Wish I was there, actually. Maybe not at the moment, because it’s the rainy season. But my friends over there tell me I have a place to stay if I want to drop in. Can also pick up my sketchbook full of Bangkok drawings I left over there.
But I was going through old disks, and found this one full of pictures of the event I help organise over there at the Tadu Gallery, with my friend, Peter Mantello. “Montreal Comix Come to Thailand” was the catchphrase. Would like to come back. Or have some of Thailand come to Montreal.
They’re similar places. Strong culturally, but with a dominating culture nearby (Japan, or the US in our case), and a strong religious background (the “odd” sons got sent to the monastery, the same way they went to seminary in Quebec to keep them out of mischief).
I didn’t remember these shots, and wondered if I actually put them up. Then I found a link to sequential.org’s website of Canadian comic news, and found them there, thanks to Salgood Sam. [link]
They were taken by the office staff, because I, silly boy, hadn’t brought a camera.
Anyhow, the exhibition was prints of work from 15 mainly Montreal-based alternative comic artists. Yours truly was artist in Residence. I found myself in a condo on the outskirts of Bangkok, in which Jane Birkin had recently being staying. I was also conducting weekly workshops in cartooning, which was fun. Though I didn’t have much to teach. Mostly let people cut loose and draw. Below is one of the Bangkok pro artists, decorating a wall.
A few of those drawings are in my books. I’ll look for them and post them. In the meanwhile, I’ve put pages from the elaborate brochure/catalog Peter produced for the event.
I hope he’s well, but I found him there much changed from the person I knew in Montreal. Ohh, Bangkok… Bangkok.
Tags: Bangkok, comics, montreal, visual art, workshop