It’s me, Warbie! The Inside World of Warbie Yama

Since River City Bangkok was founded in 1984, our historic institution has always recognized the importance of a thriving arts and culture sector to the welfare of Thai society, and the vital role that independent arts institutions hold in cultivating and nourishing this field. In recent years, River City Bangkok’s mission has been to provide a global platform for Thai contemporary art, and springboard emerging and established Thai artists onto the international arts circuit through the use of a range of fresh and innovative strategies that lay particular emphasis on broadening the accessibility and appeal of contemporary art to younger audiences. We have recourse to a powerful toolkit, most notably, the incorporation of multimedia technologies in our exhibitions and our collaborations with arts organizations across the private and public sectors in every creative discipline, including visual arts, photography, music, film and performance. Our dedication to developing and globalizing the local contemporary arts landscape is epitomized in three landmark exhibitions over the last five years– “From Monet to Kandinsky – Visions Alive”, “The Impressionists”, “ and “Van Gogh: Life and Art”– which all featured large-scale multimedia installations that reshaped the parameters of the Thai arts landscape. We will continue to enhance and expand upon the opportunities available to us as a world class arts and antiques center and orient them towards the global dissemination and advancement of Thai contemporary art.

In the final quarter of 2022, River City Bangkok saw the culmination of two years of rigorous groundwork in our pioneering project of the year, “It’s me, Warbie! The Inside World of Warbie Yama”, which debuts award-winning Thai animator and illustrator Arut Tantasirin’s imaginative universe, entitled Warbie Yama, in an immersive exhibition divided into 9 unique zones. Based on the heartwarming cast of characters that are featured in Tantasirin’s original, critically-acclaimed animated short, Cheez…z, and the subsequent release of popular themed LINE sticker sets, the world of Warbie Yama showcases a variety of analog and digital media– encompassing pencil and ink sketches, watercolor and acrylic paintings, sculpture, comics, digital art, animation and multimedia installation– that owe their diversity to Tantasirin’s advocation of visual storytelling. 

The absence of dialogue and language allows Tantasirin’s body of works to forge a direct connection with a global fanbase that indexes countries and cultures across the world. As evidenced by the global success of Tantasirin’s creative ventures, the Warbie Yama exhibition joins the charge to recontextualize comics and cartoons from their delimitation as childish genres towards mainstream recognition as narrative forms that can contain the complexity, depth and scope of ostensibly ‘serious’ or ‘high’ art. Visiting the world of Warbie Yama, guests of all ages and from all walks of life will be enchanted by the imaginative breadth and bold experimentation that enfolds the characters’ adventures in bucolic and magical settings. Each chapter is often hemmed with an allegorical lining that invokes the virtues of friendship and kindness alongside the importance of practicing sensitivity, curiosity and wonder in our lives– an axiom which resonates with adults, who may be searching for that bygone spark of magic in their lives, and children alike.

River City Bangkok’s collaboration with Arut Tantasirin on “It’s me, Warbie! The Inside World of Warbie Yama” marks another milestone on our mission to carve a place for Thai contemporary art on the international stage. We strive to innovate our pool of resources, expand the scope of our endeavors, and enrich and diversify our relationships with artists and organizations at the national and international scale.

Our endorsement of emerging Thai artists extends beyond the comprehensive creative, logistical and technical behind-the-scenes support we provide: we tender the unprecedented opportunity for up-and-coming artists to present their work and collaborate with our world-class arts institution, bridging the associated infrastructure, resources and extensive network of collectors, galleries, institutions and funding bodies that will gild their careers. Over the years, we have observed, firsthand, the abundance of visionary talent, ambition and potential that is vested in the contemporary milieu of Thai artists. However, aspiring Thai artists, particularly those who lack access to resources and institutional support– a situation made more dire by the insular and traditionalist currents within the Thai artistic and cultural spheres– must contend with many barriers to entry in the arts industry. River City Bangkok is proud to position itself among a handful of independent arts organizations within Thailand that have served as pillars of the local arts community and tirelessly endeavored to fill the lacunae of funding, resources and infrastructure that assail young artists in their efforts to establish a sustainable and successful independent career that, within more robust circumstances, would climb the echelons of the international art industry with ease.

A project that typifies the governing ethos of our institution and nourishes the latent wellspring of artistic talent within this country is the RCB Portrait Prize Competition, which broke new ground as Thailand’s first national contest of its kind. Returning for its third edition, which will be sponsored by the Italthai Group in 2023, the competition convenes a jury of luminaries from different sectors of Thai society who award three prizes to outstanding works from the tide of submissions we receive from established and emerging artists– some still in high school– across the continuum of class, gender and age. The Portrait Prize Competition prominently spotlights its participating artists within the public sphere; the contestants in 2022 had their works presented before the Governor of Bangkok, Chadchart Sittipunt, who presided over the opening ceremony. With the success of this series of competitions, River City Bangkok was able to provide multifaceted and, most importantly, generous financial support to young artists, thereby realizing one of the fundamental goals of our institution– the tangible endorsement of young Thai artists – which remains a central tenet of our vision for the future.

In the years ahead, River City Bangkok’s allegiance continues to be with the advancement and elevation of the talent and ambitions of the emerging vanguard of Thai contemporary art. We hope to cement our place as a cornerstone of the local arts and cultural scene and expand the sphere of our influence to regional and global arenas, thus paving the way for Thai artists to connect to international audiences, patrons and arts institutions– and even assist in the curation, promotion and touring support needed to have their works featured in exhibitions, festivals and museums abroad. As we augment and multiply the avenues of support we can provide our growing network of artists, we hope River City Bangkok will become an international-caliber arts institution that can convene a diverse community of visitors from across the country and all over the world to collectively admire, enjoy and support the profound brilliance of Thailand’s young artists.

Immerse yourselves in an intimate journey through the world of Warbie Yama in one of our biggest events this year.

Open for general admission 25th November 2022 – 25 January 2023 at RCB Galleria 2, 2nd floor of River City Bangkok. Tickets are available for purchase at The Gallery Shop on 1st floor, River City Bangkok.