Thai national artist Thawan Duchanee has spent his life creating art that deeply reflects Buddhist philosophy. He is internationally renowned, and his art is masterful both for its intricacy and for its subtle portrayal of Buddhism. Thawan expresses Buddhist wisdom with incredible versatility. His artworks depict the dangers of doubt, lust, fear, and lack of concentration, expose humankind’s pursuit of pleasure and escape from pain, and illustrate virtues exemplified in the previous lives of the Buddha. Using over one hundred images, the book succinctly examines these themes, often hidden deep within the art itself, and guides the reader through some of Thawan’s most interesting works. This is the first book to combine a focus on these works with an exploration of Thawan’s outstanding architectural and decorative achievements in Chiang Rai and Germany. Often told in his own words, this book offers insights into Thawan’s creative genius, explores his philosophy on the arts, examines his famous signature, and recounts his life story. It is fascinating reading for all those interested in Thai art and Buddhism. What others are saying “Larger-than-life Thai artist Thawan Duchanee is one of the foremost representatives of Thai and Asian art. His penchant for traditional Asian motifs and styles and his flamboyant personality have earned him popularity and renown as one of the leading lights of the international art scene.”—The Nation Highlights - The first book to examine Buddhist content in Thawan’s artworks - Features over one hundred illustrations - Explores Buddhist philosophy in relation to Thai modern art - Includes a biography of Thawan’s life - Compact overview of Thawan’s most well-loved and interesting work

Buddhism, often described as an austere religion that condemns desire, promotes denial, and idealizes the contemplative life, actually has a thriving leisure culture in Asia. Creative religious improvisations designed by Buddhists have been produced both within and outside of monasteries across the region—in Nepal, Japan, Korea, Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Justin McDaniel looks at the growth of Asia’s culture of Buddhist leisure—what he calls “socially disengaged Buddhism”—through a study of architects responsible for monuments, museums, amusement parks, and other sites. In conversation with noted theorists of material and visual culture and anthropologists of art, McDaniel argues that such sites highlight the importance of public, leisure, and spectacle culture from a Buddhist perspective and illustrate how “secular” and “religious,” “public” and “private,” are in many ways false binaries. Moreover, places like Lek Wiriyaphan’s Sanctuary of Truth in Thailand, Suối Tiên Amusement Park in Saigon, and Shi Fa Zhao’s multilevel museum/ritual space/tea house in Singapore reflect a growing Buddhist ecumenism built through repetitive affective encounters instead of didactic sermons and sectarian developments. They present different Buddhist traditions, images, and aesthetic expressions as united but not uniform, collected but not concise: Together they form a gathering, not a movement. Despite the ingenuity of lay and ordained visionaries like Wiriyaphan and Zhao and their colleagues Kenzo Tange, Chan-soo Park, Tadao Ando, and others discussed in this book, creators of Buddhist leisure sites often face problems along the way. Parks and museums are complex adaptive systems that are changed and influenced by budgets, available materials, local and global economic conditions, and visitors. Architects must often compromise and settle at local optima, and no matter what they intend, their buildings will develop lives of their own. Provocative and theoretically innovative, Architects of Buddhist Leisure asks readers to question the very category of “religious” architecture. It challenges current methodological approaches in religious studies and speaks to a broad audience interested in modern art, architecture, religion, anthropology, and material culture. An electronic version of this book is freely available thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched, a collaborative initiative designed to make high-quality books open access for the public good. The open-access version of this book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which means that the work may be freely downloaded and shared for non-commercial purposes, provided credit is given to the author. Derivative works and commercial uses require permission from the publisher.

“To be an artist is … just like shit in a clogged toilet, stubborn shit that can’t decide whether it wants to be flushed or to stick around” writes acclaimed artist Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook. Composed as an irreverent dialogue between masculine and feminine narrators, this book of essays is an uncategorisable fusion of art criticism, feminist theory, art pedagogy, gossip and autofiction. It is also an invaluable insider account of Southeast Asia’s contemporary artists being catapulted into international circuits since the 1990s. Araya’s provocative prose is lyrically translated from Thai for the first time by Kong Rithdee, one of Thailand’s most influential cultural critics.

Global design is being spiced up by fresh flavours from Bangkok. Today's young Thai designers create contemporary furniture and interior textiles that appeal to the most sophisticated international tastes, but using tropical Asian accents. The Thais' favourite ingredients are natural materials, fine craftsmanship and inspiration from local culture, which they mix using the kind of eclecticism that makes Thai cooking so delicious. This elegant book goes beyond conventional guides on interior design style to focus on the designers themselves, their philosophies, and how they interpret their unique culture in design. Bangkok DESIGNis the first book of its kind, exploring the acclaimed new furnishings from Thailand and the inspiration behind them. This book profiles 36 of the best Thai designers, showing how they translate their own culture and personal experiences into original products. This group explores a wide variety of styles - minimal, expressionist, modernist, neo-traditional, retro and pop - but each designer has an individual signature. The profiles include several studio artists whose work either has decorative characteristics or else comments on design-related issues like cultural identity and sustainability. This inspiring book, beautifully photographed by Robert McLeod and Lucidly written by award-winning author Brian Mertens, will appeal to interior designers, architects and collectors.

This collection of twenty essays provides an unprecedented overview of Chinese trade through the centuries, highlighting its scope, diversity, complexity, and the commodities that have linked it with Southeast Asia.

Special attention is given in the early chapters to King Chulalongkorn, whose patronage played a major role in disseminating Western art in Bangkok, and to the Italian art teacher, Silpa Bhirasri, a pivotal figure in the institutional development of modern art in Thailand in the 1930s and 1940s.

Thriving - LifeStyles with Love! A collection of short stories for inspiration. "Wonderful little Pepper-Uppers." Each saga is shaped as a photo-essay and most need only a few minutes to read. A different way to get a glimpse into the every-day life in Thailand - a travelogue. These are a few of the people that have left particularly large impressions. Knowing them has provided inspiration, energy and verve; perhaps through this book, others will also benefit. Each novella shines a light on some events that stands out over the years. This is not an endeavor to bestow the title of "angel" upon anyone; rather it offers a look into everyday life. Thriving - LifeStyles with Love includes people living in meager situations as well as University Professors, techies, owners of family enterprises, and many more. It is their generosity of spirit, which cuts across all social levels and professions (also contributing much to a better life and society) that makes them so special. A popular expression in Thailand goes like this (phonetic translation into English): Kon Thai ben khon jai dee! Thai people have a kind heart! These stories delight and shine a light on the benefits from these kind-hearts.

The Rough Guide to Thailand is the ultimate travel guide to one of Asia's most diverse and vibrant countries. The clear maps and detailed coverage will help you uncover the best that Thailand has to offer - from idyllic islands and atmospheric temples to fantastic street food and hill-tribe hikes The Rough Guide to Thailand offers insider information on everything from night markets and noodles to exploring the jungle and finding the quietest beaches, plus insider reviews of the best places to stay, eat and drink for all budgets, all brought to life by stunning photography. Whether you want to snorkel in the turquoise waters of the Andaman, explore ancient ruins or delve into the country's frenetic capital, The Rough Guide to Thailand will make sure you make the most of your time in Thailand.

A Geek in Thailand is a light-hearted but perceptive look at one of the world's most visited countries from the viewpoint of a young foreign resident. More than just a Thai travel guide, it offers a concise but insightful take on Thailand for tourists, expats, would-be expats, and others--anyone, in fact, with interest in visiting or learning about the Land of Smiles. Packed with short articles accompanied by sidebar stories and interviews and evocative color photographs, the author paints a vivid and revealing picture of a country built on a deep reverence for nation, religion and monarchy, yet with its own distinct, individualistic perspective. Subjects range from the touchstones of Thai culture and history, such as its politics and economy, Buddhism and folklore, to chapters on traditional Thai design and craftsmanship, including its highly acclaimed architecture and fine silk textiles. There are also chapters on the globally popular Thai food and entertainment like kickboxing and cabaret. Chapters on the Thai character and cultural do's and don'ts will allow the reader to go beyond the Thai smile. For visitors to the country, the author includes his top ten things to see and do in the main tourist destinations as well as an account of the main festivals and tips on getting around.