The art of being present

Under the warmth of tropical rays, Joel Mesler's first visit to Thailand unleashes two exhibitions for collectors and visitors to immerse themselves in the dreamscape of a sunrise-to-sunset way of living.

Joel Mesler's dual exhibition also coincides with a major milestone—the launch of Harper's Gallery's first international location.

It's not often that a New York-based gallery chooses Thailand for its first expansion. Yet for Harper Levine, founder of Harper's Gallery, the decision was immediate, almost intuitive.

"There was a very beautiful energy and magnetism and dynamism that existed here. I just felt the momentum," he said in an exclusive interview with Life. "Once people see what this city provides, it's going to be a place that more and more people are going to want to go to."

Bangkok's art scene has been gaining remarkable momentum in recent years, with galleries and cultural spaces emerging and rapidly reshaping the city into a dynamic hub for contemporary art such as the opening of the Bangkok Kunsthalle and Dib Bangkok.

Now open at Siam Pathumwan House, just steps away from the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, the 232m² Harper's Gallery sits at one of the city's most active cultural intersections.

The space debuts with "Lost And Found," a solo exhibition of new paintings by Los Angeles-raised Mesler.

"I thought there was always a specific destination you find yourself yearning for," he admits, "but it turns out that it's the journey, and losing yourself and trying to find yourself is just part of it."

Mesler approached the body of work through an imagined sense of place, shaping its visual language around what he felt Bangkok could be.

"I really chose a different type of palette for this work. It was an idea of what colours and the palette that I imagine would make sense here," he reflects, grounding the exhibition in a personal interpretation of the capital's atmosphere.

For those seeking a more immersive, all-ages experience, Mesler also extends his vision beyond the gallery walls through a collaborative event space at Central Chidlom, offering a playful entry point into his world.

At the heart of the "Joel Mesler: The Experience" at Central Chidlom is Jo's Playground, a pop-up installation equipped with an interactive balloon installation that invites visitors to share stories and attach stickers onto giant beach balls to gradually form a collective artwork fueled by shared experiences of Chidlom visitors.

As Mesler describes: "It's really a collage of voices... it's not just about me, it's about all of us."

Mesler's famous motifs and artworks emerge all over the Ground floor of Central Chidlom through flooring and balloons, inviting a walk from sunrise-to-sunset, or vice versa for those starting their lives from night-to-day.

As he explains: "You could go literally from either the Sun rising and setting or the Sun setting to the Sun rising," allowing viewers to move through the space according to their own rhythm. Reflecting on this duality, he adds: "When I was younger I would start more at the sunset but I changed," highlighting a shift from a sunset-to-sunrise life toward a more present, sunrise-led way of living.

This journey is also grounded in mindfulness, echoing his belief that "you kind of have to stay present in the day, not get too stuck in your head", as each moment becomes part of a continuous cycle of awareness and experience that Mesler believes is what balances life.

Beneath the saturated colours and playful surfaces lies something far more intimate: "All of my art is about my mother."

Mesler recalls a childhood punctuated by celebration. Pool parties thrown for even the smallest victories, balloons that lingered long after the moment had passed. Over time, those balloons became something else entirely: "They would tell a story not just of the celebration but of the time spent."

Mesler's recurring use of banana leaves, drawn from the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel, is more than his signature emblem. As he explains: "I went to a pattern that caused me so much pain and I worked through it by using that motif," turning aesthetic repetition into a process of healing.

Art, then, is both excavation and release. He continues: "I tried to really uncover and discover what that was about for me... and then once I understood it better, I was able to let it go."

Guided by his philosophy to "discover and discard", Mesler revisits the imagery to uncover its deeper meaning, ultimately allowing himself to let it go. In doing so, the motif transforms from a symbol of past trauma into one of release and presence -- "by letting it go, I was able to be more present and see the sunrise and see the sunset"—Anna Neatpisarnvanich