Press Release
The Good Place Exhibition
A Solo Photography Exhibition By Kanrapee Chokpaiboon
Opening reception date : 11 February 2023
Beginning at 5 PM
11 February 2023 – 11 March 2023
Open for visiting every day.
11.00 am – 7.00 pm
At WHOOP!
3rd floor, MUNx2, Seacon Square, Srinakarin.
Google map: https://goo.gl/maps/caQgLisLvvkaz3Gu5
‘The Good Place’
Kanrapee Chokpaiboon
The Good Place is my observation of Varanasi, one of India’s Holy cities. Varanasi “The holy land,” as they called it, is also known for another name, The Land of a Million Gods.’ It’s a city where the Ganges River flows through dividing the city into the ‘heaven’ side and the ‘hell’ side. According to the Hindu’s belief, the Ganges River is the place where heaven connects to the earth.
I first put myself as an observer and let myself flow along with the hymn of the city. As I walked through the city I felt captivated and it was love at first sight. After my 4th trip, I accumulated all the images and spent a couple of years developing a visual language to portray the essence of Varanasi. I form a connection between my work and the city through culture, religious beliefs, spirituality, and similar social constructs which are fundamentals of most of my work. My images exist at the border between reality and the dream realm which I created through the use of flash, to reveal how the supernatural seeps into the city and its people even in the age of technology.
Religious beliefs to the people of Varanasi are one of the most important pillars in life. They adhere to the long-entrenched Vedas which consist of 4 treatises. The Rig Veda – a chanting hymn for the gods, The Sāma Veda – dedicated chanting to the gods, The Yajur Veda – a description of the sacrifice rituals and The Atharva Veda – a collection of magical spells. This hasn’t changed much for the past 5,000 years. People still bathe in the Ganges River to purify their souls. To be closer to the hands of gods, people want to spend their very last moment in life in Varanasi. Also, the caste system is deep rooted here, stemming from Hinduism, and is still strictly abided by the people. I want to capture the city that seems to be frozen in time; different scenes, and moments through my own perspective. It’s my attempt to grasp the lessons of the Holy City from an outsider’s point of view.
About the Artist
Kanrapee Chokpaiboon
Kanrapee Chokpaiboon, Born and raised in Chiang Mai, Thailand. His work is mainly inspired by his love for sci-fi films, extraterrestrial beings and spirituality. He journeyed to New York in 2015, there, Kanrapee got the opportunity to learn and work for various renowned photographers that influenced him, widened his perspectives and finally discovered what photography is to him. His style is defined by dramatized reality, creating the feel of surrealism, quirkiness, and dark humor, forming an alternate reality he sees through his eyes.
He is a co-founder of Arc Tribe, a digital magazine and Arc Press, an independent publisher.
About HOP – Hub Of Photography
The space of inspiration expands when photography enthusiasts gather.
Turn on your camera, open up your eyes, and your mind, and be prepared for a new experience with “HOP”, or the Hub Of Photography, which is the first comprehensive photography hub
in Thailand. We provide creative space for photography lovers and will take you to discover
a whole new dimension in the art of photography from all over the world, regardless of whether you are a professional or an amateur.
In addition to being a photography exhibition space, HOP is also a living space that gathers knowledge and creativity for all photography enthusiasts and enable them to exchange views and experiences on photography for everyone who is interested to learn and develop visual storytelling skills through various activities that will be held throughout the year.
Photography is something that is near to our hearts.
Let’s get together and release your unique inner personality through your photography.
presented by
HOP – Hub of Photography
Special Thanks
Seacon Square Srinakarin
PR Material Cloud
Exhibition Poster
Download Link : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TKlT9xnssB5Pl93wdg78cBQBWKoyy-8C?usp=share_link
PR Contact Info
Email : hop.project.th@gmail.com
Phone no. : 063 192 1719
Please kindly contact us for further interviews.
