Reinhard Kressner

Several artist friends encouraged me to meet Reinhard, a noted art collector in Chiang Mai. I had spotted him online a few times, often at gallery openings, but when we finally met by chance at a local coffee shop, I had no idea I was about to embark on a journey back into my own past.

A retired paediatrician from Germany, Reinhard was part of Berlin’s flourishing LGBT community. In 1987, when I was just a kindergartener in West Berlin, he was living in East Germany, dreaming of freedom on the other side of the wall. After a failed attempt, he finally risked his life again to escape through Hungary and into Austria, arriving with only a few Deutsche Marks in his pocket. From there, he reached West Berlin, where he stayed until 2020. Remarkably, at one point, we both lived in the same city, just kilometres apart, yet existed in completely different worlds, unaware of each other’s presence.

Raised in a strict household, Reinhard had always wanted to cover his walls with art, a dream he began fulfilling the moment he arrived in Berlin. Over time, he built a wide-ranging collection of photographs, paintings and sculptures. For him, collecting is not about profit, but about loving what you buy and supporting the artist who created it.

When he retired and moved to Chiang Mai, his true home, as he calls it, he continued his passion by establishing Head High Second Floor in 2021, a space in his home dedicated to showcasing emerging Asian and international artists.

After a few beers and a visit to his space, Reinhard asked me to take his portrait in front of a piece by Eva & Adele, the famous “hermaphrodite” artist duo who serve as muses for his enduring love of art and hedonism.