The intellectual essence of the world's famous thinkers, writers and painters is portrayed through art during "Time", which is running at Tang Contemporary Art, until Jan 26.
This is a solo exhibition by Japanese artist Etsu Egami who presents 10 of her newest paintings that go beyond surface-level and material innovations.
In this context, the 30-year-old artist consciously takes her own experiences as a starting point, creating works themed around language, human connection and the interplay of "communication and misunderstanding".
Growing up in the US and Europe and currently living and working in China, she experienced various communication barriers.
For this show, she delves deeper into the portraits of thinkers, writers and painters who have shaped human thought. The subjects span Asia and the West, including Freud, Laozi, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Tagore, Nietzsche, Guiguzi, Confucius, as well as Cézanne and Warhol.
The inspiration and insights she gained from their books and artistic works drove her to capture their visage and essence in abstract form. Her portraits are shaped by the depth of their thoughts, rather than external appearances.
To depict this intellectual essence is in itself, an act of "communication". Naturally, this also invites "misunderstanding". In any case, a painting's theme serves as an entry point for viewers to engage in dialogue with the work.
When one engages with a thinker's ideas, it triggers a boundless, expansive sensation within. This internal space feels as vast as the universe. The artist seeks to translate this "expansion of thought" into art, turning it into an "expansion of pictorial space".
Tang Contemporary Art is located at River City Bangkok, Charoen Krung 24 and opens Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm.
There is no admission fee. Visit tangcontemporary.com.
