Art show serves as reunion and wake for beloved Na Pat
It was a sombre sort of alumni reunion that assembled at the Hof Art Gallery on Tuesday. The occasion was the opening of the exhibition "A Letter from Rome" by Siriwat "Pat" Phanthumasu, and his former students from Silapakorn University, from every r
The mood managed to remain celebratory despite the fact that Pat had died that very morning at age 75.
In a measure of how dearly his former students and the general public regard Pat and his art, the opening was perhaps the biggest gathering of Thailand’s top artists, both senior and junior, in recent memory.
Beyond the university, Pat also garnered thousands of admirers due to his illustrations for Lalana magazine. His late wife Suwannee Sukhontha had been the editor, and she also wrote the novel "Namphu" – about their life together – which was subsequently adapted for the silver screen. She referred to him in the story as Na Pat, and that’s what people began calling him affectionately in real life too.
"A Letter from Rome" is a collection of the drawings Pat made in Rome while studying there. They’ve never been displayed before, though collectors have purchased some of them over the years. Comedian Udom "Nose" Taepanich is said to own one.
The gallery was packed well before Chuan Leekpai arrived to preside at the official opening. The former prime minister was a classmate of Pat’s at art school when they were still teenagers.
Everyone present came armed with the knowledge that Pat had died following a long illness, but no one felt like mourning. Suwannee’s daughter, Benya Nandakwan, owner of the Soda clothing boutique, who had of course been close to Pat since childhood, encouraged a buoyant perspective on Facebook.
"We learned about his illness last November," she wrote. "With help from friends, he managed to get good care at the Police Hospital. We kept telling him that he mustn’t leave us yet because he had his exhibition coming up. He kept asking me how many days before the opening. The last time he asked, I said, ‘Three days until the opening.’ Then, the day before, he went into ICU.
"But he departed calmly on the morning of the opening day, like he promised us."
Benya invited everyone to come to the show and celebrate his work one last time. "Please don’t mourn his death just yet," she said.
And everyone at the event wholeheartedly complied, enjoying themselves among the evocative drawings. Two days later friends and family gathered for the bathing rite at Wat Thathong. The funeral is continuing, with cremation set for Tuesday.
Meanwhile the exhibition at the Hof carries on all through March. It too has an ending, but Pat’s art will surely be immortal.
