Oat Montien

I first met Oat Montien while working on a video installation in Patpong during the summer of 2022. He was doing a residency there, researching the district’s gay and sex-worker histories, which culminated in an exhibition of pastel and graphite works dedicated to the boys of Soi Twilight.

For the shoot, Oat invited us to Baik Baik, his restaurant and home, where he also opened Bodhisattava Gallery in 2020, a gallery focused exclusively on Southeast Asian LGBTQ+ artists. On that day, Oat was still mentally recovering from his participation in The Voice Pride 2025, where he performed in drag as Mimosa Jazz. After confronting a judge on set, his social media was flooded with threats and insults, which took a toll on his mental health.

Despite a busy year, with exhibitions at Bangkok Kunsthalle and preparations for the Bangkok Biennial, Oat made time for our shoot. After a lovely meal and some oracle cards, he showed us around, introducing us to two of his cats. In his wardrobe, he revealed the infamous Mimosa Jazz dress, which he wore during his opening performance, singing Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend. In another room, he shared his studio, where he paints most of his subjects who visit. Nearby was an old spotlight, which Oat used for his models and once operated at his mother’s bar when he was a child.

This object is more than a prop; it is part of Oat’s past, which is ever-present in his work, from his complex relationship with his father to his childhood experience helping his mother run a bar-brothel, a theme he explored last year in his exhibition at JWD Art Space. As we left, Oat was preparing a watch party for his team to celebrate his last The Voice performance. With that chapter closing, he was already turning his attention to new projects. The show must go on!