A collection of cartoonish and childlike paintings that carry a serious message will be showcased during "Alien Nation" at Eat Me Restaurant from Wednesday to May 7.
This is a debut exhibition by Mongolrak Jutanont, a 36-year-old forensic artist who has spent 13 years delivering hyper-real drawings required by the Criminal Sketch Department of the Bangkok police force.
In the show of his new works, he seeks refuge from the harsh, mundane realities of everyday life by venturing into alien worlds, where, he ponders, "Could life be better?"
He sees sex and sexuality as still largely taboo subjects in contemporary Thailand and offers pointed, amusing commentary with the aim to normalise conversations around sex, sexuality and sexual equality.
In much the same way as he may piece together visual elements of a criminal's description, filling in the details as the victim's recollection permits, his artworks begin somewhat haphazardly too.
His process starts with the outlines of random elements on the page, which, at first glance, have no connection to each other. Slowly he fills in the details, which is his 'dialogue' with the page. This conversation continues until the whole image feels complete and balanced.
Even though the works appear cartoonish at first glance, his layering of patterns and styles contrasts starkly with some of its content, which records sexual acts, intended to amuse rather than shock.
The artist aims to evolve the dialogue, promote better sex education, and engender acceptance for the LGBTI community, while delivering the message that, with continual dialogue, disparate entities can create acceptance, harmony and cohesion for the betterment of society.
To celebrate the opening of this show, a special cocktail event will be held on Wednesday from 5pm to 8pm. A significant portion of artwork sales on the evening will be donated to Swing, a Bangkok/Pattaya community-based group that provides outreach and welfare services to adult entertainment workers in Thailand.
Eat Me Restaurant is on Soi Phi Phat 2, off Convent Road and opens daily from 5pm to 1am.
Visit eatmerestaurant.com.
Artwork by Mongolrak Jutanont. Eat Me Restaurant
