{"id":29641,"date":"2026-08-28T17:51:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T10:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.koktailmagazine.com\/?p=29641"},"modified":"2026-08-28T17:51:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T10:51:20","slug":"friday-future-lister-jay-and-the-business-of-making-space-for-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.koktailmagazine.com\/th\/2026\/08\/28\/friday-future-lister-jay-and-the-business-of-making-space-for-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Future Lister: Jay and the Business of Making Space for Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jay Spencer shares how WOOF PACK brings business, art and creative communities together while creating more space for Thai artists.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Can a business become a platform for artists?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We often think of business and art as separate worlds, one focused on making money and the other on making ideas. But art can be a business too, even if making a living from creative work is rarely simple. Artists still need places to show their work, meet people, find audiences and build opportunities. That is where a business can play a different role by creating the space, resources and connections that allow creative work to happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One place where this connection comes to life is Woof Pack, a creative mixed-use space in Bangkok where restaurants, galleries, offices and creative businesses share the same roof. It is also where I work, so I see the mix up close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, I got to hear directly from Jay Spencer, the businessman behind it, who has spent years building places where people, ideas and creative communities can come together. We spoke about how business can support the creative scene, what makes a space genuinely useful to artists and how a successful business can also become a place where culture grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Jay Found Creativity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jay\u2019s relationship with creativity started at home. Growing up between Thailand and England, he absorbed two different ways of seeing art and design, with his parents\u2019 collection shaping his appreciation from an early age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI grew up in an art environment. My parents were collectors, so I developed an appreciation for art from an early age. Growing up between Thailand and England also gave me two very different perspectives on art and design.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

England exposed him to museums, architecture and centuries of art history, while Thailand offered a visual culture rooted in craftsmanship and Buddhism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cEngland has a very long history of art. You see it in old houses, museums and architecture. Thailand is different. We have a strong tradition of craftsmanship, heavily influenced by Buddhism.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Living between these two cultures gave Jay a broader lens on creativity and the role it can play in everyday life. His first career, however, was in property, far from the creative world. That changed when he joined the inaugural team at the Thailand Creative and Design Centre (TCDC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI sort of fell into it. I came from a property background, working on the unsexy side of property, like warehousing and distribution. Then I had the opportunity to join the startup team at TCDC, and that\u2019s where I saw how creativity and design could change a space.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Seeing how creativity could make a space more exciting and bring people together, he later brought that approach into his own projects with his partner and wife, Jareyadee \u201cPle\u201d Spencer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWhen you add creativity to a venue, you make it more exciting and create deeper connections. That\u2019s where it started. Then, with my wife and partner, we built projects like Barkyard and Woof Pack.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Today, that approach runs through Woof Pack<\/a>, where creative companies, restaurants and cultural spaces exist side by side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Courtesy of Woof Pack<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mak<\/strong>ing<\/strong> Room for Art<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Woof Pack has evolved far beyond a place that hosts exhibitions. Over the past decade, Jay and Ple have built a platform that spans exhibitions, events, creative education and consultancy. Their work ranges from branding and exhibition design to community projects, art events and charity nights, with each project shaped around the needs of the people and ideas involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe just want to have our finger on the pulse of creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A big part of that work is giving Thai artists a chance to be seen. Around 90% of Woof Pack\u2019s exhibitions feature Thai artists, with a focus on emerging names who are still finding their audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>
View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/a>

A post shared by WOOF PACK BANGKOK (@woofpackbangkok)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n