We love a well crafted drink and so do you! To spread the love for unique cocktails we are joining a few other savvy bars to pay homage to a wonderful pastime.
We’ll be featuring Fresh Fruit Libations from our current menu — supplemented with fruit from the family farm AND a new beverage not to be missed:
We’re bringing together over 20 artists with an eclectic mix of cutting-age art events, performance, music, film and a charity art auction.
It’s April — the awesome month for us in Thailand! It means Songkran and a very long holiday. But more importantly, (!!!), WTF turns two this month! It’s hard to believe that we’ve made it this far. We would not have found our place in Bangkok without all of your encouragement. To give back to our wonderful friends and fans, WTF will celebrate our 2nd anniversary by hosting Bangkok’s most creative event.
WHAT THE FESTIVAL APRIL 26, 27, 28
THURSDAY APRIL 26
>8pm opposite
BANGKOK POETRY READING
Bangkok Poetry is a reading series devoted to the lyrical, the risky, the unexpected. Happenings are every six weeks.
The theme for the April 26 Bangkok Poetry happening at Opposite is "We two form a multitude." The event is the first night of the three day What the Festival: the 2nd anniversary celebration of WTF Bar & Gallery. For this event, performers are asked to perform with a collaborator. Filmmaker & poet. Storyteller & musician. Poet & poet. Graphic novelist & musician. Etc.
If you’re interested in performing, and taking on this challenge, please email Bangkok Poetry (bangkokpoetry@gmail.com) ASAP to secure your spot. If all the spots on the slate have been filled, we will put you on the waiting list.
>10pm The alley Between WTF + opposite
MURAL PAINTING OPENING by Kathy Macleod Support by Hennessy VS
Reveal the mural painting by Kathy Macleod, Bangkok’s favourite illustrator, cartoonist, and painter. Kathy creates a work that captures the feel of the community in and around WTF. She depicts the many dynamic parts that make up the whole: a hundred little familiar things that together comprise a vehicle for the unfamiliar, the uncharted. Not to be missed!
>10pm WTF
Hennessy VS presents VERY SPECIAL SOUNDS: KEVIN ORGAN TRIO + guests
FREE ENTRANCE
Hennessy VS is known for introducing the refined taste of superior French Cognac to a global audience. WTF Gallery & Cafe is known for it innovative, yet classically executed cocktails and for it’s adventurous art and culture programming.
As part of our birthday, Very Special Sounds will feature a wonderful live jazz and funk music by Kevin Organ Trio members who also play with Wanorn Warrioirs. Kevin Inthawong – Organ. Panai Imjai – Guitar. Torfan Dilokvidhyarat – Drums. Expect a full-on Roland sound with special guests. It’ll be a night of great cocktails and beautiful music.
FRIDAY APRIL 27
> 6pm, The alley Between WTF + opposite
OPENING RECEPTION : NEW SCULPTURE BY SINA WITTAYAWIROJ
Support by Tiger Beer
WTF gallery opens the new sculpture exhibition Nation, Religion, King and Art by Sina Wittayawiroj. With his remarkable floating sculpture, the artist makes a forceful case for art as being among the four revered institutions of the country.
>9pm opposite
CHARITY ART AUCTION
FREE ENTRANCE
After the great success and positive feedback from last year, we’ll be at Opposite again for a charity art auction to raise money for Dog Shelter Foundation, hosted by Wesley Hsu and Bow Wasinondh. A dozen prominent artists including Chitti Kasemkitvatana, Sutee Kunavichayanont, Kwanchai Lichaikul, Justin Mills, Thaweesak Srithongdee, Kornkrit Jianpinidnan and many more have kindly donated their works for the auction. This may be your only chance to participate in Bangkok’s most fun art auction and even own a work by one these prominent artists, as all bids will start from 0-1,000 Baht.
SATURDAY APRIL 28
>4pm-1am WTF Alley &
opposite
BLOCK PARTY Curated by Maft Sai
FREE ENTRANCE
DJ Maft Sai has always dreamt to throw a block party in our soi. Well, there’s no better time to do this than during What The Festival. Maft Sai will fill our soi with with Morlam, Somtum, BBQ, local artisanal beer plus special guest DJs spinning old school music in and outside our buildings. After 9pm, the party will move up to Opposite for more urban, funk and soul music. Watch this space for DJ line-up.
>6pm opposite
SHORT FILMS SCREEENING
FREE ENTRANCE
While the party is going on downstairs, for those who would like to sit back and relax, please join us at Opposite for the screening of five experimental short films by Thai and international filmmakers, including Christopher Nolan’s ‘Doodlebug’ and Tanwarin Sukkapisit’s ‘I Am Fine’.
You are cordially invited to An Artist Talk on the topic of FEAR IN THAI ART COMMUNITY AND THAI SOCIETY at WTF Gallery
Saturday 24 March 2012, 6.30-8.30pm.
Speakers:
- Prapat Jiwarangsan, Artist
- Wanrug Suwanwattana, Lecturer at Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University
- Thanavi Chotpradit, MPhil/PhD in History of Art and Screen Media, Birbeck, University of London
Concept:
As the exhibition “I’ll never smile again” at WTF gallery closes at the end this month, the artist – Prapat Jiwarangsan will sit down and talk about the concept behind this show. The talk will be joined by Ms. Wanrug Suwanwattana, a lecturer at the Faculty of Liberal Arts of Thammasat University and Ms Thanavi Chotpradit, MPhil/PhD in History of Art and Screen Media, Birkbeck, University of London. The topic of the discussion will be “Fear” in our society and how it greatly affects art and cultural realm in Thailand. The speakers will also discuss how artists who work in Thailand should handle this fear and be able to express and criticize — which is the function of art in society.
The talk will be in Thai with consecutive translation to English.
Entrance is free with refreshments.
About I’ll Never Smile again:
I’LL NEVER SMILE AGAIN is an exhibition that conjoins the past of two places, of which the artist came across while studying Master’s Degree at the Royal College of Art, London. The showcase of collective information, namely photographs, books, and places, from the Office of Educational Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy, London, UK, conclusively became ‘The Impossible Dream’ exhibition.’ This conceptual idea has been inspired from the conversation between two artists(Pathompon Tesprateep and Prapat Jiwarangsan) discussing about the impact of conflict and the instability of the situation in the country in the past several years, together with some doubts in the political and sociocultural evolution, which leads to the representation as a conceptual art. Although, the historical evidence may not be the most significant factor, it provides us a good opportunity to review and to be aware of the existence as well as things that are missing; things we used to have and anything that is probably going to happen. Metaphorically speaking, this conceptual work aims to reach the invisible barrier between the belief in society and the thing that controls the direction of our social movement.
Data linked from the prior exhibition have been passed on to the homeland of the artist. Searching for truth isn’t the objective. What’s really matter are critical discourse inquiry, comparison, change of the outlook, understanding matters which are beyond your prediction and the value of being human, as well as the subjects which are acclaimed to be above humans . Whether for you to understand or to be able to interpret the message clearly depends largely on the ability to perceive dimensional art. All matters shown here are for you to consider whether you can still smile at these fictions.
Visitor Information
Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 4-10pm
Free Admission
WTF Café & Gallery
7 Sukhumvit Soi 51, Wattana, Klongton-Nua, Bangkok 10110
Hennessy Cocktails: from classic to Thai inspired
+
DJ Maft Sai: Spiritual Jazz— From his rare all-vinyl jazz collection
Entry will be free to guests — first come, first serve.
Hennessy VS is known for introducing the refined taste of superior French Cognac to a global audience. WTF Gallery & Cafe is known for it innovative, yet classically executed cocktails* and for it’s adventurous art and culture programming.
Starting on March 15th Hennessy VS and WTF will be launching a monthly cocktail and music series: Very Special Sounds. A special menu of cocktails developed by WTF and featuring Hennessy VS will be on offer — with recipes for customers to take away. Each month DJs and live musicians will perform undiscovered genres, new takes on classic tunes and show off impeccable tastes. The evenings, like the flavors of Hennessy itself, will be a "BOLD, yet HARMONIOUS BLEND… with DELICATE NUANCES.” Each night will be an intimate celebration of special flavours, specials sounds and special company.
Current Schedule:
March 15th
DJ Maft Sai: Spiritual Jazz— From his rare all-vinyl Jazz collection: Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra, Dorothy Ashby, Norman Conners, Don Cherry, Steve Reid, Moondog and the like. (In the 1960’s jazz musicians began to explore new thematic and musical ideas, often associated with non-western religious and musical traditions. The new ’spiritual jazz’ became a vehicle for exploring new musical and non-musical concepts, as well as for extended self-expression, laying bare "a mirror into the self.”)
- First recorded cocktail – Sazerac orgingal style — with Hennessy VS cognac and Brandy Crusta.
- Launch of photographer Jason Lang’s exhibition of New Orleans Jazz Festival.
- Live music — Jambalaya Jam and Gumbo Funk by EARLY EASTER— Joe Cummings (guitar), Scott Hess (bass), Prince Adi (drums)
Lets celebrate Fat Tuesday with a touch of the New Orleans carnival season at WTF. We’ll feature the world’s first recorded cocktail – Sazerac orgingal style — with Hennessy VS cognac and Vieux Carré and Brandy Crusta .
Launch of photographer Jason Lang’s exhibition of New Orleans Jazz Festival. Selected prints and a slide show will revel in the food, jazz, energy and characters of the Big Easy. The show is on view at Opposite from 21-28 February 2012 (except for Wed 22 Feb).
Plus live music — Jambalaya Jam and Gumbo Funk by EARLY EASTER— Joe Cummings (guitar), Scott Hess (bass), Prince Adi (drums)
About The Exhibition:::
Images from Orleans Parish & the 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
By photographer Jason Michael Lang
21-28 Feb 2012 closed WEDs
OPENING NIGHT Mardis Gras Tuesday 21 Feb — free Old Fashioned shots 8-9pm
Jerry Joseph is constantly touring. If it isn’t solo, it is with his rock band The Jackmormons or one of his side projects, including The Stockholm Syndrome. Regardless of the configuration, it is always about the songs.
On this solo tour Joseph will be highlighting songs from his recently released album, “Into The Lovely” and Joseph’s 2004 solo release “Cherry”. We can also expect to hear newly recorded songs from an upcoming release. The songs on “Cherry” are intimate masterpieces that reveal the sights and sounds of life lived on the road. Live, the songs are accompanied by stories of their origins.
“Sounding occasionally like John Mellencamp’s older, wiser and psychologically mixed-up sibling, Joseph writes complex, image-laden songs and infuses them with plenty of attitude, soulfulness and swagger.” – Washington Post
Artist kindly asks your corporation to only wear black and white color when attending this opening reception.
WTF Gallery is pleased to announce the art installation, “I will never smile again” by Prapat Jiwarangsan. Newly graduated from Royal College of Art, London, Prapat’s work depicts the personal psychological confusion arising from Thailand’s political and social/class conflicts. The exhibition is both politically and socially inspired and underlines the current tension surrounding Thailand’s complex relationship with personal liberty and freedom of expression. The exhibition’s concept derives from his experiences during his fine-art study in London, funded by the Thai Government. Through his obligatory relationship with; frequent attendance at; and finally exhibiting his work in; the Royal Embassy of Thailand-London, Prapat observes the extended meaning of social and diplomatic protocol conveyed within objects on the premises that translate into political meaning. Underlying much of the work is the 2010 violence in Bangkok that projected a reign of terror and confusion (particularly when viewed from outside of his home country,) that Prapat conveys with acute sensitivity to politics and contemporary society in an ongoing conceptual engagement.
Searching for truth is not the objective of this show. What matters is critical discourse, inquiry, comparison, change of outlook, understanding matters which are beyond your prediction and the value of being human, as well as the subjects who are acclaimed to be above humans. Whether you can see or are able to interpret the message clearly depends largely on the ability to perceive meaning beneath the surface “truths” of the artworks. All matters shown here are for you to consider whether you can still smile at these fictions.
Born in 1979, Prapat graduated with a Master of Fine Art from Royal College of Art, London in 2011. He is currently working as Artist and officer at Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture, Thailand. His works have been shown in Bangkok and London.
The exhibition comprises 10 works including photo collages, installations, video art and multimedia works, created in 2010-2012. The exhibition is a continued version of his show in Royal Thai Embassy, London titled "The Impossible Dream", incorporating the mutation of meaning under evolving contexts and new environments, depicting the interaction of the human mind and artistic rendering into political meaning.
WTF would like to invite you to join our special campaign for flood relief “Make-Someone-Else-Happy Hour”. During festive December (except for special events) Sunday – Thursday, 6-10pm if you order any beer, wine (by glass) or our special cocktail menu, your 2nd drinks will be just half-price and the money that you spend on the half-price second drink will be donated to flood victims. Without thinking, the amount spent on drinks on a night out could make a great difference to those severely affected by the flood!
Opening Reception: Wednesday 30 November 2011, 7pm
WTF is pleased to announce an exhibition of companion multimedia works by Proxy on the 2nd and 3rd floor of WTF Café and Gallery, curated by Josef Ng.
Taking an ambiguous, almost tragicomic stance in interpreting an assortment of loaded placeholders, objects themselves from the realm of visual communication – film, video and web – they examine with forensic obsession the traces of abandoned data that underpin both public and private sagas.
The show features Anthem, a video installation spliced together from discarded 35mm film fragments salvaged from the floor of the Siam Theatre, 07:21, a multi-element installation and (Opposite) View, a CCTV video piece.
Anonymous Bangkok-based collective Proxy have been working in the realm of public intervention and media installation on the street and in art galleries since May 2010.
Their recent works include The End, a three-metre-high stencil painted onto the perimeter fence of the former Siam Theatre on May 19th, 2011, and Interruption, a rooftop intervention, complete with anthem, commercials and a screening of the epic Gone With The Wind.
The End, designed to imitate a movie end title slate and unavoidable from the BTS platform, greeted bystanders for four days before being painted over on May 24th. Interruption meanwhile, featured, alongside the first blockbuster to hit the cinema forty-three years previous, a yellow-jacketed usher and Hollywood searchlights that lit up the demolition pit. The piece ended with film sputtering out of the projector gate and the insertion of the title card: ‘Please Stand By. We apologise for the interruption.’
As Proxy work anonymously, their background data has been redacted.
