Faded Landscapes exhibition at Cultprint Penang
When we stumble upon stunning scenery during our travels, we stop to take a snapshot with our devices. For Thai artist Alex Face, he does what he does best – he paints. All he has with him is an arsenal of painting supplies, a portable canvas, and a bicycle as a carriage for his artistic pilgrimage. The result of a 3-week journey from Bangkok to Penang – an art exhibition named Faded Landscapes.
Those intrigued by the paintings he created throughout the cycling expedition can view them at Cultprint Penang in George Town, Penang, from now till 18th May 2025.
What to expect at the Faded Landscapes exhibition
Presented by Penang-based art collective Cultprint and Bangkok CityCity Gallery, Alex Face – whose birth name is Patcharapon Tangruen – has a solo exhibition titled Faded Landscapes. It features 16 paintings at the heritage Cultprint gallery space at Lebuh Melayu in George Town.
Each painting encapsulates the beauty of the fleeting landscape that the Thai artist is perceiving through his lens at the very moment, exploring the dynamic shifts of the world we live in through a landscape’s varying lights, water, and terrains. Alex’s act of painting is a poignant way to hold onto a moment as the world rushes by.
The locations in his landscape painting series were not planned beforehand, but rather, spots that called out to him during his 1,300km journey across Bangkok to Penang. Now and then, he would stop to document a lasting memory of the ephemeral landscape that beheld him with thoughtful brushes and strokes on the canvas.
Dreamy artworks from a cycling expedition from Bangkok to Penang
Among the sites that were tinted onto canvas by Alex include the Chumphon land bridge in Southern Thailand, a serene beach in the Chana district of the Songkhla province, the vast rice fields in Alor Setar, the mountains of Gunung Jerai, and the flourishing scarlet sunset of George Town.
One will spot an unmistakable childlike totem with bunny ears, three weary eyes, and an air of jaded vulnerability, as the main character of his paintings. His signature character was inspired by his daughter, symbolising her innocence and uncertainty about the unpredictable world.
In this collection, the character is seen nestled within the bushes, dispiritedly standing in the middle of the sprawling meadow, or staring out into the sea.
The artistic journey was made more meaningful with the inclusion of another beloved hobby of his – cycling.
While Alex has pursued similar projects that merge cycling and painting before with previous trips to Khao Lak and Chiang Mai, this venture was a more extensive one with weeks of pedalling and painting under the tropical blaze. But such a physically strenuous journey only makes the experience all the more introspective and reflective.
Running from now till 18th May, the exhibition is also part of the larger Penang Long Art Weekend, a program that celebrates art, including those beyond the confinements of the gallery walls. The event features programmes such as street murals, Hin Bus Depot painting restoration, sharing sessions by artists at ChinaHouse, and special displays at Penang’s luxurious colonial-style E&O Hotel.
Visit the Faded Landscapes art exhibition in Penang
As the third iteration of his en plein air landscape painting series – and the largest-scaled one so far – Alex Face’s Faded Landscapes exhibition lets viewers into the artist’s fascinating world of motion, nature, and art – a beautiful reflection of the ever-changing world.
Admission to the Faded Landscapes solo art exhibition is free.
Venue: ZACH Studio, 35 Lebuh Melayu, 10300 George Town, Penang
Date: Now till 18th May 2025
Time: 12pm-7pm (Fri – Sun)
Contact: Cultprint website | Instagram
For more places to check out in Penang, read:
Cover image adapted from: TheSmartLocal Malaysia
Photography by Jia-Ju.