Tawan Wattuya

I’ve known Tawan for almost twenty years, originally through Myrtille Tybairenc, a close friend of his who used to represent him at Toot Yung Gallery. Best known for his watercolour portraits, Tawan’s work has long moved between Thailand’s political landscape and pop culture, drawing on everything from superheroes to Thai ghost comics.

For the shoot, he invited me to his studio, a place I had already visited several times over the years. In the middle of the room sat a DJ console, a reminder of another side of his practice: from time to time, Tawan also plays music in bars and at events.