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11 Oct, 2024

Sofitel marks 60th anniversary with masterpiece painting-cum-poetry exhibition in Bangkok

Bangkok – Thailand’s status as an Alliance of Civilisations destinations has been embellished by a sensitively curated exhibition of paintings and poems in Thai, English and French on display at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, the flagship Thai property of the Accor group. Part of a worldwide 60th anniversary commemoration of the Sofitel brand, the exhibition is themed “Diamond glow, Heart’s echoes”, creating “a narrative that highlights the uniqueness of each culture while underscoring the deep, meaningful connections that unite them.”

Guests bear witness to it right at the entrance of the 345-room hotel, which has just completed a US$25 million renovation. Events based on the same theme of fusion-culture are being held at other Sofitel properties in Krabi, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Bali, Phnom Penh, Angkor Wat, Luang Prabang, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur.

Honoured to be amongst a small group of journalists and guests invited to the opening on 10 October, I came away fascinated and enthralled by the depth and beauty of both the paintings and the poems. In an era of conflict, instability and violence, the paintings which resonated most deeply were appropriately named: “Path to end the suffering”, “Serenity” and “Life at Dawn”.

The most eye-catching painting, the absolute highlight, has to be “City of Angels” (below), a sizable 200×220 cm creation by Mr Sompop Budtarad, who personally escorted us around the exhibition.

Also at the briefing, along with Khun Chokchai and Khun Sompop, were Diane-Laure Dudoué, Regional Marketing Director Asia, of the Sofitel group, and Oliver Schnatz, GM of the Sofitel Bangkok, Sukhumvit (in red tie).

During the briefing, we also heard from Mr Chokchai Bundit, a celebrated Thai poet and cultural figure.

Curated by Ms Pracamkrong Vajiravarabhakti, Co-Founder/Director of Art Connection, and her team, the exhibition’s unique concept of linking poetry to paintings is, according to the exhibition brochures, akin to “selecting a perfect wine to complement a meal.”

Pictured below is the decor that greets the guests upon entry to the hotel…

Guests then have to follow these instructions below to pair the poems to the paintings.

These are amongst the 40 beautiful poems in Thai, French and English …

Visitors can then proceed to pair them to the paintings on the lobby and Level 1.

This is the full list of the exhibiting artists..

The curators, Ms Pracamkrong Vajiravarabhakti (centre), and members of her team..

Many thanks to David Johnson, CEO & Founder, of Delivering Asia Communications, a leading luxury Hospitality & Real Estate PR and communications company, for the invitation. It was also a pleasure to meet up with Mrs Napalai Areesorn, former editor of Thailand Tatler, at the event.

Key Takeaways

This exhibition is a brilliant idea, with a brilliant theme and a brilliant message. A lot can be done to ensure its core objective remains relevant and resonates long after the exhibition ends on 06 November.

France is the world’s number one destination in terms of visitor arrivals. Thailand is the world’s number one destination in Southeast Asia. Paris is home to the HQ of UNESCO, the UN educational and cultural agency. Bangkok is home to UNESCO’s regional office for Asia. UNESCO is one of the lead UN agencies advancing the less well known but now critically important UN Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) agenda.

This unique bonding between East and West, culture and commerce, creativity and capitalism, hoteliers and curators, needs to be urgently advanced across the board. As the Travel & Tourism industry is now waking up the linkage between Tourism and Peace, it is time to jettison those boring conference speakers on AI and Climate Change and replace them with artists, musicians, poets and others who pursue Peace and Planet ahead of Profits and Prosperity.

As the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit is located just 500 meters away from the Siam Society, Thailand’s pre-eminent cultural institution, which is marking its 120th anniversary this year (double the age of the Sofitel), one consideration would be for the hotel’s owners and management to invite the Siam Society to hold some joint lecture sessions and sessions at the hotel, around the theme of the exhibition.

Full details of the entire exhibition can be downloaded by scanning the QR code.