HOUSES & STUDIO DESIGNED BY ARTISTS IN THAILAND

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Chatchai Puipia I ชาติชาย ปุยเปีย

It is very likely that only a handful of people have had the chance of seeing or visiting Chatchai Puipia’s house. He is a well-recognized artist and sculptor of Thailand and was honored the Silpathorn Award i specializing in visual arts in 2006. He leads a free and contented life and his private world is within the walls of his house situated on a 300 square meters in Soi Yen Akat, off Sathon Road in Bangkok. He moved there seven years ago and soon began altering practically every part of the house, starting with the ground floor that was elevated and had changes made in the layout for the sake of functionality. He was brave enough to take out several columns on the second floor just to yield more space for his studio. And, the roof was changed to give it greater height suitable for creating large size paintings. Personally, he prefers a cave-like dwelling with dim lighting and likes light to flow into particular parts of the house only with the exception of his studio, where he prefers natural light coming from different angles – just enough to keep the room from becoming too dark. According to Chatchai’s concept, such are the conditions suitable for working. This is Chatchai’s world. Looking from the outside, it is hard to distinguish his house from that of his neighbours; moreover, it is not easily recognizable as a house belonging to a National level artist. And, this is exactly how he wants it to be as he cherishes his privacy greatly. Upon entering the house, the decorative items inside include Chatchai’s own creations, as well as several pieces of priceless antiques such as furniture, lamp shades and even knobs for doors and windows that are all meticulously arranged. Encountering this, one readily starts to embrace the feeling of the house, and his style and bearing are evident through his powerful creations. Established are corners for relaxation where one can sit back comfortably and listen to the lyrics of the sixties, for instance, to the music of ‘Suntaraporn’ ii on an old record player. To Chatchai, listening to music on an old record player helps set the mood via recollection of the old times. Chatchai is particularly concerned about the location of his house since it is situated right in the center of Bangkok. In actual fact, he prefers large spaces with natural surroundings; he loves trees and has a dream of owning a house in the suburb with wide, open spaces

adjacent to a lake and forest. It is his wish to have a large studio and an up-to-standard storage space for his art works. This will be realized soon as he recently bought a plot of land of several rai in Nakhon Chai Si iii where he plans to build a house and a studio of his dream, and where both indoor and outdoor exhibition areas for his work, especially large pieces of sculptures, can be created. In pursuit of his imagination, he wants to create a small village reminiscent of an old market place inspired by what he has seen in Nakhon Chai Si where, this very old and lively market will soon disappear giving way to a newly constructed one. Chatchai will be completing another masterpiece soon and this time aound it is his own ‘funeral biography’. The biography reveals important incidents in his life, his beliefs, and untold ideologies, and he hopes that his art patrons will be able to share and understand his true self, especially the conditions leading to the creation of his art pieces. The book will also serve as a retirement farewell when he will no longer have to hold exhibitions or create art pieces just to please his patrons. He wants to be free from any social obligations and work to fulfill expectations of others. My visit to Chatchai’s house was a rewarding one. The conversations we had are emotionally inspiring and most significantly of all, this provided me with a chance to embrace the unseen beauty of many of his art pieces. i

Silpathorn Award, an honor awarded to living Thai contemporary artists, is presented annually by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture, Thailand.

ii

A famous contemporary Thai band during King Rama VIII’s period, was founded by Eua Sunthornsanan who was honored as the “Important World Historic Figure” by UNESCO.

iii

Nakhon Chai Si is a district of Nakhon Pathom Province in central Thailand. Hundreds of villages are located along Nakhon Chai Si River, which is fed by the waters of the main Tha Chin River.


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