AlexFace and MUEBON recently gave us a rare look into their Bangkok studio to discuss their upcoming joint solo exhibition in Chicago at Vertical Gallery.
Alex Face is best known for his signature character Mardi, a three-eyed child often presented in a fuzzy rabbit costume. Inspired by the artist’s own young daughter, Mardi is by turns world-weary and wry, challenging viewers to consider the legacy that our children will inherit as well as what the future holds for successive generations.
In the recent years, his work has gained recognition across the globe: in 2018, he occupied the Bank of Thailand Learning Center during the first Bangkok Art Biennale, and the following year, he exhibited in the Venice Biennale in Venice, Italy.
MUEBON is renowned for biting social commentary on subjects spanning from wealth disparity to environmental activism to the pervasive influence of contemporary media — messages he delivers via his rotating cast of colorful characters, including a flightless cartoon bird named PUKRUK and Mr. TV, possessor of a television screen face. MUEBON is perhaps most synonymous with his Mickey Mouse-inspired skull stickers and wheatpastes, memento mori urging viewers to expel their feelings of anger, frustration and hopelessness in favor of embracing acceptance and finding inner peace.
Alex Face & MUEBON U.S. Debut Solo show will be opening on August 10th to 31st at Vertical Gallery, 1016 N. Western Ave., Chicago.
Images by Rom Levy
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