Bangkok Illustration Fair (BKKIF) is set to return from Oct 23-26 at CentralWorld Pulse on the 7th floor of CentralWorld. This year, BKKIF will showcase illustrations by 201 artists. Of the 200 artists, 132 are Thai and 68 are from 16 countries including Brunei, China, Greece, Japan, Indonesia, Italy, New Zealand, the Philippines and Russia. Besides these 200 artists, Claudia, a popular artist who was voted for by audiences at BKKIF 2024, will also feature.
At the press conference for BKKIF 2025 at CentralWorld, Vip Buraphadeja, a co-founder of the fair, expressed his excitement when the team was informed by people in the industry that it is the largest in Southeast Asia.
“Our goal was to create a platform that brings artists from different generations, veterans or newcomers, together. Since we focus on diversity, BKKIF accepts all kinds of artwork including hand drawings, digital artwork, collages and cartoons. We have been trying to find possibilities to expand artwork on many platforms. Thus, we invited various organisations, such as art galleries, publications, café and airlines, which we call ‘reviewers’, to come to BKKIF. We hope to create a community and an ecosystem artists will join,” said Vip.
When asked how the BKKIF founders feel about creating the largest illustration fair in Southeast Asia, Chonticha Homklinkaew, said they focus on quality rather than quantity.
“BKKIF focuses on quality of work. Every selected artist who showcases will have opportunities for work. There are reviewers and sponsors who come to BKKIF and select artists whom they want to work with. This community will expand and have solid relationships,” said Chonticha.
Vip added: “I agree with Chonticha. To create the largest event is not so difficult since we can sell more booths, but we do not focus on that. What we are proud of is that we have a community where artists are selected and reviewers are invited to view artwork. This is how we create a pretty large ecosystem which we can be proud of.”
International artists have been interested in BKKIF since its first year in 2001, and the submitting work online for selection has only increased.
“It is great to have artwork from many countries at BKKIF, as artists and visitors are able to see a wide range and learn about the different styles of each country. It provides an exchange of experiences and ideas,” said Vip.
Oomthong Yamsadtham and Punika Areekanchanlert, both young artists, talked about their first experience at BKKIF 2024. The duo confessed that they were not confident in their work, so they decided to share a booth which displayed both their solo and collaborative illustrations.
After the event, they were interviewed by a magazine which led them to work, such as designing books and posters. They exhibited their work at Bangkok Design Week and recently held the duo exhibition “Lost In Calendar” at Somewhere on Pradiphat 17.
“Before BKKIF 2024, not many people paid attention to our posts on social media. BKKIF is a platform that provides us opportunities to be seen by the public. We have gained more followers and more people appreciate our work, so we can understand more about our potential and see how far we can go,” said Punika.
In addition to artists, reviewers play a major role at BKKIF since they provide opportunity to artists. Toby Lu, director of sales and marketing at River City Bangkok, and Jakkrit Yompayorm, founder of Avocado Books, are representatives of BKKIF reviewers.
Lu revealed that River City Bangkok participated in BKKIF since its first year in 2001 and has invested about 10 million baht to support artists. Selected artists have the opportunity to hold solo exhibitions at River City Bangkok.
Jakkrit said that he visited BKKIF before he became a reviewer. He was there to search for artists who had styles comparable with what Avocado Books would be launching.
“After Avocado Books became a BKKIF reviewer, I was committed to select two artists to design our book covers, but I usually like to work with more than two. This year, Avocado Books has worked with more than five artists for book covers and illustrations,” explained Jakkrit.
Another highlight of BKKIF is the lineup of guest artists. To ensure diversity, it must include both solo and group artists, local and international artists, and ages from five to over 40. The six guest artists this year are Noma, Panatthorn “Skill” Fakthong, Pol Huiprasert, Urban Sketchers Thailand, Whosming and The Duang.
Noma is a successful Korean artist. Her paintings often feature young people and animals under an intriguing interplay of light and shadow. She uses either natural settings or urban scenes and infuses them with fantasy inspiration. Her paintings convey the emotions of people in this era, which can sometimes be gloomy, but often harbour a spark of hope and joy of a simple life.
Panatthorn, a five-year-old, is illiterate. His works comes naturally without any instructions. He has drawn over 100 illustrations and told stories through images and words. Panatthorn was discovered by Makut Ornrudee, editor of Butterfly Publishing. This year, Panatthorn held two solo exhibitions at GalileOasis in January and Tang Seng Jua Saen Phuda in June.
Pol is renowned for his production design in the music industry. He creates impressive experiences for concertgoers since he strives to authentically present the artist’s identity and music. He and his team have collaborated with many leading Thai artists including Bodyslam, Nont Tanont, The Toys and 4Eve. Pol will offer a unique and unconventional experiences to the audience at BKKIF 2025.
Urban Sketchers Thailand is a group of art enthusiasts who disregard age or skill. The group draws the landscape and architecture of various locations throughout Bangkok and other provinces. As a group of people with different skills, they create an atmosphere of knowledge sharing and experience exchange. Drawing sessions in old towns also foster knowledge about architectural conservation.
Whosming is a Taipei-based artist whose work often revolves around the theme of travel and coffee. A passionate coffee lover, Whosming began drawing baristas on paper coffee cups during his travels in Portland, USA. This series became an ongoing Instagram hit under the hashtag #mingscups and gained widespread traction. Additionally, Whosming’s album cover design was nominated for Best Recording Package at the Grammy Awards in 2023.
Veerachai Duangpla, better known as The Duang, has grown into a Thai comic artist with over 20 years experience. He is renowned for his cool lines, witty characters and engaging storylines. His notable works include creating gangster-style characters for NFTs, which successfully led to the Gangster All Star series.
BKKIF has changed the lives of many aspiring artists, but Vip and Chonticha are humble and do not take credit for that. They only organise the event, which brings reviewers to artists, but they are proud to witness the success of the creatives.
“It was so cool to see artists who sell their work at a booth in BKKIF. Then, they became like a star and we see their work everywhere,” said Chonticha.
“I am proud of seeing them grow. Some artists now have solo exhibitions while some are involved in big projects. Some of them have grown in ways we never imagined. I am really proud and glad to see that,” said Vip.
