Tawatchai Somkong was born 1964, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. He is a prominent contemporary Thai artist known for his intellectually charged and socially reflective painting practice. He received his Post-Diploma in Fine Arts from Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, India, in 1994. Based in Bangkok, Somkong is also the Editor-in-Chief of Fine Art Magazine, one of Thailand’s most respected and influential art journals. His work has been widely exhibited in Thailand and internationally, with participation in more than fifty group exhibitions, including the Beijing International Art Biennale in 2009. Somkong has held numerous major solo exhibitions at leading venues such as the National Art Gallery, Ardel Gallery of Modern Art, and Galerie N in Bangkok, presenting critically acclaimed bodies of work including Ecstasy Land, Kru: Spirit of the Orient, Core of Crisis, and Play. Through his art and editorial leadership, he has played a vital role in shaping contemporary art discourse in Thailand.