The something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue exhibition takes a look at the definition of romance, and the atmospheric conditions that allow us to feel it, featuring the works of Ormkwan Sanasen, Chartchai Suphin, Jiratchaya Pripwai, PATAPiAN, and Noppanan Thannaree. The exhibition space is designed to mimic the delusional nature of the famous tragic love story of Kwan and Riam.  The prominence of author Mai Muangderm’s literary work ‘Plae Kao’ (Scars) is a well-established fact, with numerous film and television adaptations of the story produced over its decades-long history. One defining aspect featured in all of these adaptations is the dreamy atmosphere of suburban Bangkok, when the lives of people were closely intertwined with nature and agriculture. The original story included a beautifully and romantically written description of the Bangkapi area, telling of the grandeur of nature, and those whose lives depend on the abundance it provides, illustrating the true importance of nature compared to humanity. This sentiment can also be connected to the accounts of the romantic ambience in Europe by French philosopher Denis Diderot, who said that “all that stuns the soul, all that imprints a feeling of terror,  leads to the sublime”, a reflection of the beliefs that ran parallel with the Age of Enlightenment with nature illustrated as cruel and ruthless towards the fragile humans, such as the world of J.W.M. Turner, John Constable, etc. Another intriguing aspect regarding this romantic link is the sorrowful narrative borne from the conflict between two families, as well as the choice that inevitably follows, both in Mai Muengderm’s Plae Kao, and in William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, both of which can be raised as examples of linguistic innovations in terms of romance. While Thai people may not have studied the works of Shakespeare for long, the arrival of his works marked the pivotal emergence of new poetic sensibilities. The something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue exhibition aims to leverage the vacuum that occurs in time and space. Containing it within the exhibition area of Jing Jai Gallery allows audiences to take part in examining this temporal void in this simulated space together, drawing upon the shared experiences of failed or successful relationships that are perpetually fading into opaque memories. The overall feeling is enhanced by the tools of daily life, and the background mood that is no less crucial than the main characters themselves. Chartchai Suphin presents sketches of various scenes from the film adaptation of Plae Kao, drawn using photorealistic acrylic painting techniques on canvas. Chartchai interprets the scene from a new perspective through his illustrations, with his works acting as the conceptual catalyst of this entire exhibition. Beside his works stands a basket weaving machine, notably made of natural materials such as bamboo wood, brass, copper, silver, and nickel; a simplistic form achieved through the parsing down of natural shapes, based on the local knowledge of the craftsmen who collaborated with PATAPiAN. The entire exhibition is also covered with the oil-color paintings of Noppanan Thannaree, who maintains his working process of painting outside his studio in order to record the natural colors and lighting of the original location. Furthermore, Noppanan also experiments with paints and brushes from alternative materials beyond those used commercially. Jiratchaya Pripwai expresses the words and phrases that held meaning for her, embroidering them onto three handkerchiefs that are hung throughout the exhibition space, resembling the painful memories she still holds on to, an eccentric work that still maintains the artist’s signature charm. Meanwhile,  Ormkwan Sanasen has created a classical arrangement of flowers and a bed, lightly veiled by the netting strung all across the exhibition area. Ormkwan uses dried flowers to convey the pain of failed love, dwindling into mere memories while still maintaining their form and original beauty. The artist invites audiences to immerse themselves into the work through the lingering fabric, where time can work to bring forth the recollections of the audience.  Looking at the Bangkapi area of Bangkok today, where urbanization has pushed back nature, reducing it to mere decoration, Bangkapi may be considered a representation of the constant changes that have been occurring all along. The romance once defined by the grandiosity of nature has become muddled by new interpretations put forth by society, while those who live in cities pursue the ease of seeing or experiencing things from one perspective. The main question posed by this exhibition is how romance is seen and understood today, and how it differs from its roots, borne from the weariness of literary comprehension. And how has art, which has once played the role of giving form to the romance of each era, been changed?