The self-taught artist discusses her latest shows at Timothy Taylor in New York and Micki Meng in San Francsico.
Jiab Prachakul would really love to make a portrait of Ocean Vuong. “I discovered him last week in a magazine and I started to read his book ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,’” the 43-year-old artist says from her studio in the walled town of Vannes in Brittany, France. “I was blown away.” A friend suggested that Prachakul contact him on Instagram, but she hates the platform. She got in touch with his team instead, but no response has been forthcoming. “He’s unreachable,” she concludes sorrowfully.
Fortunately, the Thai artist has had plenty of other work to focus on, including two shows this fall: “Rendezvous in Time” opened at Timothy Taylor in New York in September; “Simplicity/Complexity” opens at Micki Meng in San Francisco on October 23. “Rendezvous in Time” explores Prachakul’s life in Vannes, where she enjoys fresh air and expansive skies, unlike in her previous home in Lyon, where the city’s pollution exacerbated her asthma. “There’s no doubt about why all the impressionist artists came to Vannes to paint the landscape—it’s heavenly,” Prachakul says. “And it’s very quiet, so I’m really focused on my artwork.”
