Press release
Combining street photography, conceptual art and documentation, Peter Nitsch’s “Tango in the Big Mango” captures the dazzling, confounding facets of contemporary Bangkok
Bangkok, 29 June 2023 – Renown German documentary art photographer Peter Nitsch returns to Kathmandu Photo Gallery with a solo exhibition of images from his illustrated book “Tango in the Big Mango,” which depicts a distinctive, raw portrait of modern Bangkok. The show opens 8 July and will continue until 26 August.
In this series of photographs, Mr. Nitsch’s theme is the metropolis of Bangkok explored over a period of time, capturing various people and situations, the lives of individuals from a range of social classes, from the “somebody” to the “nobody,” as Akkara Naktamna, the show’s curator, explains. K. Naktamna adds that “The direct portraits of different individuals in the photographs are intriguing, as they go beyond capturing mere candid moments like the familiar street photography. These images convey something that cannot be explained solely through sight and gesture.”
In this exhibit, as in Mr. Nitsch’s book of the same name, viewers become companions on his visual tour of discovery. Apart from the main theme of the dynamic “dance” of Bangkok the city, the symbols of Greed, Growth and Angst have a featured role in these works, as symbols “that represent an idea emerging amidst swift and chaotic movements,” adds the show curator.
“We tend to think of ‘documentary’ as something like a ‘capture‘ that is highly instructive and explanatory, but I see Nitsch’s use of the ‘documentary’ as something far more Baudelaire-like, a split second in time that lends our eye something prior to narrative meaning and description/definition,” notes Gregory Galligan, Director, Thai Art Archives.
As for the title “Tango in the Big Mango,” Nitsch’s camera makes us see the city’s rhythm as a tango, which owes its idiosyncratic movement to the interaction of different cultures. A comparison that not only rhymes with “mango” (Bangkok’s nickname) but also translates the sweet and sour taste of the fruit into visual intoxication. K. Naktamna describes the effect of this movement this way: “The unstoppable desire for growth and development reaches its climax and comes to a sudden halt. In this mesmerizing and vibrant song, we are watching, marveling at the dynamic dance captured in the peculiar photographs of Bangkok, reflecting the truth in an awakening and straightforward manner.”
More images please download here: Tango in the Big Mango
About the artist
Designer on-air and off-air, photographer, producer, and founder of DRAWLIGHTS, Peter Nitsch has always worn many hats. But at the heart of everything that he does Nitsch is first and foremost an artist and a photographer. He was born and raised in the Upper Palatinate, in eastern Bavaria. Nitsch received his BA in communication design from the Department of Design at the Munich University of Applied Sciences (MUAS).
Nitsch published his first monograph, Bangkok – Urban Identities in 2006. He is the recipient of numerous awards, both as designer (New York Festival and BDA, among others) and photographer (Los Angeles International Photography Award and Hasselblad Masters semifinalist, among others).
In 2020, Nitsch became a lifetime member of the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand.
His group exhibitions include:
2023
Pathway, The Portuguese Sea, curated by Bernardo Caria and Obscura, NYCNFT, The Lower Draw Gallery, New York City, USA
NEOW, Black Box NFT Art Festival, curated by Bryony v Shearmur, Brian Cattelle and Obscura, NYCNFT, The Lower Draw Gallery, New York City, USA
SUMO, Space55, curated by An Jong-Hyun, NFT Energy, Seoul, Korea
2022
Greed. Growth. Angst, A Screen of One’s Own curated by Clara Peh, NFT Asia x Superchief Gallery NFT, New York City, USA
2019
T/I/T/B/M, photoMÜNCHEN 19, Munich, Germany
2008
Bangkok – Urban Identities, Kulturreich Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
Follow Peter Nitsch on:
IG: @peternitsch.gram
About the exhibition:
- “Tango in the Big Mango” opens 8 July with an opening party from 18:30 – 21:00, and will continue at Kathmandu Photo Gallery until 26 August 2023
- The Kathmandu Photo Gallery is located at 87 Pan Road, Silom, Bangkok. The Gallery is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 11:00- 18:00 (with the exception of the Opening Night hours mentioned above)
Web: www.kathmanduphotobkk.com
Tel: +66 (0) 2 234 6700
For more information, please contact:
TQPR Thailand
Tom Van Blarcom or Nuie Titichayapon
nuie@tqpr.com, +662 260 5820