Commerce Ministry, Czech artist, display Thai paintings in Europe
A Czech artist is working with a Thai government agency to showcase paintings that reflect Thai traditions, at a Prague gallery.
According to a report from Bangkokbiznews, Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit, Director-General of the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), said that Thailand has coordinated with Ondřej Míšek, a Czech-born graphic designer, to showcase paintings that showcase Thai tradition.
The Thai Trade Centre in Prague worked with Míšek to exhibit paintings under the themes “Bangkok Series” and “Muay Thai Series” in the Manes Gallery under the core idea of “Paint your Life” from March 14-25, he said.
“In that event, paintings about Thailand received a lot of interest, leading Míšek to the idea of exhibiting Thailand-related paintings again this year. The Thai Trade Centre in Prague will continue to work closely with Míšek to help enhance the image of the country [Thailand.],” Phusit added.
Míšek graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Switzerland. He is also a painter and had lived in Bangkok from 2009 to 2016, working as a teacher and having been interested in Muay Thai, noted Bangkokbiznews.
Art is amongst the 11 industries that the Thai government aims to boost to enhance the country’s “soft power”. The government has set an ambitious goal of generating 20 million creative jobs by 2027 and generating 4 trillion baht in revenue per year from the cultural sector.
On March 12, the Cabinet agreed to implement measures to promote the art industry, including tax measures to support the purchase of art, and exempting import duties on artworks.
The kingdom’s National Soft Power Strategy Committee is chaired by the now-ruling Pheu Thai party’s leader, Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
