Agni Gallery, a contemporary art gallery located in Soi Ruamrudee in the very heart of Bangkok, is pleased to announce the opening of its second exhibition, "Only Faces on My Mind", a curated exploration of portraiture in contemporary art. Dedicated to one of the oldest yet ever-evolving genres in art history, the exhibition asks: "What does a portrait mean today? How do contemporary artists engage with the idea of the face — not just as a likeness, but as an emotional, symbolic, or conceptual presence?"
In "Only Faces on My Mind", Agni Gallery invites viewers to trace the evolving language of
portraiture — from its classical foundations to its most experimental reimaginings. The exhibition presents a spectrum of works, ranging from pieces that echo the compositional and emotional gravitas of classical portraiture, such as those by Andre Schulze (Germany) and Lino Lago (Spain), to boundary-pushing interpretations exemplified by Celio Koko (Belgium-Lebanese), and faceless portraits by famous artist Adriana Oliver (Spain), and Chance Cooper (USA), whose work reflects the fractured and hyper-personal dimensions of identity in the 21st century.
By bringing these divergent approaches into dialogue, the exhibition becomes a space to reflect on how the face — the most intimate and revealing subject — continues to be a powerful site for artistic inquiry. From formal poise to psychological complexity, from historical homage to digital distortion, Only Faces on My Mind maps the journey of portraiture as it passes through the filter of our time.
The show is an invitation to reconsider the portrait not merely as a mirror of appearance, but as a canvas of interpretation — where identity is felt as much as it is seen.
About artists:
- Adriana Oliver is a Spanish artist known for her minimalist portraits inspired by 1950s–60s cinema. Her faceless figures, defined by muted color blocks and bold black outlines, explore themes of identity and universal human emotion.
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Lino Lago is a Spanish-born artist known for pushing the limits of contemporary art through a unique fusion of tradition and modernity. Using classical oil painting techniques, he draws inspiration from historical European portraiture, yet infuses his work with a fresh, distinctly modern edge.
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André Schulze is a German artist and painting conservator from Dresden, who specializes in the restoration and remodeling of old paintings. He studied fine arts and graduated with a diploma in his hometown Dresden/Germany in 2011. André Schulze invites viewers on a fascinating journey through art history and contemporary reinterpretation.
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Celio Koko is a contemporary Belgian-Lebanese artist who rose to success in his third decade. His work pays tribute to theneo-expressionist movement with an impactful presence of abstract figurative art.
- Chance Cooper is a Los Angeles based artist known for testing the morality of his observers with playful images and provocative plots. His work celebrates the sacred art of storytelling and each recurring visit to a piece suggests a new conversation, arousing endless narratives. With the appearance of a fictional fantasy, the skin of Chance's work is just a layer of what humans do so well of disguising - themselves.