SO SOFITEL BANGKOK HOSTS ACCLAIMED ARTIST LOUIS-NICOLAS DARBON’S WORK TO MARK THE HOTEL’S FINAL ART EXHIBITION FOR THE YEAR
For the two-month exhibition, Darbon will be showcasing 17 of his works, displayed at SO Sofitel Bangkok’s Park Lobby on the 9th Floor.
Louis-Nicolas Darbon is renowned for his portraits of iconic pop figures, his take on famous luxury brand logos and fashion-inspired artworks. Besides creating art on canvas, Darbon has worked with some of the world's biggest fashion brands on bespoke illustration projects and digital campaigns, making him the personification of a jetsetter artist, who not only stands out from the crowd but also brings the worlds of art and fashion together. Some of Darbon’s collaborations include Adidas Y3, A. Lange & Söhne, Berluti, Bentley, Montblanc, Morgan Motors, Panerai, Rémy Martin, Roger Dubuis, and Paco Rabanne just to name a few. Darbon’s collaborations also extend to the creation of murals in luxury hotels and commercial venues worldwide. When asked to define the techniques used to create his colourful and fun iconic portraits, Darbon says “I use mostly acrylic and spray paint in my works and use different techniques such as works with stencil but most of my paintings are free hand painted by hand”.
Darbon has created over 15 series of art pieces in the past three years alone which have been displayed in solo exhibitions and group exhibitions nationally at his home-base in London, and internationally including France, Switzerland, the United States, Morocco, Japan, Singapore, and at the Art Basel Hong Kong. All of the pieces are described as colourful and fun, from iconic portraits with a twist to famous pop culture characters and playful fashion house logos with a street art influence. Beyond Bangkok came as an inspiration to pay homage to Bangkok as a city and to remind all of us that art is and can be understood by all regardless of our age, race, sexuality, upbringing, and that the essence of it transcends beyond the borders of cities and nations.
Darbon started painting at an early age of three and was enrolled in adult painting classes by the age of five before his parents built him a small studio (which they still keep until today) only a year after as he excelled beyond his adult peers in not only techniques but also in his artistic expressions. Some of Darbon’s earliest influencers which remain hugely inspiring to the artist today are Jean-Michel Basquiat, Henri Matisse, Roy Lichtenstein and Salvador Dali.
Coming from a multicultural background with extensive travels around the world, Darbon has always had an open mindset and a drive to create art for people from different cultures and walks of life. The inspiration for each series varies depending on where in the world Darbon is travelling at the time and what he would like to show to represent his vision and interpretation of that city itself.
“I find inspiration everywhere, from travels to magazines I read, new up-and-coming street wear and fashion brands and I get inspired from places I’ve visited and travelled to. It really depends what’s on my mind at that time. I get a lot of inspiration from current pop culture and what’s happening right now which reflects a lot of my work. Simple things like walking around Shibuya and being surrounded by neon lights or a stroll in the Miami Art Deco district or billboards in LA can bring inspiration to a piece and translate how I see the current pop culture on canvas. My art represent very much the time we live in.” says Darbon.
The Beyond Bangkok art exhibition at SO Sofitel Bangkok is organized in partnership with Art Curator, AXEL RONDOUIN together with Executive Partner, LAURENT MACALUSO, representing SARTO, an international fine art asset management firm with offices in Paris, Milan and Hong Kong. AXEL is the CEO and Founder of SARTO with expertise in international art advisory, partnered with LAURENT who has a solid background in luxury products, event & hospitality management, and exclusive entertainment in South East Asia.
The hotel will host an exclusive cocktail reception on the opening night, Wednesday 26 September 2018 from 7pm – 8pm at Park Lobby on the 9th floor with our exclusive partners, Thai Airways, Dom Pérignon, LINE, CLUB 21 Thailand and Paul Smith to officially unveil the exhibition, with VIP guests and many of the city’s art aficionados in attendance, along with Louis-Nicolas Darbon himself.
The Beyond Bangkok Exhibition runs from 24 September 2018 to 10 November 2018 at SO Sofitel Bangkok.
To learn more about the art exhibition, please visit ttps://goo.gl/ZjA7Ek
To learn more about Louis-Nicolas Darbon, please visit www.louisnicolasdarbon.com
To learn more about SARTO, please visit http://www.sartoart.com/
For any additional information, drop by the City Guru desk at the Street Lobby on the Ground Floor or visit our Welcome Table at the Park Lobby on the 9th floor of the hotel, or please contact 02-624-0000 or email h6835-co@sofitel.com.
