Internationally acclaimed British DJ, musician, actor and graffiti artist, Clifford Joseph Price MBE, better known as DJ Goldie, will open a contemporary, urban and street art gallery.
Housed in Warehouse 30 on Charoen Krung, Aurum Gallery is conceived and curated by Goldie, who moved to Thailand in 2014. Guru spoke to Goldie about his vision for the gallery, which officially opens on July 4.
What is the core of Aurum Gallery?
The purpose of Aurum is to create a platform that offers a positive message to artists, that want to be inspired by art in general, whether it's Eastern or Western. The Latin word 'aurum' means gold. It's something that you can eat and won't poison you. My idea is to create a space where people can come and have a pure look at art. I want this place to be a melting pot of ideas. I cannot paint everything, but I can get many people to paint many things together. Art creates art, like money makes money, so to speak.
Why choose Bangkok to open Aurum?
Bangkok reminds me of Los Angeles in 1977, when it was beginning to explode. I see a huge explosion in the culture and also melancholy and old-fashioned feelings in places. Bangkok also reminds me of what I saw in New York in the 80s. Something big is going to happen and it feels like it's such a big place to be. The new generation is also very smart and savvy. It's good to open the floor to people outside the country, so that they will know more about what's really going on in Thailand.
Who are the artists to be showcased in Aurum? How did these partnerships come about?
Most of the artists are my friends, a few are fans of my work. On opening day, there will be Spaniards Belin and Saturno, Vhils from Portugal, Ben Eine from London, BG183 and Bio from New York, Toni Cogdell, a new contemporary artist from Brussels, as well as local artists like Jecks Bkk and Parinya Sirisinsuk [aka Benzilla] -- just to name a few.
How do you differentiate Aurum from other galleries?
It's the depth of art and the dynamic of the artists. I don't care if the work of one really well-known artist is being placed next to the work of an unknown artist. It's good. I want to place different artworks together and create an outlook that is something totally different. A lot of the artwork that will be shown are by artists that have never had their work exhibited in Thailand. This is because people don't want to pay the tax, so people don't want to import the art. But I think if you want to really show something, you have to invest! If you want to eat cake, you have to make it. I also have a very good team, who picks the art that we should invest in and imports it from all around the world. This is a very expensive thing to do since we're a small family business and not run by an investment group. But that's what we want to do. We want this space to foster artists.
Who would you like to create with or partner with?
Odeith, one of the biggest artists in the world right now. He was going to join us for our first exhibition, but because of the pandemic, he won't be able to make it.
How has living in Thailand influenced your creative process?
I love Thai culture, it's very accepting and now, more than ever, it's more accepting of changes brought about by the new generation. Whether it's fashion, music, art, design or technology, Thai artists have started to make noise. Living here has helped me become more humble, understand the Thai way of living and also accepting of the platform for Thai artists, which I have found to be very important. I think art is in the DNA of Thai people, especially in the new generation. People like Jecks Bkk look at Western art to begin with, but also create their own identity within Thai art. When I was living in Western countries, I didn't even know about these amazing, talented artists in Thailand. They sometimes get overshadowed by hypes and trends. However, you have to understand that most trends and hypes are not really culturally strong. What's great about Thai artists being left alone is that it allows Thai art to root itself, to establish itself properly before it gets seen too early. It's like any culture: If you get seen too early and it's hyped, the tree becomes unstable and it gets pulled out with its root. The tree has to become strong first. Graffiti culture took like 50 years to be established as a true art form. 'Graffiti', the word itself, used to be a dirty word, but now it's in big galleries around the world. I want to create a space that Thai artists can use to grow.
You expressed yourself successfully in many mediums of art. What moves you to pick a particular medium?
Music and painting are the same to me. They're just different recipes. For example, when people make cakes, they use different recipes. But the basic combination of the cake is usually sugar, flour and butter. When I make music, it's just a different cake as opposed to painting; here sound is the main ingredient. When I paint, the main ingredient is paint. Music and art have always been the same to me. However, I am very seasonal. During the rainy or winter seasons, I want to hide away, make music and create sounds. In the summer, I like to paint.
Do you think Bangkok is a good environment for artists to grow?
I think it's a future city. If you asked Jean-Michel Basquiat or Andy Warhol in the 70s: 'Do you think New York is a good place for art?', they were definitely going to say yes! Charoen Krung reminds me of Shoreditch in London. Back in the day, there was nothing there, except for one club. However, the club made everything grow, like a metropolis. Now every tourist goes to Shoreditch. The energy of Charoen Krung also feels like a good place for art.
What is the next big thing on the horizon?
Right now, this is the biggest thing for me. However, I like to work on many projects at a time. I just finished writing a TV series, Sine Tempore, meaning "without time" in Latin. It's a serious drama based on my life and experiences. I'm also directing two episodes. But for now, the most important thing is to see Aurum Gallery develop and grow in the next three to five years.
Visit www.aurum.gallery or fb.com/AurumArtGallery.
