To prevent damage to artwork, food and beverages are not allowed in art galleries. However, at the newly-opened Galerie Monument visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee while looking at artwork.
"Coffee In Gallery Produced By Khun Ohm Vol.1" is a special collaboration between Aukkarapoan "Ohm" Phanuwongkun, the coffee producer, and Galerie Monument under the supervision of Chantisa Tetanonsakul, the gallery director. Before this, Aukkarapoan had organised the "Viwatchai Ka Ka Fae" project, which was part of Bangkok Design Week.
"Viwatchai Ka Ka Fae" brought a café into the Viwatchai lumberyard because Aukkarapoan wanted people to enjoy coffee in different environments.
"The project received a great reception at its first edition in 2023. Many people told me to run it again, so I did early this year. After the second edition, I still kept receiving requests to organise the same kind of event," explained Aukkarapoan.
"Their requests made me think about where should I organise a new project. I thought it would be nice to drink coffee in a gallery, so I approached Chantisa about this idea, but she initially turned it down due to concerns about damage."
Chantisa eventually approved the project when Aukkarapoan suggested that instead of choosing their drink from an ordinary coffee menu, visitors must order coffee by choosing their favourite artwork.
To order coffee, visitors must choose their favourite artwork.
"I approved the project because it promotes the purchase of artwork. When purchasing coffee, visitors must choose an artwork from a provided brochure. Then, they will receive coffee that has been assigned to that specific artwork. When visitors view artwork, some of them do not really know or cannot decide which one is their favourite," explained Chantisa.
"This project will help visitors think more about artwork. Drinking coffee encourages visitors to take more time observing. Visitors usually bring the coffee they receive to enjoy in front of the artwork they picked. This helps them explore and enjoy the artwork more thoughtfully."
Sponsored by YellowStuffBkk, "Coffee In Gallery Produced By Khun Ohm Vol.1" features a pop-up café and displays 28 artworks created by 16 artists from Thailand and Japan, including Imp and Friends, Kit Chirachaisakul, Takehiro Iikawa and Takaprincipal.
Chantisa asked the artists to choose their favourite pieces to showcase at the gallery.
"I emphasised that they must choose their favourite piece. Therefore, each piece is a unique expression of their individual style. The exhibition also offers variety in terms of art forms and concepts," she said.
After gathering the artwork successfully, Aukkarapoan and Chantisa began the task of tasting different types of coffee bean in order to find an appropriate match for each piece. The beans come from eight countries -- Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand and Peru.
"We did not match the coffee beans with the visuals or the concepts of the artwork; we matched the coffee with the energy of the artwork," explained Aukkarapoan.
Drinking coffee encourages visitors to spend more time observing artwork.
"Energy is something that we sense from artwork. For example, we may feel that a piece is warm, calm or messy. We also considered the artist's thought process. Chantisa and I matched the coffee and artwork on our own and then compared notes. The results were very similar. When we matched coffee with artwork, we focused on the work and not the artist. It was a surprise to see artists who are close friends had similar coffee bean results."
Japanese artist Wakana Obara displays Journey Through Memory and Waka1, Waka2, Waka3 And Waka4. Journey Through Memory, a lithograph, depicts images that reflect the dreams of Obara. The piece is filled with bizarre objects and unusual faces like those of ghosts or aliens. Meanwhile, Waka1, Waka2, Waka3 And Waka4 are four sculptures that look like aliens with green faces wearing pink suits. Each sculpture reflects a different side of Obara's personality.
Although Obara's pieces appear in different forms, they matched the Santa Isabel coffee bean from Brazil. The bean is described to have the taste of jasmine, pomegranate and honey.
Two artworks by NEV3R titled Game Changing and Future Is matched with Planadas, an Indonesian coffee bean. Thais are not familiar with the taste of Indonesian coffee despite the fact that Indonesia and Thailand are relatively close.
"NEV3R's artworks are flashy which viewers find exciting and easy to relate to. After seeing his art, viewers feel it is something they are familiar with. The coffee that matches NEV3R's work is sweet, easy to approach and has a classical coffee taste," said Chantisa.
Besides running Galerie Monument, Chantisa also works as an artist under the pseudonyms Asitnahc and Bob The Nice Guy, whose works appear in a different style. While Lightbox by Asitnahc is a painting inspired by light, Thinking by Bob The Nice Guy is a cute and humorous illustration. Lightbox matched with the Kieni coffee bean and Thinking matched with the Kininyaga coffee bean, both from Kenya.
Journey Through Memory, above, and Waka1, Waka2, Waka3 And Waka4 by Japanese artist Wakana Obara.
"Kenyan coffee beans have a sharp sour taste that creates a refreshing, vibrant, confident and modern sensation. This is how I felt about Chantisa's work," said Aukkarapoan.
Aukkarapoan added that there are visitors who come for both art and coffee, and those who visit for either art or coffee.
"We welcome all kind of visitors. Some viewers do not care for coffee while some intend to be here only for coffee, but we still make them look at art and choose one. We want people to appreciate and value both art and coffee," said Aukkarapoan.
"Visitors enjoyed selecting their favourite artwork and were excited to taste coffee. Most visitors said their choices resulted in coffee that they normally consume or what they were hoping to get. I noticed many visitors revisited the artwork that they picked while they drank coffee. It is an experience that allows people to connect more with artwork," Chantisa added.
As the gallery director, Chantisa hopes that people will better understand the variety of art.
"There are many kinds of art. At this time, character design is mainstream in Thailand, so people see character art often. I want people to see other kinds of art and at 'Coffee In Gallery Produced By Khun Ohm Vol.1', there are various artforms and concepts," said Chantisa.
Aukkarapoan added: "I hope visitors enjoy fine pieces of art and appreciate the value of art. I hope people come to the project and try to choose their favourite piece. It would be nice if someone comes to purchase artwork and enjoys a cup of coffee."
Future Is, left, and Game Changing by NEV3R.
As the title suggests, there will be a second volume in the future. Aukkarapoan said that he plans to continually organise this kind of project.
"I aim to organise 'Coffee In Gallery' several times, but I plan to change the venue and other elements. If possible, I would like to organise the project abroad. There is an ongoing discussion, so it is possible. If anyone missed 'Coffee In Gallery Produced By Khun Ohm Vol.1', they can wait for the Vol.2."
"Coffee In Gallery Produced By Khun Ohm Vol.1" runs at Galerie Monument, near Wat Phra Sri Mahathat BTS station, until Sunday. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/Galerie.Monument.
Lightbox by Asitnahc.
Thinking by Bob The Nice Guy.
From left, Aukkarapoan Phanuwongkun, the project producer and Chantisa Tetanonsakul, the gallery director of Galerie Monument.
'Coffee in Gallery Produced by Khun Ohm Vol.1' brings coffee to an art gallery.
