After two decades of experience in comic art, Tanis Werasakwong, known as Sa-ard, recently launched his first exhibition at Kinjai Contemporary, running until mid-March.
"2475 Graphic Novel Exhibition" presents the journey of his latest work 2475 The Siamese Ghostwriter, published in late 2023. It follows the life of Nipa, a newspaper proofreader in the 1930s, who spies on the Khana Ratsadon, old Siam's People's Party. As she is entangled in a game of power, twists and turns become a test of her integrity.
Curated by Atikom Mukdaprakorn, this exhibition displays thousands of pages of documents and books for painstaking research, character design based on historical figures, plotting, the writer's diary describing his struggle, fear, and hope, and manuscripts filled with pencil and pen marks.
"My job involves a lot of self-talk. I have been thinking about showing it to people. While working on this graphic novel, I felt compelled by its impact to tell stories through a new medium, including cartoon, history, the spirit of change, and the writer's life," he said in a video on the Facebook page of Kinjai Contemporary.
"I use a pen to symbolise passing on a dream or changing society. Give it a try and see what our pens can do. This exhibition will encourage people to express hope in their own way."
Growing up as an avid reader, Tanis submitted cartoons to magazines in high school. While studying print journalism at university, he began to publish comic books. He graduated in 2014, when the military coup toppled the civilian government and shut down media, but he continues to make comic art.
Running until March 16, this exhibition is a collaboration with Hangpui Art Space, which starts at Kinjai Contemporary in Bangkok. It opens daily from 11am to 7pm (except Monday).
