Published: 28.11.2015
- Author:
- Sanna Svedestedt
- Edited by:
- Klimt02
- Edited at:
- Gothenburg

In November 2015 ATTA Gallery celebrated five years. Founded in 2010 by Atty Tantivit ATTA is the first and only gallery for contemporary art jewellery in Thailand.
Hello Atty! Happy fifth anniversary!
Since 2010 ATTA gallery has featured over thirty exhibitions. Which of these have been your personal favourites and why?
Well, let me mention three - 2012: The Beginning or The End: We gave gallery’s artists a theme that was the hot topic at that time, the 2012 phenomenon, and to see the different outcomes was really great. There were some similarities and many differences that brought about great conversations.
BANGKO{K}LLECTION: Marie-Louise Kristensen created this exhibition based on her experience during her visit to Bangkok one year before the exhibition date. It was great and very interesting to see her interpretations of my own city through small wearable objects.
Give Me A Spoon: This was my first experience having non-jewelry artists create wearable pieces to be exhibited alongside jewelry artists for an exhibition at the gallery. I think both the non-jewelry artists and the viewers of the exhibition came to appreciate the field of contemporary art jewelry more. They realized the challenge of making “complete” or “finished” wearable pieces…especially when just putting a pre-fabricated pins in the back of their usual art pieces was not good enough. It proved that contemporary jewelry is not an afterthought of other art field…but a legitimate field of its own.
Considering the experiences you have had over the years - if you could go back and give yourself a piece of advice for the start-up phase, what would that be?
To not use the word “jewelry” as the main description of the kind of work we present and sell. When mentioning “jewelry” people in Thailand automatically think of gold, diamonds and gemstones…so when they saw what we have at the gallery they were taken aback. Nowadays, I found it easier to use the word wearable art to describe the work we have at the gallery. This way they somewhat know what to expect when they come in to see what we have. People are more open-minded when it comes to art.
Can you describe your view of the state of the contemporary art and craft scene in Bangkok?
Contemporary art started to gain attention from locals in the past decade, with a few internationally recognized artists making their names abroad. A lot of people still think of contemporary art as something hard to understand. People still tend to give more value to artwork with elaborate details made with highly-skilled techniques. Contemporary art on the other hand has its value based on other factors such as concepts and participatory experiences. The scene has growing considerably, though not many people are collecting contemporary art here just yet.
We have a long history in craft here in Thailand but the majority of the people here don’t “appreciate” or give much value to craftwork…they think of craftspeople as manual labours, not creative people. Contemporary craft started to become a bit more well-known and accepted as some people who studied craft and design abroad returned to Thailand and collectively started to promote it to affluent people in Bangkok. Some governmental agencies have also started to promote innovative craft design quite recently. We still have a long way to go but I think we have the resources and know-hows to grow.
What are the future goals of ATTA gallery?
I like to think that the first 5 years we have been trying to stay alive and to set up the foundation…for the possibility of ATTA to grow into a healthy “kid”…so for the next 5 years I hope for ATTA Gallery to grow even more in terms of recognition and acceptance from the local customers as well as in terms of profits, at the end of the day we need to be economically viable as a business.
In the next 5 years I would like to see ATTA Gallery have a significant yet sustainable growth. And one of our goals is to be the first thing that comes to people’s minds when talking about “contemporary jewelry” or “wearable art” here in Thailand. ATTA Gallery is here to stay!
Since 2010 ATTA gallery has featured over thirty exhibitions. Which of these have been your personal favourites and why?
Well, let me mention three - 2012: The Beginning or The End: We gave gallery’s artists a theme that was the hot topic at that time, the 2012 phenomenon, and to see the different outcomes was really great. There were some similarities and many differences that brought about great conversations.

2012 exhibition, photo: ATTA Gallery
BANGKO{K}LLECTION: Marie-Louise Kristensen created this exhibition based on her experience during her visit to Bangkok one year before the exhibition date. It was great and very interesting to see her interpretations of my own city through small wearable objects.
Give Me A Spoon: This was my first experience having non-jewelry artists create wearable pieces to be exhibited alongside jewelry artists for an exhibition at the gallery. I think both the non-jewelry artists and the viewers of the exhibition came to appreciate the field of contemporary art jewelry more. They realized the challenge of making “complete” or “finished” wearable pieces…especially when just putting a pre-fabricated pins in the back of their usual art pieces was not good enough. It proved that contemporary jewelry is not an afterthought of other art field…but a legitimate field of its own.

Spoons from exhibition, photo: ATTA Gallery
Considering the experiences you have had over the years - if you could go back and give yourself a piece of advice for the start-up phase, what would that be?
To not use the word “jewelry” as the main description of the kind of work we present and sell. When mentioning “jewelry” people in Thailand automatically think of gold, diamonds and gemstones…so when they saw what we have at the gallery they were taken aback. Nowadays, I found it easier to use the word wearable art to describe the work we have at the gallery. This way they somewhat know what to expect when they come in to see what we have. People are more open-minded when it comes to art.

ATTA signage in front of gallery, photo: ATTA Gallery
Can you describe your view of the state of the contemporary art and craft scene in Bangkok?
Contemporary art started to gain attention from locals in the past decade, with a few internationally recognized artists making their names abroad. A lot of people still think of contemporary art as something hard to understand. People still tend to give more value to artwork with elaborate details made with highly-skilled techniques. Contemporary art on the other hand has its value based on other factors such as concepts and participatory experiences. The scene has growing considerably, though not many people are collecting contemporary art here just yet.
We have a long history in craft here in Thailand but the majority of the people here don’t “appreciate” or give much value to craftwork…they think of craftspeople as manual labours, not creative people. Contemporary craft started to become a bit more well-known and accepted as some people who studied craft and design abroad returned to Thailand and collectively started to promote it to affluent people in Bangkok. Some governmental agencies have also started to promote innovative craft design quite recently. We still have a long way to go but I think we have the resources and know-hows to grow.

Contemporary Thai ceramic by Aor Suthiprapha, Photo: Paw Dee Lifestyle
What are the future goals of ATTA gallery?
I like to think that the first 5 years we have been trying to stay alive and to set up the foundation…for the possibility of ATTA to grow into a healthy “kid”…so for the next 5 years I hope for ATTA Gallery to grow even more in terms of recognition and acceptance from the local customers as well as in terms of profits, at the end of the day we need to be economically viable as a business.
In the next 5 years I would like to see ATTA Gallery have a significant yet sustainable growth. And one of our goals is to be the first thing that comes to people’s minds when talking about “contemporary jewelry” or “wearable art” here in Thailand. ATTA Gallery is here to stay!

Timeline of ATTA Gallery’s first 5 years, photo: ATTA Gallery
-2016-2016
- Author:
- Sanna Svedestedt
- Edited by:
- Klimt02
- Edited at:
- Gothenburg
Forum Shortcuts
-
I expect to amaze and intrigue, entice the person to wear my jewelry. Eleonora Ghilardi interviewed by Klimt02
20Feb2019 -
Success is a Peculiar Concept. Interview with Elena and Chiaralice Rizzi From OhMyBlue
12Feb2019 -
In this time I think we need to laud the amazing ability we have to access and communicate with our fellow jewellers. Ti...
11Feb2019 -
Jewellery itself has no standards or is not shaped in a particular way. Yiping Li interviewed by Klimt02
11Feb2019 -
I always appreciate the different cultural backgrounds, visible in the making of jewellery. Beppe Kessler interviewed by...
04Feb2019 -
Every Activity Takes Jewellery Out Into the World and Brings New People Into the Gallery. Interview with Marie-José van...
01Feb2019 -
Patina Gallery Goes to Europe for Munich Jewelry Week 2019
28Jan2019 -
It is like using English to tell a Chinese story. Stacey Huang interviewed by Klimt02
23Jan2019 -
Thinking of the future makes me hope for opportunities, adventures, and new ideas coming to fruition in the studio. Cath...
21Jan2019 -
I am always inspired by my surroundings, living in Mexico is very easy to see beauty in all the urban scenes. Sandra Bos...
16Jan2019 -
Self-confidence Boosters and Make-up by a Jeweler. Akiko Shinzato interviewed by Wertn.com
14Jan2019 -
Proof of Beauty. In Conversation with Shinji Nakaba
01Jan2019 -
As my work reflects my character and background, then there will always be local flavor. Hind ElHafez interviewed by Kli...
18Dec2018 -
The Evolution of a Contemporary Jewellery Fair. Interview with Marie-José van den Hout about FRAME
16Dec2018 -
About curating. Bianca Cappello interviewed by klimt02
14Dec2018