Most people list their jobs on a resume. Satit Kalawantavanich turned his into an art exhibition. The legendary Thai graphic designer — founder of design studio Sam Noh, production house Phenomena and the iconic brand Propaganda, home of the bulbous Mr.P character — has launched his first solo show, 'The Resume: Arise, Exist, And Keep Going', on the 5th floor of Art Jewel at Sai Paragon, Bangkok. It runs until Sunday and admission is free.
The title is a joke with a point. Satit, now 66, was recruited by Far East Advertising agency while still a student at Silpakorn University, then moved to Leo Burnett, so he never had to submit a resume in his life. Now, after decades as a design consultant and commercial director, he's 'applying to be an artist' — a deliberately risky late-career pivot from someone who admits he failed painting and ceramic classes at university, even while excelling at graphic design.
The exhibition doubles as a retrospective of the characters that made him famous. Mr.P Cross Pollination, a sculpture created with architect and National Artist Nithi Sapathanipa, shows Mr.P cross-legged on a red chair with a paint roller, covered in both artists' sketch marks. Then there's the cast Satit built to carry his messages: Bey eBette — the proper name is Bey eBette, created when he felt uncomfortable speaking his own mind — plus Slian Kid (a boy seamlessly turning into a snail shell), Space Dude (an astronaut-suited adventurer in a stand-off with a cast, risking something new), and Pencil Boy, depicted with sharp pencils in place of hands and feet. Satit says Pencil Boy represents creativity itself, and that everyone has the capacity for it — sharpening it is our ongoing duty.
Two paintings, Bey Kamarin Gold and Bey Kamarin Silver, show the same girl with arms crossed in deep thought, sliced by a vertical line that cuts the 'standing up' painting from the 'giving up' one. The artwork asks viewers a pointed question: do you carry the spirit of Bey eBette in your heart? Another piece, Bon titeppA, shows the snail-boy holding a cactus fork designed for extracting snail meat — a nod to a nature lover who, Satit notes, still enjoys eating snails. Slian Kid, meanwhile, was born from his idea that the world is advancing rapidly in technology, at the cost of nature.
Satit's philosophy runs through everything on show: art is a risk because outcomes are uncertain, and if the work turns out well, that's a bonus. He believes those who didn't succeed in an academic system aren't limited to one right answer, and that taking risks teaches us more than staying safe. For visitors, the takeaway is simple — an artist of his stature believes meaningful work can inspire others and strengthen the whole creative ecosystem, even from a 'small artist'.
If you're in Bangkok this week, it's an easy, free hour in one of the city's plushest malls, and a rare chance to see four decades of Thai design history in one room. More details: facebook.com/samnohparaphernalia.
