Bangkok 101 Reviews "Navigating the Bangkok Noir" in July 2012 Issue

 

Bangkok 101 magazine's July 2012 issue short but perceptive review of "Navigating the Bangkok Noir" (Marshall Cavendish)....

"Love it or loathe it, Bangkok's notorious nightlife industry is infamous around the world.  It is into this netherworld that American artist and filmmaker Chris Coles explores.  

Using an exaggerated cinematic approcah, Coles uses Expressonist-style watercolour paintings to portray the City of Angel's vibrant yet upsetting nightlife, using thick bold lines and clashes of colour to blur the lines between real emotion and performance art.  

One question continually arises: what's really behind those smiles?  

Unlike the exhibition that accompanied this work, the book answers that question with clarity as Coles provides background stories and anecdotes--without disclosing a full biography--about his subjects.  

Neither callous nor demanding sympathy, this book allows you to navigate one man's ambivalence to the self-proclaimed 'Land of Smiles'".