Interview: Thanakorn Telan
Luca Curci talks with Thanakorn Telan during VISIONS, third appointment of ANIMA MUNDI 2022, at Palazzo Bembo – Venice Grand Canal.

Thanakorn Telan is a freelance creative art photographer whose work focuses mostly on artistic nude, portraiture and street. Thanakorn attended the University of Southern California and received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Master’s in Public Administration. In 2013, he turned 51 years of age and decided that his true passion was in Fine Art and not in the business world. He uses cameras to be his tools to produce his artwork. Currently, Thanakorn’s work has been featured in international publications and media. As well as exhibitions in Thailand, France, Italy and Argentina.

“It has never been too late to translate obsession into reality, I believe. For the past 8 years, with my devotion to Creative Fine Art Photography, I started to create art works by capturing my perspectives through my lens. I really appreciate the beauty created when light and darkness meets. These became the key ingredients of my works. In some cases, colors play an interesting role in adding flavors of beauty details. I am not considered myself as a photographer, I am just creating art with camera and lens. I think people can see things from different angles, but I will be glad if my works can offer another perspective that represents not only my art work itself but also able to create social awareness such as Global Warming, Gender Equality, Social Behavior, etc”.

Luca Curci – How did you get to photography? Do you remember why you took your first professional photo?
Thanakorn Telan – Photography is my first hobby since my father gave me a little cool camera when I was 6 years old. Ever since I can remember, I always had a camera on me. It had been my hidden passion until I retired from my real estate business, photography had turned into a serious hobby and became my profession 8 years ago. I counted the day that photography became my profession after my first exhibition in 2014 and received a big review and positive feedback, additionally, one of the famous art collectors bought 10 pieces of my works. From there, I assumed that I started my career in photography.

LC – According to you, what makes a good photo? Which details do you focus on?
TT – I found that photography can capture how I see people, nature, and everything around me, as well as convey the messages I want to communicate. I see mood, lines, composition, darkness and brightness. I really appreciate the beauty created when light and darkness meet. These became the key ingredients of my work. In some cases, colours play an interesting role in adding flavours of beautiful details. I am not considered myself an artist, I am just creating art with a camera and lens. I think people can see things from different angles, but I will be glad if my works can offer another perspective that represents the clarity and light of darkness.

LC – How do you choose your subjects? Is it a reasoned or an instinctive process?
TT – Both reason and instinct. For the campaign collections like Plastic Sea (which can be found on my website) which I tried to create awareness about our environment and plastic waste, I visualized the objects, mood, lighting, and surrounding in my head. That kind of approach requires both reasoned and instinctive processes, it depends on whether the visualization comes first or later. For street photography, mood and feeling toward what I see in front of me come first which I also use when I shoot portraits.

LC – Do you use art to express something in particular? Is it your medium of expression?
TT – Definitely, my artworks represent and convey my messages to society concerning social issues. Some of my collections carry the theme of Global warming, human trafficking, equality, environmental concern, and plastic. I think photography is another powerful medium to communicate the message because the messages are received visually. However, I also take pictures just first of the beauty of what I am seeing in front of me, but later it says something more than what I capture at that moment.

LC – How do you feel when you see your work completed?
TT – I feel complete the same as the work is completed. As well as, I feel that it is me.

LC – What do you think about the concept of this exhibition? How did it inspire you?
TT – I really appreciate the exhibition concept which can inspire and create awareness of humans and nature, and hope that it goes beyond the art community. We all use artworks as the medium. Since I normally convey social issues such as the environment, global warming, equality, human trafficking, etc. through my works, this exhibition accommodates my work well, together with other impressive artists with a different approaches but still on the same objective.

LC – What is the message linked to the artwork you have shown in this event? How is it connected to the theme of the entire exhibition?
TT – For example, the photo “2050” exhibited at the Venice Biennale, Palazzo Bembo, expressed my thought on environmental awareness and tried to point out that if we don’t take good care of our environment, what will happen to our lives? It is each of our responsibility, not just some organizations. Other pictures shown in this exhibition also communicate that we are part of nature, destroying nature is destroying our lives. I hope my work carries out my message and it will become serious behaviour for all of us.