The life and works of the father of Thai contemporary art is recounted during "Remembering Silpa Bhirasri: 100 Years After His Arrival In Thailand" which is running at RCB Photographers' Gallery 1, 2nd floor of River City Bangkok, Charoen Krung 24, until Feb 12.
Corrado Feroci was an accomplished sculptor and painter nominated by the Italian government to fill a teaching position in the Siamese civil service at Siam's request. He first set foot in the kingdom on Jan 14, 1923, and later adopted the Thai name Silpa Bhirasri.
He began his tenure as a professor of sculpture at the Fine Arts Department under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and was promoted to the role of director of the Fine Arts Department, which was later reinstated as Silpakorn University. He became the driving force behind the dissemination, preservation and advancement of Thai arts and culture.
Prof Bhirasri was beloved by his students as the scope of his pedagogy encompassed not only Western art theory and practice, of which he was a gifted teacher, but also charted a roadmap on the art of living. His proteges include Chuang Moolpinit, Lawan Upa-in and Chavalit Soemprungsuk, all of whom became leading artists of their generation, each furthering his legacy of reshaping and innovating the terrain of Thai art and culture in their careers.
Held to mark the 100th anniversary of his arrival on Siamese shores, the exhibition pays homage to the priceless inheritance Silpa Bhirasri left to the country.
On display are rare photographs and historical documents that reconstruct his life and career, portraits and photographs with his students from different periods as well as prototypes of his sculptural works and an archive that includes his original government contract and course syllabi.
These artifacts offer a window into the many facets of his personal philosophy, his experiences as a Thai civil servant and the pearls of wisdom that still shine in the hearts of his students, as brightly as on the day they were inherited.
There is no admission fee. Visit rivercitybangkok.com or call 02-237-0077/8.
Silpa Bhirasri. photos courtesy of River City Bangkok
