How did this exhibition start?
For the past 10 years, I’ve been working for fashion magazines. It’s my job. This means I have to create work that satisfies customers, even if I don’t always agree with what’s considered hot. I have my own perspectives on fashion photography and always told myself that I should deliver what I believe in when the time was right. Now’s the right time as I believe I’ve seen enough and I am grown up enough to do it.
What’s the idea behind A Man’s Soul?
Apart from doing fashion shoots for magazines, I’ve always loved shooting street scenes like street kids and Thai boxing. I’ve done a lot of it, but never gathered these images into a proper exhibition. When the time came to do my first exhibition, I didn’t want to just show my own work, but rather create a fashion-related showcase that calls on the help of my friends such as fashion stylist Ananda Chalardcharoen. A Man’s Soul is centered on the Thai guy who takes a lot of influences from Western culture, not only his costume and styling but the stillness deep inside. I’ve loved cowboy fashion since I was very young, even if it’s not such a big trend now. The models are mature Thai men who look cool. It was so much fun developing this idea, which also fits in with the venue, Badmotel.
Why are all the models male?
I love to shoot both males and females, but in this exhibition the male models represent me. I like girls and doing fashion shoots when it comes to work, but it’s not my real life. When I set up a shoot for myself, I don’t want to think about how girls put on their make-up or how they get dressed up. Male fashion is my passion, so I can express it better. Four of the models—Surasak Wongthai, David Assavanond, Suchow Pongwilai and Petchy—are celebrities. Each of them has their own unique character: they’re Thais who have taken a lot of influences from Western culture. The others models are not professionals; I met them by chance and asked them to join.
What drives your fashion photography?
I started off as an assistant photographer and I’ve also been strongly influenced by Western culture. I love fashion sets from that part of the world but feel that Thai fashion has appropriated these influences in the wrong way. Thai fashion photography has a weak identity as it’s all about full make-up, fantasy costumes and 100% retouching. When we see designers’ collections, they always feature what’s on trend, like fantastic dresses and overcoats—but we can’t wear these, even in winter. When I try to make my fashion sets minimal, people complain that it’s too dull. That’s how it is in our fashion scene. I can’t do anything about it, as I’m in the minority. In Japan, they take the same influences but adapt them according to their own culture. Thai people know their own culture very well, but fashion turns them into something they’re not.
