Swedish-Finnish photographer Kimmo Kauko has been taking moody photographs at Sathorn’s JAM Cafe over the past two years. He has brought the images, mostly artsy nudes but some others as well, together for a solo show called “Was Here.”
Each image is exhibited in the cafe in exactly the same place where it was shot.
To make the exhibit more intriguing, Kauko hung it last weekend and invited the public to view the works at an opening party, but this week, he’s invited several other area artists to visit JAM in the evenings to perform live painting over his images. The public is welcome to stop by for a burger, a beer or just to watch the painting.
The contributing artists include: Thibaud Tchertchian, Ugo Li, Praew Perry, Victor Allbeone and The Nation’s controversial political cartoonist Stephff. But it’s Kauko’s aim to have a total of ten artists contribute by the weekend.
This Sunday, JAM will host a closing party for the exhibit where the modified photographs can be viewed.
Kauko told Coconuts, “The concept is that nothing lasts forever, times change, people change, and I don’t believe in yesterday. When the work is done, it’s not mine anymore. It belongs to the world.”
The photographer does not work only with nudes but with all kinds of fascinating human subjects and subcultures. He’s shot punks in Chiang Mai and Muay Thai fighters on the last days of Lumpinee Stadium. However, he would like to change the way people see unclothed subjects. “I’m trying to make a change in nude photography, I try to take every picture like it was from an important scene in your favorite movie.”
He acknowledged that the photos in this series tend to have a creepy, otherworldly feeling. He noted that, “It’s because JAM has that feel. My last exhibition was at The Friese-Greene Club so it had a totally different feeling. I let the surroundings dictate the concept.”
The photos can be viewed anytime that JAM is open through Sunday, from 6pm-12am daily.
The closing party will take place on Sunday, April 9, from 6pm-12am.
FIND IT:
41 Soi Rong Nam Kang (Charoen Rat Soi 1)
Sathorn
Surasak BTS Exit 2
Reader Interactions