POORBOY…A cheeky furry monkey that reflects the concept of saving the world through art.
For decades, the furry monkey POORBOY has been giving the art scene a buzz. It is a character that Ton – Kasemwit Chaweewat, a skilled artist, has created to represent the story of natural and environmental conservation. Underneath the character that looks fun and possesses a sense of humor, however, the artist has inserted the idea of asking people to think about the environment in a cute way and making everyone smile in his style, too.
Ton – Kasemwit Chaweewat has been interested in art since childhood, starting out from drawing cartoons that he liked to watch. He then cultivated his painting skills on his own until he discovered that art was what he enjoyed the most and was able to do well. When deciding on the faculty to study at the university level, he chose to pursue his studies without hesitation in an art-related field, namely the Department of Creative Arts, the Faculty of Architecture, Mahasarakham University. There he not only broadened his painting skills but also continued to study graphic design using computers as a tool to create another field of art. While being a student, he also reveled in skateboarding and getting to know the culture of street art, music, and various graphic design works often seen on clothing, CDs and skateboards. This has made him practice creating street art from that time on. After graduation, he went on to work as a graphic designer for a famous street fashion magazine for over 10 years and simultaneously became an artist who has collaborated with countless leading brands. He is currently resigning from his full-time job to create art that he loves as a full-time artist.
The artwork that has made a name for himself is a character named POORBOY, a furry white monkey who had to wander in exile to live in a big city because the forest that was his home had been destroyed by humans, hence the origin of the name POORBOY or poor child. The artist has used this monkey to convey thoughts and questions about nature, the environment and everyday stories such as global warming, littering in the wrong place, and deforestation. He chose to infuse humor, fun, and laughter into his work instead of sadness to make it easy to reach out to people who are ready to open up to his art. He has seamlessly inserted the idea of persuading people to pay attention to and focus on nature and the environment. His artwork also conveys a positive world view to give encouragement to people in today’s society who may encounter various problems. All of these reflect the identity of the artist who wants to participate in environmental protection in his own way. He also wants to offer encouragement as well as a sense of camaraderie and wants the audience to be happy every time they see his work.
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Solo Exhibition
2014, “Poorboy mini show” Sneak Villa, Bangkok
2021, “Flowers For You” Redcose, Bangkok
2022, “POORBOYLIFE” TrendyGallery, Bangkok
2023, “Welcome to the JUNGLE” Artemin Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
Selected Group Exhibition
2022, “Awesome Dude” Joyman Gallery, Bangkok
2022, “Add to Art” Trendy Gallery, Bangkok
2022, ‘Union-Co Art Space’ Trendy Gallery, Bangkok
2022, “Dinner” Trendy Gallery, Bangkok
2023, “Art Created Surgery – Surgery Creates Art, No. 2” Trendy Gallery, River City Bangkok
