Growing up in an impoverished neighbourhood could have had a negative impact on photographer Phichai "Eak" Keawvichit, who once worked as a motorcycle taxi driver. However, instead of getting into any trouble or being led the wrong way, young Phichai preferred to spend time in his room or play with his siblings in the house.
'Unlock The Fear' reflects uncomfortable moments during childhood. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)
"I did not intend to be a good person, but I did not want to do anything bad. That was not me. I had other choices. I chose to read comic books or stay in a tiny room playing with my few toys. I lived in my own world. If I kept to myself, I could see and understand myself better," said Phichai.
Phichai has experienced media and public attention since his first photo exhibition "Accidentally Professional Exhibition" at Silpa Bhirasri National Museum last year. Even though Phichai was a full-time motorcycle taxi driver, his artistic sense in capturing urban landscape photos is creative and unique. At his latest exhibition, "Unlock", Phichai conveys the story of his journey of self-discovery which divides into four chapters of his life -- "Unlock The Fear", "Unlock Himself", "Unlock Perspective", and "Unlock The Future".
"'Unlock' is the story of an ordinary person, not a photographer or an artist. In the past, I felt like I was trapped. I came up with many excuses and refused to accept what I was and what I liked. After I accepted and worked on what I liked, I felt happy. I would like to tell visitors that art is not unreachable. It does not matter which career or social status you have, you can create art," said Phichai.
In the first chapter, "Unlock The Fear", Phichai takes viewers to his childhood when he lived in a run-down area. Every photo in this section is black and white to reflect his feelings while living in a dark and suffocating room. Even though he was not brought up in an artistic environment, it dawned on Phichai that he was interested in art.
Minimalist photographer Phichai 'Eak' Keawvichit. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)
"I always liked art, but at school, my paintings in art class received only four or five marks from a total of 10. I felt that I was not compatible with art. I had no talent and assumed that art is something for people who are talented or practise very hard. The black and white photos in the section represent my gloomy and uncomfortable and unpleasant moments," explained Phichai.
To support his family, Phichai decided to keep his passion inside and worked in the streets. One of his customers seemed to notice his interest in art and gave a film camera to Phichai, who had no idea about cameras at that time. To learn how to use it, Phichai took a photography course at a vocational school.
"Twenty years ago, people had to travel with camera equipment to take photos at natural sites. I took a trip to take photos with other classmates, but after the class, I realised that I did not have time to travel and take photos because I had to work and support my family. I did not use that camera again," he said.
In 2018, Phichai went to a restaurant to help a customer who was a photographer to install photos for an exhibition. The atmosphere in the restaurant, which was located in a quaint old building and surrounded with striking photos, reignited his artistic desire. After that, Phichai used his mobile phone to take photos of anything around him from chairs to tall buildings. To follow his passion, the amateur photographer even pawned his motorcycle to buy a compact camera. The second section, "Unlock Himself", displays vivid urban landscape photos, which made people recognise him as a minimalist photographer.
"My first photo on my Instagram account @phichaikeawvichit was taken at Wat Arun. People usually take photos of beautiful views of the temple, but I challenged myself to take pictures from a different perspective, so I looked at the temple from a geometrical perspective. After that, I began to understand that I can use geometric lines and shapes to compose photos. I usually spend time taking photos in the city at 11am," he said.
The first photo on his Instagram, @phichaikeawvichit. (Photo © phichaikeawvichit)
Followed by more than 86,000 people, Phichai became recognised as a photographer who captures urban architecture in Bangkok in a unique way. His work is called minimalist due to its simplicity, eye-catching colours and strong compositional element.
In the third chapter "Unlock Perspective", Phichai challenged himself by travelling outside Bangkok and tried to capture other objects which are different from urban architecture.
"Photos in this section were taken in Singapore and Phayao province where I visited my grandmother. I tried to find views that people do not see often in Singapore. The photo, C6, was taken at a beach in Singapore in the late morning. I snapped this shot because I saw that the beach sand looked like an oil painting. I did not retouch anything in the photo. In fact, I barely edit my photos. I prefer to keep them natural," said Phichai.
The final chapter, "Unlock The Future", is a short video, which is a medium that Phichai was interested in for a long time, and this first video was an experiment.
"I did not know how to edit a file video from a camera, so I used my phone to record this video. I tried to figure out how to convey a story through motion pictures. I felt that surface water has its own colours, so I recorded several surface waters of a canal in order to depict the beauty around us. I added sounds of children's laughter into the video since I think children feel happy easily because they are innocent. If people are innocent, it will be easier to see beauty around us," he said.
His minimalist photos with strong compositional elements.
Taking photos may be a hobby or a career for other people, but for Phichai, his photos reflect his life.
"My photos portray what I have and what I am. My opportunities and my travelling are limited. I was asked if I were born in a rich family, would I take these kinds of photos? I believe I wouldn't. I would travel around the world and take photos of beautiful landmarks by using an expensive camera. These photos you see now would never have been taken," said Phichai.
In the future, Phichai hopes to travel to Varanasi in India after the arrival of the coronavirus vaccine and it is safe to travel again. He also hopes people will come to view "Unlock".
"I was told that Varanasi is a beautiful city. I wonder if I were there how would I take photos of the city? It would be fun. I also hope visitors who come to view 'Unlock' will feel unlocked and do what they love and what they are happy to do. Art makes us love ourselves. If we love ourselves, we will be able to love others. If everybody loves each other, it will strengthen our society," concluded Phichai.
"Unlock" runs until Feb 7 at RCB Photographers' Gallery 2, 2nd Floor, River City Bangkok. Admission is free. Visit rivercitybangkok.com or fb.com/RiverCityBangkok.
C6 was taken at a beach in Singapore.
Images from the short video Unlock The Future. (Photos © Phichai Keawvichit)
