Thai painter Patdanu Temeekul — better known by his artist name Nobbie Rullet — has a habit of looking at revered figures and asking awkward questions. His new solo exhibition, "The Gray Chess", at Trendy Gallery in Bangkok, uses Hindu and Ramakien mythology to poke at hypocrisy, and it doubles as a free cultural stop on any Bangkok itinerary.
The exhibition's premise came from Patdanu reading Hindu and Greek myths and noticing that deities often behave badly — oppression, sexual exploitation — despite their pure public image. He sees a parallel with Thai society, where respected public figures can act very differently behind closed doors.
Two large oil paintings on linen tackle the Ramakien directly. "The Ritual Undone" shows Hanuman, the white monkey warrior, disguised as the Demon King Thotsakan to seduce Nang Montho and sabotage her celibacy ritual. "The Birth Of Matsanu" depicts Hanuman forcing the mermaid Suvannamatcha into an encounter under the sea. Neither is comfortable viewing, and that is the point.
Ambiguity runs through the show. In "The Wolf And The Lamb", sheepskins-wearing figures camp in a forest while wolves watch from the dark — but look closer and the sheep have eaten unidentified meat, and the wolves are too wary to approach. Which side is the predator? Patdanu leaves it open.
The largest canvas, a 250cm x 500cm piece called "The Playground", swaps mythology for geopolitics, inspired by the Strait of Hormuz crisis amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Children play king-of-the-crown around a Ferris wheel while, below, a city burns — one child pours lava on it. Great powers, Patdanu suggests, justify destruction as good intention. Softer works round out the show: his two-year-old son appears as four deities in "The Little Deva", and his wife and son inspire "The Rainbow Stream".
There is a career story here too. A Silpakorn University graduate who started out drawing cartoons, Patdanu struggled early on with concept-driven work — his 2018 debut "Dissecting Desire" showed raw meat draped over luxury goods, a nod to French aristocratic fashion built on plantation slavery. He then spent seven years refining his technique between solos. That patience paid off: his 2022 triptych "Battlespace" sold at The Iconic Treasure auction for 1,250,000 baht, and paintings at "The Gray Chess" have been selling quickly.
Why should travellers care? Bangkok's gallery scene beyond the usual museum circuit is easy to overlook, and this one is free. The venue sits at Cloud 11 on Sukhumvit Road, a short walk from BTS Punnawithi Station (Exit 6) — a part of the city where new creative spaces keep opening. The show runs until November 22, so there is still time to pair it with a Sukhumvit food crawl. Even if mythology isn't your thing, the paintings reward a slow look, and Patdanu is happy for viewers to read them their own way.
Story via Bangkok Post Life
