Photography is no longer shy to contemporary art and its currency

An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a unit of data stored on a digital ledger, called a blockchain, that certifies a digital asset to be interchangeable. It basically means it’s unique and can’t be replaced with something else. NFTs can really be anything digital: photos, videos, drawings, music, or audio, but the current trends focus on using the tech to sell digital art. Through their special encryption and ability to be traded, NFTs support artists who work online as they provide greater security, profitability, and recognition for creators. That being said, they’re everywhere now. 

“Minting” has become a new vocabulary within this platform. In simple terms, minting an NFT means publishing your token or artwork on the blockchain to make it purchasable. Curated by Serindia Studio, “Mint” is an exhibition of works by photographers who mint NFTs, taking place from February 10 to April 17 at Hop Photo Gallery, Seacon Square. The exhibition will portray how photography has evolved within a contemporary art context, exploring how ideas, tools, and technical innovations have changed the way photography is perceived. 

Eleven artists are being showcased in the group exhibition:

1/11 Akkara Naktamna

Akkara has been named a finalist in several street photography competitions and photo festivals, including the Miami Street Photography Festival in 2013, the Singapore Photo Festival in 2016, and Photo Bangkok Festival in 2015 and 2018. In 2021, he opened a photo gallery in Bangkok called “CTypeMag” to promote contemporary photographic works from around the world.

2/11 Chakrit Leelachupong

Despite earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Chakrit has always been fascinated by photography. His works have been exhibited in Thailand, Japan, and Australia, and have also been collected by Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts in Japan. 

3/11 DD flection

The first Thai dance troupe to offer their work on the NFT market and one of the world’s first dance troupes to do so, DD Flection has won numerous awards in both Thai and international competitions. Their movements are used to communicate their stories, alleviate pain, and inspire those who watch them.

4/11 Draft September (Kun Piyanush)

A Bangkok-based photographer and artist, the majority of Draft’s work is based on the Cyberpunk aesthetic with cinematic storytelling. Having always been passionate about the beauty of humans, he enjoys the silence of wandering and observing life’s stories through his own lens.

5/11 Kanrapee Chokpaiboon

Mainly inspired by his love for sci-fi films and spirituality, Kanrapee traveled to New York in 2015 to widen his perspectives and discover what photography meant to him. His style is defined by dramatized reality, dripping in surrealism, quirkiness, and dark humor. He is also a co-founder of digital magazine Arc Tribe and independent publishing house Arc Press.

6/11 Nattachat Wachirawarakarn

Obsessed with the cinematic form between space and time, Nattachat is a Thai photographer shooting landscape and architecture. Nattachat turned photography from a travel hobby into a full-time job and has recently started to explore the NFT art world.

7/11 Nattawat Tangthanakitroj

Nattawat specializes in fine art, landscape, and street photography. Inspired by the first memory of his father showing him how to draw, he picked up his first camera when he was 15 years old and became obsessed with it ever since. After a year of interning as a full-time photographer at a day magazine, he decided to pursue his dream of becoming an artist on his own in the NFT space.

8/11 Natthaphon Chaiworawat

A multidisciplinary artist, art practitioner, and researcher, Natthaphon graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich as Meisterschüler, or a master-class student. He is currently working as a fine art instructor at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. Nathhapon’s work explores inner resources, emotions, and thoughts, as well as their origins. His intention is to manifest the internal abstraction of time (body) and space (mind) along with visual and perceptual mechanisms in a simple way.

9/11 Pavaruth Ngamekudomphong

Thailand-based Pavaruth relates photography to his experience or travelling the world. Hoping to share his ideas with all he meets, he illustrates his personal experiences and thoughts in order to recall the emotions he felt when each photograph was captured.

10/11 Watcharapat Kongkhaow

Born in Chonburi, Watcharapat creates art inspired by his daily life with a focus on the state of the arts and creative spaces in his hometown. He has devoted his time to learning photographic techniques, particularly cyanotype prints. His work focuses on stories, memory, local culture, and changes affecting his Bangsaray community as a result of business disruption in Thailand.

11/11 William Barrington-Binns

William is an internationally-published and award-winning fashion photographer with a deep love of Southeast Asian culture. He started his journey into the NFT community in 2021 and is now firmly established in the platform of MakersPlace. Apart from having been featured on the covers of international magazines, he has exhibited globally at galleries and exhibitions.