SHOWCASE

/ ARTIST / 2026

ARTIST: Chalee Inprapan
COUNTRY: Thailand
CONTACT: chalee_inprapan
I paint to soothe myself.
After a heartbreak in early 2025, I have tried various methods to regain a semblance of sanity.
Apart from counselling, nothing helps much, so I decided to pick up an old hobby from almost two decades ago once again.
Not having to intellectualise, or defend my decision, all I have to do is mix colours I like, and dab them on canvas.
I steadily learn anew how to breathe, to access things I didn't realise are there; feelings and emotions I fail to recognise within myself, the canvas feels them in my stead.

With a literature and theatre background, sometimes my work incorporates aspects from different disciplines; I write what I could not paint, and I paint what I could not write.

Wisteria at Sundown

During the height of my grieving period, I couldn't concentrate well; the act of painting small dots repetitively was something I found solace in. I was inspired by a similar technique employed by Yayoi Kusama.

This painting of wisteria was attempted later to create something more definitive.

One Lone Persimmon Tree

"Just beyond that gentle slope stands one lone persimmon tree; though it still bears those vermilion coloured fruits, the tree itself seems to have lost its vitality to some degree.

I remember well how he used to have such cravings for dried persimmons in the afternoon, sometimes going at great length, sneaking to the market just for them, and nothing else.

I could always tell when that happened, because the white powder of crystallised sugar that sat teasingly on his upper lip would betray him."

Reflection of a Magnolia Tree

"The dark blue facade beneath the bridge begins to tremble; one ripple after another.
I vaguely remember magnolia branches extending, but those reflections become indistinct."

Impression of a Bouquet

Sulabagoileh fo Sesor eht

One of my earliest attempts at painting again after two decades. I was inspired by the painting "The Roses of Heliogabalus" by Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema, but since I'm not classically trained and lack the necessary mental fortitude to attempt any ordeal at that point, I simply chose pink, and focused on the idea of being suffocated under blanket of falling rose petals.

Le Desole

"You can burn all the myrrh in the peninsula;
Beseech each and every djinn in all realms;
Do know that your wish won't be granted;
Be certain that the night will fall."

Cum and Punishment

My more recent work. This was when my sense of humour started to return. Around that time, Dior, by Jonathan Anderson, showed a collection featuring multiple "book cover" totes which really caught my attention. I chose to go with a slightly naughty wordplay twist for my work, which also helps to explore and push the boundaries of my tendency to only do things the proper and decent way.


Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of those novels I could not finish. By simply changing one word, its title becomes something much more risque while remaining fully comprehensible. The choice of colours and composition is my experiment with ambiguity.

Whorethering Heights

Painted at the same time as artwork no.7, this one also follows the same line of thought. My impression of Wuthering Heights is that it is more of a study of a toxic relationship than a simple romance, so I experimented with caustic, unnatural shades.

The Reaping

"And somehow every turn in that hedge maze led her deeper into the unknown;"

I have a background in costume design for theatre, but I can't be certain whether I went back there consciously or unconsciously for this painting, and I painted it somewhat later, after those abstract and impressionistic approaches had given me a bit more data about my own taste and style, and I was by then open to try something new.

The Hearsay

"A candlelit soiree,
The faceless crowd,
One furtive glance,
An encroaching darkness."

Painted around the same time with artwork no.9. I originally planned to paint a sombre banquet with grand chandeliers, but ultimately decided to leave it empty because I like the ominous feel it gives off.