Bangkok is one of the most photographed cities on earth, yet Belgian photographer Alain Laboile reckons most images miss the point. His new exhibition, Bangkok Raw, at Old Town Gallery on Charoenkrung Road, runs until October 31 and shows a version of the Thai capital you won't find in travel guides.
Laboile spent several extended stays wandering the city for hours at a time — through sois and markets, over bridges, past derelict neighbourhoods and metro stations. What he came back with is documentary street photography elevated to fine-art quality: light after rain, a gesture between strangers, the quiet of an empty street. Skylines and temple gold are pushed into the background, while the city's chaotic, vulnerable, raw everyday breath stays in focus.
The show is spread across two floors with two distinct moods. The first level pairs powerful street images — reflections, rain, architecture and human presence meeting — with unexpected moments of silence and beauty, framing a dialogue between interior and exterior, city and people. The second floor shifts gear entirely: a series of artistic photographic works centred on the human body, approached as sculpture, line, light and emotion. No sensuality, the gallery stresses, only elegance and respect for the body as an artistic subject. Together the two floors make visitors look at the Thai capital twice, from two very different angles.
For travellers, it's a useful corrective to the usual Bangkok itinerary. Charoenkrung (Road) is the city's old commercial spine and now its gallery district, so the exhibition doubles as a reason to explore a neighbourhood most visitors only pass through on the way to the river. And if the photos inspire you, the city Laboile photographed is right outside the door: go early or after rain, and you'll recognise the frames.
The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am–6pm, with Saturday hours extended to 11pm, making it an easy evening stop combined with dinner in the area.
Full credit to Bangkok Post Life for the original report.
