Today, Thai artist Gongkan tells his story.
Bangkok born and raised, Kantapon Metheekul, known professionally as Gongkan, studied art and design at Silpakorn University. After graduating, he enjoyed a successful career in advertising, but then he chucked it all aside and moved to New York to study Fine Art, with a focus on painting. During this period, he began creating street art sticker bombs based on the theme of teleportation – travelling through multiple dimensions via literal “black holes” – and soon made a name for himself in the NY scene. Since returning to Thailand, he’s continued to expound on this theme, and his dreamy, cartoon- like depictions of teleportation and surrealistic metamorphosis have gained a huge following with the Thai public, as well as with some serious art collectors (Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, owns several of his pieces).
Gongkan works in various mediums – sculpture, painting, video installations, and motion graphics – and he’s also collaborated with major brands, including Carnival, the Thai streetwear fashion line and, most recently, the South Korean automaker KIA. He is represented in Asia by Tang Contemporary Art, and in May he’ll be featured in their new gallery in Seoul. In Europe and the USA he’s represented by Over The Influence (OTI), and last August had a solo show at their gallery in Paris.