The exhibition of the G6 winner opened in the Arcaded House
On Wednesday, October 5, 2022, the exhibition of Thai artist Mettrai Pongchomporn, Grand Prize Winner of the 6th 6th Graphic Art Biennial of Szeklerland was opened in the Arcaded House in Sfântu Gheorghe. The event marked the start of this year’s Biennial. The exhibition was opened by Zonga Bartha, colleague of the Szekler National Museum, Apor S. Ferencz, curator of the Biennia, and Fruzsina Vargha, art historian and deputy mayor of the Sfântu Gheorghe.
Zonga Bartha welcomed the large number of visitors on behalf of the Szekler National Museum, the venue of the exhibition. Apor S. Ferencz then introduced the artist and the technique used in his works.
Mettrai Pongchomporn, 25, from Thailand, comes from a family of artists, studies printmaking at the Silpakorn University of Art in Bangkok, and is the recipient of numerous awards. The artist is also active in the world of digital art, working in graphic design and animation. The exhibited works have been created during the last four years.
With the content and conceptual background of the works, he holds up a mirror to the Thai education system, trying to point out its negative character. The emphasis is on breaking out of enforced uniformity, on the individual’s need for freedom.
The prints combine several graphic techniques, using etching as the basic technique, complemented by screen printing and chine collé, applied in different ways in each work.
„The concept and ideas of this unique exhibition convey a clear message, while at the same time captivating the eye with its nuanced mood and rhythmic changes” – said Vargha Fruzsina. She emphasized that the works present a new culture, a different kind of youth, a world far away from us, but at the same time meaningful to us, which is both thought-provoking and simple. With this duality, the 25-year-old artist creates the aura that the unity of the exhibition and the uniqueness of the works can express.
The exhibition is open until 6 November. Photos of the event can be viewed HERE.
The Biennial is supported by the Bethlen Gábor Fund (BGA) and the National Cultural Fund of Hungary (NKA).