Around the Clock

Around the clock means 24 hours a day, seven days a week. What is the longest mission you’ve ever completed? Ten days, four weeks, three months, or ten years? Have you done anything that required you to work around the clock?

Pira Ogawa, a 75-year-old man, began his artistic path as a child. He began with freehand sketching and progressed to geometric shape style as a result of his passion for geometry at school. Pira’s life had been altered when he was a teenager when his family moved him to Japan to study. Because of the language barrier and cultural differences, he became quite anxious and heard voices of insects in his ear. The voice disturbed and worried him, but Pira finally found inner calm by drawing and painting geometry in various shapes. Pira has been painting daily over the past 60 years with enjoyment and calm, despite the fact that he was not trained as an artist, with no intention of exhibiting his work in a gallery. In 2021, his family surprised him by submitting his artworks to BKKIF 2021, allowing the public to witness his enthusiasm. Pira finally won the popular vote, and his pieces were recently chosen to be included in a group exhibition at BACC.

Pira Ogawa’s first solo exhibition, “Around the Clock,” represents two sides of his artistic journey around the clock. ‘Nighttime’ represents his struggle when he was hearing insect whispers in his ears. The geometric forms of bugs and monsters represent his inner pain caused by the insects’ voice he heard in his ears. Rather than giving up, Pira uses his drawing to help him heal from his condition. ‘Daytime’ depicts optimism and power, as well as the tremendous support he receives from his beautiful family.

Pira invites his audience to accept these two opposing moments, nighttime and daytime, as a natural element of life. It is hard to be as smooth as one wishes while working around the clock. Along the way of the lengthy voyage, it’s also necessary to find a companion, such as friends or relatives.

Aside from painting, the exhibition includes drawings, rotring pens, and geometry rulers, all of which Pira employs to produce his one-of-a-kind geometric artworks. Pira is still painting at home around the clock today. Because art is a part of his existence, his journey has no destination or ending.

Venue: Room 249 – 250, 2nd floor, River City Bangkok

Free Admission 

*River City Bangkok is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with strict preventive measures against Covid-19 and limitation of visitors inside all preview rooms.