Showtika Somjid’s pseudonym was suggested by the names of a mentally disturbed couple, Nola and Nolee, who lived rough in her neighbourhood; they were familiar faces, often seen roaming the streets, but they never caused any harm to anybody. Showtika said she never meant to spark off speculation that there might be deep, philosophical reasons for her adoption of “Nolanolee”, the moniker she uses to sign the art she creates. She just thought it sounded like a “cute and friendly” tag and said she sometimes wonders what combination of events brought that pair of homeless people to that juncture in their lives.
That attitude pretty much sums up Nolanolee’s body of work. She draws what she feels, focusing on subjects that pose questions for her, and the resulting illustrations are always suffused with her distinctively wry sense of humour. Through her main character — also christened Nolanolee; an awkward-looking girl with a large head and exaggeratedly rouged cheeks who wears her hair in severe bangs — Showtika offers social criticism and cultural observations that are amusing but also cuttingly acerbic.
“My mother has very prominent cheekbones. So, I am, in a way, paying homage to her, but poking fun at her at the same time. As for the bangs... I’ve always wanted to have sharp bangs, but I never could because my hair is naturally wavy and I can’t be bothered to have it straightened.’’
From social media addiction to brand-name obsession and a beast called Love, Showtika chooses to present her point of views gently through her drawings rather than resorting to selfies or angry status updates. Behind pleasing colour coordination and those deceptively simple lines lie a sharp wit and critical eye similar in calibre to that of a hero of hers, David Shirgley, though minus the extremely dark edginess characteristic of that British visual artist. Showtika’s images are sometimes reminiscent of the early work of Sahred Toy or Pongsuang Kunprasop.
“I don’t think I have the greatest fine-art foundations, not like others that I admire greatly,” she said. “I mostly rely on ideas, on things that irk me no end. I don’t draw for aesthetic reasons. Anyone can draw what I draw, but I guess I might be a bit different because all my stuff is stuffed with my worldviews. I get jealous. I am very sarcastic. I don’t take selfies with my works, and I don’t use filters. I think I’m a negative person and I ask a lot of questions through my creations.”
Curious? Showtika sure is. But “negative” would be a negative way to describe this pint-sized illustrator. Clued in, caustic and quick-witted would be more appropriate adjectives for this boyish-looking young woman with her short, cropped hairstyle. Showtika conducts her exchanges with invariable good manners, interspersing her words with amicable chuckles and other friendly gestures, and while she can be very straightforward in the opinions she expresses about her peers, she is also humble to the point of self-deprecation.
“I’m definitely not as well known as [some] celebrity illustrators. I don’t think my works are cutesy enough to draw that kind of attention. And the messages are quite dark, so that can turn people off. I don’t attend functions or go to glittering parties to forge new connections. I don’t know that many people. It’s very hard for me to promote myself, so I don’t really do it, but if someone takes an interest, I’m very grateful.”
But sometimes this cruel world of ours can be just, allowing the spotlight to shine on talented individuals who are neither PR-savvy nor conventionally pretty. Showtika has just wrapped up a collaboration with Casio brand G-Shock, one of only four Thai artists handpicked for a limited-edition watch-design project, eclipsing all the other female contenders for the job. She also recently designed a capsule collection for local urban-bag company Urface.
Showtika works full-time as a copywriter for marketing and public-relations multinational Ogilvy & Mather, but also contributes illustrations regularly to Way magazine. Feeling that this publication could use better-quality images to go with its radical, intellectually stimulating content, she emailed its editor and offered her services free of charge.
Upon graduating from Burapa University, where she studied communication arts, Showtika received a prestigious BAD Award, a prize given to young, aspiring advertising talents, and that led her to take up an internship with the formidable Jureeporn Dumrongthai, a legendary creative director in the advertising world, at Jeh United. It was actually Jureeporn who suggested that Showtika pursue a career in copywriting rather than graphic design. She later moved on to Lowe Thailand, and it was there that she picked up a taste for drawing and illustration.
“Most illustrators or street artists I know have been drawing since they were kids, but not me. I always thought of myself as not being that good at drawing, but then when I started working at Lowe, I had this crush on a boy [there] and he was always drawing. So I began drawing, too! I know it sounds quite corny, but I was young and quite impressionable then.”
So did she manage to attract that guy’s attention?
“No!” she replied, laughing loudly. “But at least I started something new and he introduced me to the local graffiti and street-art scene, which I’ve come to love very much.”
Showtika then relocated to Ogilvy & Mather (but not because of unrequited love), later deciding to leave that job to spend a year in New York where she was hoping to pursue a master’s degree. But things didn’t go quite as she had planned.
“My English was terrible, so I enrolled in language courses and spent my free time drawing. I was trying to be an artist. I had two exhibitions over there and my work sold very well. I spent one year there and then I called it quits because I felt I was too old to still be asking my mother for money all the time. When I managed to sell some of my work, it was okay. But you can’t live on that [sort of money] for years at a stretch, and I was used to making my own money, so I came back to Thailand. It was a good experience and I learned a lot.”
She arrived back a year ago and resumed her old position at Ogilvy & Mather.
Showtika now has plans to expand her horizons by getting into large-scale paintings and wall art. She also hopes to diversify her style in the same way that another of her heroes, Terawat Teankaprasith, has managed to do.
“He can do so many styles, but he still has his signature [style]. Thais like to stick with one concrete style so as to be noticed. But I think a great illustrator must be able to have a diverse range of styles like him. I don’t want to get bogged down, or to be known for only one thing.”
As sure-footed as she seems to be, Showtika said she still finds that her gender or her appearance can create obstacles for her in her chosen line of work.
“I think it’s harder to be a female illustrator, especially in my area of interest which is close to street art. Most of the street artists and graffiti artists are male, and they have this certain cool, street look which people admire and are able to take to quite easily. As much as many people want to deny it, I think having a stylish look, or being very sexy, can always help you in one way or another.
“Well, I just hope that people can transcend that and come to appreciate my work for what it is, without having to know who I am or what I look like.”
