Seriously, though, does Stephff scare you that much?

 The Alliance Francaise was all set to present the show “Frankenstein-ocracy” from October 2 to 18, but then had second thoughts. The deal’s off.

So now Stephff, a Frenchman who has the name Stephane Peray in his passport, is roaming around Bangkok with a box of 60-odd political cartoons, hoping someone will want to put them on a wall. 

“I’d like to re-explain the reason for the cancellation of my exhibition about democracy in Thailand,” he said on Facebook on Saturday. “Please understand it was not the military who forbade it – it was the Alliance Francaise, which was afraid to get into trouble because the atmosphere is not very friendly to free expression. But nobody has censored my work. It is only pre-emptive self-censorship.” 

Stephff’s fans came up with plenty of alternative venues, knowing his cartoons are widely acceptable because he mocks people of all political stripes. He was hopeful that the Foreign Correspondents Club would take him in, but discovered it’s all booked up, exhibition-wise, until December.

Stephff doesn’t do a lot of public exhibitions. His last one was at the Pridi Banomyong Institute back when Thaksin Shinawatra was the “star” of the show. The current crop of framed cartoons focus mainly on Thaksin’s little sister Yingluck and current boss of the land Prayut Chan-o-cha. 

“The problem is,” says Stephff, “that when my works are displayed all together, the impact can be powerful.” (That’s why The Nation only publishes them one at a time, you see.)

The guy’s playing the sympathy card, too. “My wife is more upset than me because she helped me a lot preparing for this exhibition!”

Casing Paothong’s place

Thai-textiles scholar Paothong Thonchue has never before welcomed any TV people into his home, but he certainly gave “@ Mo-chit” host Sanya “Doo” Kunakorn a grand tour over the weekend.

“I don’t even have a sofa for guests,” Ajaan Paothong explained among the stacks of books and rows of filing cabinets surrounding a huge wooden table in the centre of the living room. “I dine here, read, write, update Facebook, chat on Line and welcome my visitors here.”

Paothong does a good tour anyway, being frequently called upon to guide enthusiasts around historical and cultural hotspots. Doo noticed that the books cover not just all of Thailand but every part of the world. 

Paothong advised prospective burglars, however, that, “I have no money or jewellery in this house. It’s all in the bank.” 

There is the obvious alternative, of course. “Some of these books are very rare. I bought them from museums. My friends and students know they can read them here, but I won’t lend any out because I’d be mad if they weren’t returned!”

Then there’s the silverware, nothing too exotic but worth a felonious glance. It’s mostly silver bowls (khan ngern) that Phaothong uses in daily life. One sitting on the table “I’ve used since I was a kid – it just became my habit to drink water from it.”