Delving into Bangkok’s Booming Creative Scene with Mook Attakanwong
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Mook Attakanwong is the Creative Director and Founder of ATT 19, a multidisciplinary retail, contemporary art gallery, and events space in the Historic Design District of Bangkok. Located within a restored 120-year-old Thai-Chinese building, the gallery is championing emerging artists in the city, which has exploded with creativity in the last few years. We caught up with Mook to find out more about her work, Bangkok’s art scene, and her favorite places in the city.
Tell us more about your work and what you do at ATT 19.
My background is in fashion but my family has been in the arts since 1975, which is when they opened Lek Gallery. ATT-19 is my family’s fourth gallery branch and it’s under my creative direction. It’s very different from what my parents do which is within the antiques business in a sense that is open to the public and very accessible. At ATT-19 our work is very much rooted in education and filling the gap of what we don’t have in Thailand: museums and resources.
It is part of our responsibility to provide shows and exhibitions that are beneficial for students to experience and research. We are a two-level space; the first floor is retail where we feature home decor and antique items - it’s been curated to center around craft. The second floor is the exhibition space where we curate about six to seven shows a year alternating between retrospectives of older artists and emerging shows of emerging artists or about a social issue or with an organization. We also have a cafe that my mum runs (and bakes!) and there’s a fine dining restaurant called Mad Beef, which is run by my sister who’s a chef, it is centered around secondary cuts of beef and the practice of sustainable eating.
We would love to hear about the current creative scene in Bangkok.
Bangkok went through a surge of change around five years ago which is around the time we opened. Before then, there were very few galleries and then suddenly there were a load of cool spaces opening up around town. I think a lot of the new spaces have to do with Covid. We had people returning home from overseas which created a new synergy for the city—there’s a sense of collaboration that wasn’t here before that has affected the creative landscapes in Thailand, so you’ll see a lot of new hubs, new galleries, and even new art forms. The same goes for the food and the fashion scene. Because of Covid, we were forced to look within, look at our own resources, and look at what we don’t know about our country. Right now, Isan food (north-eastern Thai food) is very popular in Thailand and is the new thing that people are into, and we’re also seeing an interest in slow fashion and handicrafts.
How do you feel about that change?
It's refreshing, however it can also be dangerous. Everything is growing so fast; it would be good to slow down and be intentional. Weed is legalized which turned the city upside down as well. There are so many cannabis stores now, but they are all the same and very street-style-centric. It would be nice to see a Southeast Asian take on it so that it feels more unique. Art has also become very commercialized. Five years ago it wasn’t even really in our lives, but now it’s mainstream. With everyone now coming to galleries on the weekends, we need to provide education as we don’t want the mistreatment or misunderstanding of creative art forms in Thailand. Even in my gallery, there have been people breaking things in the exhibition - sure accidents happen but we also need that knowledge to catch up.
Which local artists or creatives are inspiring you recently?
Na Kittikon Artists—a foundation that supports children with autism through art. We partnered with them and Jim Thompson, the most famous silk house in Thailand, to create an exhibition of art that was produced on silk, to use the art to raise money for the foundation. It was inspiring to see the teacher's patience and how the students would create every single day even with the challenges posed against them.
Kenz—Kenz is one of the first artists that showed with us. He does amazing cartoony pop art and is currently signed to Trendy Gallery. I’m so proud to have someone doing great work and truly being himself. That’s what we need in Thailand—to break the mold of being the land of smiles and gold-gilded temples. We are a lot more multifaceted than that.
Shone Puipia—Shone is one of my best friends and he never fails to inspire me. The way he thinks about his work is beyond fashion, it's more like art and he definitely deserves flowers for the way he makes people feel in his clothes.
Grofe—Another designer who’s very avant-garde. He creates things that are reimagined from other pieces, such as bags made out of neckties that have been reworked into flowers. I don’t know how he thinks of these things, but I am so proud to wear his pieces and to tell people, yes this is a Thai designer!
What creative neighborhoods should we know about?
Charoenkrung is what they dub ‘the creative district’, where my gallery is. It's near the river and the more luxury hotels, so back in the day it had silk shops, antique stores, and jewelry makers, all the premium things you could possibly want to buy. Now it’s turned into more of a contemporary gallery setting. It’s connected to an area called Talat Noi that's great for small, low-key cafes. It’s still very community-based so I hope that this area doesn’t become gentrified in the next few years. Another cool area is Songwat which is about 15 minutes away—it’s more up-and-coming for food. Most of the businesses are in restored buildings and old townhouses which wasn’t happening before. Ari is also a blend of the first two areas but is more hip and young. It has great cafes, plus independent galleries and bars.
What art events or festivals should we know about in Bangkok?
I love Bangkok Design Week which happens around the end of January or the first week of February. There is the Bangkok Biennale, however the charm of Thailand is the great exhibitions that are happening all year round which are sometimes even better than festivals and events. At ATT 19 this year, we are showing a first solo show for my artists Yaipoeng & Naipran], a sister and brother with autism who work together to create art.
What places do you recommend visiting to get a sense of Bangkok’s creative scene?
Bangkok City City—check out their Instagram to find book festivals and art openings. I love to go there not only for the art but also to people-watch!
Soi Nana (Old Town)—an area I go to drink. There are a lot of speakeasies and cool bars where you can grasp what Thailand is becoming. It's a different side of what tourists know Thailand to be.
Studio Lam— great to go to and listen to alternative music and DJ’s.
Slow Combo—I like to visit here on the weekend for their great health and wellness programmes. It’s exciting to have people start to recognise mindfulness, mental health, and healing.
I Wanna Bangkok—it’s a fashion store but I would call them a community. It gives you a good sense of the youth culture here and is very exciting.
What are your favorite boutiques and places to eat in Bangkok?
Mad Beef—not to be biased but I really think my sister serves the best beef in town! You need to try it; it’s a nose-to-tail form of eating the cow.
Zaoisan—Northeastern food, very yummy and made for the hot girls.
Homeland Cafe—this serves amazing healthy and hearty food. It reminds me of the sort of food I would cook when I lived alone in New York, so it gives me a nostalgic feeling.
HDKK Vintage—you can get really good vintage pieces here and it’s fun to sift through
Akeen—great cafe with good vibes, good interiors, and good coffee!
