Illusion of Stability

River City Bangkok proudly presents the inaugural solo exhibition by WAL, or Wal Chirachaisakul, an exceptionally talented artist with an internationally acclaimed portfolio and works held by numerous prominent collectors. This exhibition is a curated collection of WAL’s oil paintings over the past 5 years, inviting viewers to peel back the layers of strength and delicacy, solid yet fragile, substantial yet ethereal. The artworks, grand in scale but introspective, embody the paradox of what people, numbering in the millions around the globe, relentlessly seek and strive for – a quest for emotional security, a pursuit commonly known as ‘stability’.

WAL has conveyed this profound emptiness onto a canvas of 30 oil paintings, employing a simple yet powerful symbolism that has consistently defined his artistic expression – the Chada headdress represents nobility and purity while gold and glistening coins symbolize the elusive power of wealth and the currency that whispers of authority and dominance, the golden mask which becomes a metaphor for self-creation, and the goddess Libertas who embodies a grand political aspirations. Together with the deliberate juxtaposition of opposing symbols, such as the skill signifying the liberation from duties and roles, the floating letters directionless like the unpredictable breath of human existence, all of which create a discordance.

The artist fervently hopes that this exhibition will encourage viewers to explore what they currently hold. Sometimes, what humans perceive as the utmost security and certainty might also be a manifestation of ‘instability’.

Venue: RCB Galleria 1

Free admission