Tuesday 12 May 2015

Tangled up in Blue. The Jeans art of Pongsakul Chalao

Pongsakul Chalao is a fine art graduate and the son of a tailoring family.  He collected jeans for a decade (including jeans that were donated from people as far away as the US) and used them to make amazing collages.  The following collages are part of his solo exhibition at the Sofitel Hotel on Sukhumvit.

Under The Highway (200x260cm).  This striking and large picture took centre stage.  

The detail is amazing and when you look at a photo, it is hard to believe that this is all just denim that has been glued into position.  There was a small amount of machine sewing, usually to show telephone lines or similar things.  None of the pieces are sewn down.
All the pieces are raw edge.
Low Life (180x200cm)
It was amazing how many different shades of jeans Chalao has managed to acquire.
Even the thick hems and side seams have been used.

Echoless (100x80cm)

Calm Scenery (100x120cm)
I love the use of the shabby bits of jeans, reflecting the run down nature of some of the buildings.
Tranquility (110x100cm)
I was less taken with the large pieces of jeans used to make the skies, especially the use of the pockets, which looked a bit too obvious for my taste.  In Tranquility, the bleached out jeans make a really beautiful cloudy sky.
Simply Beautiful (65x90cm)
The curator explained that Chalao's exhibition was to show the differences between urban and rural living.  

Urban Shore (105x60cm)
Sub-Sukhumvit, Soi 12.  This is my home Soi, looking towards Sukhumvit.
Sub-Sukhumvit, Soi Nana 

The use of the labels from the jeans are used throughout.  here, they are used as the illuminated shop and restaurant signs.  Look too at how the street is obviously wet, reflecting the car and its lights.

1 comment:

  1. Amazing!!! An absolutely amazing artist. Sorry I haven't looked sooner. I loved each and every one. Did you and Alan buy one?

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