Theerapon Ekster Angsupanich
Theerapon Ekster Angsupanich was born in Narathiwat, in the southern region of Thailand. He grew up in a premodern world without the luxuries of public transportation, shopping centers, and other socio-technological advancements. He was then unimpressed by Narathiwat. Time passed, people changed. After spending some time away, the village he once thought of as unimpressive and too simple began to inspire him with its traditional practices and beautiful craftsmanship. The city maintained a sort of blissful ignorance of the issues of the world, and he appreciated this. When in Narathiwat, Theerapon spends most of his time with his uncle who is a tailor and who first introduced him to the world of art and fashion.
With the help of his supportive family, Theerapon moved to San Francisco to pursue his Master of Fine Art degree in Fashion Design at the Academy of Art University. His goals in entering the program were to gain additional technical experience and creative perspective, as well as to expose himself to new cultures and lifestyles. All this in the hopes of appropriately applying new experience to his work, creating art that says something of our current world and his own societal reflections.
Growing up in a city of craftsmanship and bliss influenced his interests and pursuits. Theerapon has a strong interest in hands work. He spends most of his free time making jewelry, embroidering, and painting. Planting is also one of his hobbies, as organic shapes and lines always inspired his creativity. To Theerapon, an artist is someone who can make a piece of work that has the capacity to educate and inform people. It’s not solely about pure beauty—it’s about making such a statement. Art acts as history, reflecting ideas of the past and sharing the ideas of the time with societies of the future. In his work, he hopes to visualize issues and injustices of our world, such as tyrannical systems of power, lack of environmental sustainability, and the unjust treatment of LGBTQ+ people. He uses his design to make people aware of these issues that ought to be addressed.