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Bangkok Post
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Bangkok Post
Unlocking life
Have you ever pursued a dream which is not yours? Created by Pachanaporn Wimonsarawong, better known as Peachful, the art exhibition "Missing Piece" raises questions viewers may have while following the journey of Jiewliew, a small long-haired girl with big dreams of becoming a princess. Jiewliew is told by others that a perfect princess belongs in a perfect castle. Therefore, she decides to undertake a journey to search for her flawless castle. Along the way, viewers discover the purpose and meaning of life. Artist Pachanaporn explained that the exhibition was inspired by questions about life she often asked herself. "I repeatedly asked myself what is the meaning of life after I noticed we are stuck in a loop of happiness, sadness and uncertainty. To find the answer, I read many philosophy and psychology books and eventually figured out that life is a journey. We grow and live our lives throughout our journey." "Missing Piece" is divided into four zones: Little Beginning, The Game of Life, Castle of Emptiness and Memories of Melody. The first zone, Little Beginning, portrays the beginning of Jiewliew's journey. Like other people, when stepping out of her comfort zone, Jiewliew has to fight her inner self. She feels her fear, confusion and uncertainty, but still has hope. Paintings like The Missing Piece Within, Crossroad Of The Unknown and The Floating Dreams emit vibes of loneliness and uncertainty. The Game of Life zone presents how Jiewliew experiences external factors beyond her control, including fate. This zone shows how Jiewliew has to overcome games such as Tetris, a chess game, a board game and a dice game. A painting titled The Unity Die depicts Jiewliew hopelessly sitting on a dice with the number one on all of its six sides because she has no idea how she can win the game. The next zone, Castle of Emptiness, depicts how Jiewliew discovers her dream castle is merely an empty space. The emptiness reflects how the perfect castle has never been her life purpose, but she pursues it because she has been swayed by others to do so. "There are many symbols in this zone. Jiewliew sees a marionette which symbolises how she is manipulated by others who tell her that she should be a princess in a perfect castle. Other symbols include keys in a maze which symbolises how she cannot get out," explained Pachanaporn. The last zone, Memories of Melody, portrays how Jiewliew discovered music is her true passion. "Jiewliew has long hair, which was inspired by Rapunzel. The long hair signifies bondage, attachment, perfection and expectation. She sets herself free by cutting her hair after which she discovers her passion for music. This zone is about how we can accept our imperfections. Two paintings, Dream Weaver and Threads Of Belonging feature an elderly character inspired by my late grandma. She represents our loved ones who support us as we are," explained Pachanaporn. The final painting, The Passage Of Hourglass, portrays different versions of Jiewliew in an hourglass to convey that life is a journey and it changes through time. In addition to the exhibition, Pachanaporn also designed an interactive website that features her digital paintings with Jiewliew as the main character. The website allows viewers to take a self-discovery test which include questions like: What are you searching for? When you have to choose a new path, how do you decide? "I created the website because I hope to reach a bigger audience since people in other provinces may not have the opportunity to visit the exhibition. The website allows everyone to interact with Jiewliew while they answer questions that can help them connect and reflect on themselves. They may understand themselves a little better through this digital journey," she said. "I was thrilled to receive feedback from a viewer who took the self-discovery test and said that she felt like she was enveloped in a warm embrace. She probably felt that way because life is frustrating and the website let her know that she was not only one who felt lost. There were other people experiencing the same thing as she was." Pachanaporn graduated from the Department of Interior Architecture, the Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University. She started painting at the age of seven because her mother was worried that she had a short attention span. It was the right decision since painting could keep her engaged for hours and this created her love for art. When Pachanaporn had a full-time job as an art director or designer, she would spend her free time painting which brought her joy. Her painting collection, "Tell Your Tales", inspired by fairy tales, caught the eye of exhibitors when she showcased them at Bangkok Illustration Fair 2022. This led to her being selected as one of the artists for the exhibition "To The Moon And (Never) Back" in 2023. She discovered that people connected with her paintings. "I wanted to represent paintings through fairy tales. Many people think that fairy tales are for children, but they also help bring adults back to their childhood. My fairy tales feature life stories which do not end with 'happily ever after'." "To The Moon And (Never) Back" presented an unlikely relationship between Little Red Riding Hood and a wolf who looked scary, but actually had a good heart. The wolf accompanies Little Red Riding Hood to her grandmother's house safely. "I received many messages from viewers about the exhibition. I was thrilled that viewers could tell stories of their personal experience after viewing my paintings. A viewer cried at the exhibition because it reminded her of her loved one who just passed away. My paintings give me the opportunity to connect and listen to people. I feel like my work is meaningful since I become a safe space for my viewers and they confide their personal stories to me," she said. When she accepted the offer to create her solo exhibition "Missing Piece", Pachanaporn decided to quit her full-time job because she knew the solo exhibition required a lot of work. Painting, which used to bring her joy and healed her, suddenly became a chore and a struggle. It took time to learn that there are two types of paintings -- those that she creates for herself and those that she creates for clients. Besides painting, Pachanaporn designed chairs and sculptures for the exhibition. She encountered many challenges, but the most difficult part of creating the exhibition was finding a theme. "I read many books and travelled to Ubon Ratchathani, but still did not have an idea for the exhibition. A writer whom I met in Ubon Ratchathani told me that before becoming a butterfly, there is the cocoon stage. She advised me that during this stage, I should not think too much, but do whatever I could. After that, I created one sketch per day and after a week, I put all the sketches up and realised that I wanted to tell a story about the meaning of life," said Pachanaporn. Pachanaporn is a perfectionist, but she understood that a debut solo exhibition cannot be flawless. Thus, she does not have expectations. "I told myself to not expect anything. When I completed my paintings, I felt successful and fulfilled even though the results may be different from what I had in mind," she said. "The only expectation that I have is I would like my brand Peachful to grow and bring comfort and peace to viewers." "Missing Piece" runs at RCB Galleria 4, 2nd floor of River City Bangkok, until Aug 3. Admission is free. For more information, visit
Japan Forward
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Forward
'Game of Life' Play Area Opens Outside Aoto Station
Outside Aoto Station in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, there's a playful area designed to resemble a giant version of the board game The Game of Life . The ground is patterned like the game board, and the bench is shaped like the game's iconic roulette wheel. A bench modeled after the iconic roulette wheel from "The Game of Life." This creative space is the result of a collaboration between toy maker TOMY, which has ties to the local area, and Keisei Electric Railway. It builds on a project from two years ago, when the station's name sign was redesigned with the game's theme. The station sign at Aoto. Originally developed in the United States, The Game of Life has been adapted in Japan to reflect local culture and social trends. Since its Japanese debut in 1968, the game and its various editions have sold over 15 million units nationwide. Game board squares painted on the ground. As children run excitedly across the life-sized game board, local resident Ryo Saito smiles and says, "My son loves this place, and for me, it brings back memories." A timeless favorite, the game continues to bring joy across generations. The station square bustling with families. ( Read the article in Japanese . ) Author: Katsuyuki Seki, The Sankei Shimbun
