selection of the works of art on show,
including a large glazed terracotta ceramic flower container modelled as a
very cute monster.
