{"id":17836,"date":"2025-10-17T08:57:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T08:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.koktailmagazine.com\/?post_type=the-future-list&p=17836"},"modified":"2025-11-03T04:24:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T04:24:40","slug":"pojai-akratanakul","status":"publish","type":"the-future-list","link":"https:\/\/www.koktailmagazine.com\/th\/the-future-list\/pojai-akratanakul\/","title":{"rendered":"Pojai Akratanakul\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Far beyond choosing artworks, Pojai Akratanakul curates ideas, memories and dialogues that connect artists and audiences.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every exhibition tells the story of ideas taking shape, of artists and audiences finding connection through shared experience. At the centre of this dialogue is the curator, guiding how these stories unfold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often working behind the scenes, and little known to many, the curator plays a quiet yet significant role in shaping how we see, feel and remember art. With Pojai Akratanakul, we discover the deeper purpose of curating and the vision that guides her work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cArt, in truth, can be so much more than just art itself,\u201d Pojai reflects. \u201cThere are stories, theories and layers of meaning that go far beyond what we see in an artwork. I feel that the practice of curating really brings all of that together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When we hear the term art curator, many might imagine someone who selects artworks and artists to fill a space. But through our conversation with Pojai, we discover that curating is something more multidimensional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Starting from such an inspiring perspective, it feels only right to begin by asking about her dream exhibition, <\/em>a question that opens a window into her creative mind and her approach to curating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cMy dream art exhibition would be something that bridges two worlds: the past and the present,\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Pojai shares with a smile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI want to recreate exhibitions I\u2019ve never experienced, or bring back artworks with historical meaning in Thailand and curate them in today\u2019s context.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s clear that for her curating isn\u2019t just about finding great artists or beautiful works\u2013it\u2019s about uncovering the stories that connect them. She values the significance of artistic heritage in shaping contemporary creativity and aims to pass this legacy on to future generations\u2013a principle that forms the core of her curatorial approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Journey from Art Student to Curator <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cEven during my undergraduate years, I already knew I didn\u2019t want to be an artist,\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Pojai says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBut I loved art history and learning from other artists\u2019 works, so I started looking for a path that would let me stay close to the art world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Graduating with a degree in painting from the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Pojai traded her brushes and canvases for books on art history, drawn to the stories and meanings behind each artwork. Her curiosity led her to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), where she began as an assistant curator. During BACC\u2019s first exhibition on Southeast Asian art, she discovered her true passion: telling the story of art. That experience took her to New York University, where she pursued an MA in Visual Arts Administration in 2014. Her studies covered curatorial practice, museum education and exhibition design. During this time, she also interned with several institutions, including Tyler Rollins Fine Art, the Guggenheim Museum, Independent Curators International and the SculptureCenter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen I applied for an internship at Independent Curators International, a travelling exhibition organisation without a permanent space, they happened to be hosting a show and books by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. It felt almost destined, since they were specifically looking for someone familiar with him, and as a Thai person living in New York, it was a perfect fit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Pojai shares that she tried to gain as much experience as possible before returning to Thailand. From all those years of hard work, she says the most valuable skill she developed was, perhaps surprisingly, project management, something that has become essential in her work today. This reveals that curating goes beyond having an eye for beauty; it also requires a deep understanding of how to organise and manage space effectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cStudying in New York really broadened my perspective on this career path. The art scene there is so dynamic and fully developed and among the finest in the world. I was able to see how the ecosystem operates: what defines a museum, how non-profit and commercial galleries differ, and how each contributes to the wider art landscape. Compared to Thailand at the time, the gap was huge but that realisation inspired me to work even harder.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by \ud835\ude4b\ud835\ude64\ud835\ude5f\ud835\ude56\ud835\ude5e \ud835\ude3c\ud835\ude60\ud835\ude67\ud835\ude56\ud835\ude69\ud835\ude56\ud835\ude63\ud835\ude56\ud835\ude60\ud835\ude6a\ud835\ude61 (@apojai)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n