CnnGo & Develter
CNNGo Features WARP54 and the art of Develter:
Article from CNNGo...
"Dead-end discovery: Bangkok's newest Asian art and culture corner"
Almost in the middle of nowhere, a Soho-style renaissance is transforming a quiet Bangkok soi into a cove of creativity for art collectors and history lovers
WARP Studio 54
WARP owner Christian Develter has long had a fascination with Asian portraits.
Across the sub-soi from P. Tendercool lies WARP Studio 54, another giant space where some of Bangkok’s most striking art is created.
“Come on in,” says Christian Develter, an internationally-recognized artist whose color-saturated canvases hang on walls from Bangkok to New York to London.
WARP 54 (named after the Star Trek technology and legendary Studio 54 nightclub) was created to provide a place for Develter to work without boundaries or restrictions, as any of his pieces are oversized.
Long, aging planks of wood make up the floor, and canvases line the walls on both sides in various states of finish.
A Macbook sits on the single long table in the middle of the floor looking comically undersized in the vast space.
“I really get inspired by this location -- accessible by the river, right on the border of Chinatown, close to the several five-star hotels, and easy to find," says Develter.
"It’s a real hidden gem of Bangkok and we like to keep it that way; this is a place one should discover.”
Develter’s work is mostly oil on canvas, and he usually uses opposite colors right next to each other to increase the apparent brightness.
WARP 54 Studio is open to other artists and can also be used to host events free of charge.
He has long had a fascination with Asian portraits and the Oriental mystique, and gets his inspiration from simply walking around Chinatown and looking at the colors and watching the people go about their everyday jobs.
WARP 54 Studio is not simply a private space to create – it is also open to other artists or events free of charge, although you need to arrange this with Develter first.
Past events have included a dance performance, book launch, and most notably a swanky dinner with food prepared by Chef McDang and a guest list sprinkled with top names from the art, politics, fashion and business worlds.
