In March this year the northern city of Chiang Mai, which is already famous for its beautiful art and handicraft, has become even more colourful when a Dane together with his two partners opened a new art gallery, La Luna Gallery.
“The idea behind La Luna Gallery is to promote art from Asia and the Pacific, and simultaneously to encourage and support the local contemporary and abstract art scene,” says Lasse Norgaard, the Danish reporter who has lived in Thailand for the past four years.
“We will feature art from Thailand as well as a number of other countries in the region to give customers- Thais, tourists and expats – a greater variety to choose from,” Lasse Norgaard adds about the new 220 sq.m. gallery located amid many famous restaurants along the Ping River on Charoenraj Road.
According to Lasse Norgaard, La Luna Gallery will not focus on solo-exhibitions, but will carry art from many artists representing a wide variety of styles and techniques.
“It will be a place where you have a good chance of finding a painting you like, if you are looking for colourful contemporary or abstract Asian art.”
Lasse Norgaard remarks that La Luna Gallery will however occasionally promote one artist or a group of artists working on one theme.
“At the opening, for instance, we feature the most famous Vietnamese lacquer-painter Trinh Tuan as well as some paintings and prints from two young Chiang Mai artists, Jittiwut On and Wanna Kumsombat,” he says about the opening of the gallery.
The gallery will also offer alternatives for art appreciators who are more casual with regards to owning a work of art.
“Not everybody can afford a painting, but we all like to decorate our walls with something beautiful. So we have agreed with some of the artists to make posters and cards of their paintings, and at the same time feature international posters and framed photographs from the region,” Lasse Norgaard says.
Joining Lasse Norgaard in running this gallery are Chiang Mai resident Sommai Lumdual and an expat in Yangon, Joanna Maclean.
