Simon Mark: Human Materials in Bangkok

A photography exhibition is that rare thing - an artist putting themselves up for instant evaluation, but also a chance to communicate with an engaged audience and interact around the concepts and ideas driving the work.

New Zealand based Simon Mark has this week seized an even rarer opportunity - the chance to exhibit his work in the Thai capital.

The exhibition bears the name "Human Materials", and looks closely at the relationship between the human body and the materials present in the human-built world.

Through family and work connections, Simon and his partner have spent a lot of time in Thailand over the last four years, and Bangkok's Kathmandu Photo Gallery has taken up the opportunity to exhibit his most recent work.

L-R : Akkara Naktamna (curator) Simon Mark, Manit Sriwanichpoom ( Gallery Owner)

However "Human Materials" is more than just a collection of common street or minimalist photography that focuses only on visuals. Mark creates a representation of themes connecting the human built environment to components of the human body, which bears a strange resemblance to the ‘world’.

Our bodies are often worked so hard that the interior becomes filled with piles of waste and remnants. We humans, rarely pay attention to it until the organs fail and manifest their symptoms. Simon Mark’s photography might be telling us something about these concepts.

The images show order, solidity, and lightness, appearing like a beautiful display of outer flesh. However, when the inner side is revealed, we find the chaos of production and the remnants of consumption. Both sides speak to the enduring relationship between humanity and the world through a series of photographs that serve as a sharp metaphor for the act of creation, and the remnants left in its wake.

Wellington-Wairarapa Rubbish ( copyright Simon Mark)

"The images themselves were selected by the Gallery curator" says Simon, "although he didn't focus so much on the Thai photos, but more the photos that fitted the "Human Materials" concept."

"He's taken a range of my work, from the gentle and aesthetically pleasing images through to the rough and grungy, decaying parts of the built environment, and applies them to aspects of the human body." he says.

"Paris Couple" (copyright Simon Mark)

Curator Akkara Naktamna enthused about Simon's work on his photography website CTypeMag.

"Ultimately, these photographs are about human existence—what we build, what we do, and what we leave behind—much like how our own bodies function. On the surface, everything appears orderly and beautiful, like his images of concrete structures or the fluid rhythm of a driving range net. But when that surface is peeled back, a completely different world is revealed. It is the hidden machinery driving the exterior, a realm of production and its leftovers, seen in his shots of mechanical parts, wiring, and industrial waste.

"Kings Neon" (copyright Simon Mark)

"These elements support and evolve alongside the surface, completely inseparable from it. These images reflect the state of humanity and our world with an objective, detached coolness. As fragile individuals, we might just stand by and watch until the system inevitably breaks down, or we might step up to change its course. Whatever happens next, the outcome rests entirely on our choices."

Simon Mark is a researcher and street photographer who holds a PhD in Cultural Diplomacy from the University of Auckland and a Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Arts from Massey University.

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His photography have been shown in contemporary art exhibitions across New Zealand, India, Nepal, and China.

" It was in India where my photographic life took off really." he says . " Its such a lively place for artists from anywhere really, so I had a number of shows there."

" Where we are overseas, I just grab my camera and get out on the streets - its a lovely way to get to know a city, and in Delhi I used to wander through old Delhi just taking photographs, its an unbelievably enjoyable thing to do."

The exhibition is currently at the Kathmandu Photo Gallery in Bangkok's Silom District. at 87 Pan Road, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand Opening Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

It runs until July 25th

Asia Media Centre