Pop art for the digital age

Known for his expressive pop-art portraits made entirely in collage technique, Thai-born artist Virut is exhibiting for the first time in Auckland’s Lightworx Gallery by Artbay

In an era of image saturation made possible by social media and digital publications, Virut has an eye for detail, colour and how best to re-imagine it into highly tactile, large pieces.

Virut begins his creative process by scanning through thousands of magazines and selecting images for their colour and texture but, most importantly and according to the artist for an “emotion”. These magazine cuttings are then meticulously layered to produce larger than life portraits which, from a distance, seem almost hyper-realistic yet when viewed closely, seem to softly dissolve into layers of seemingly unrelated images that, as a whole, carry quite specific sensations.

The fact that some of these individual cuttings come from risque magazines (as well as more salubrious fashion ones) can often instigate a sense of voyeurism and unease that says, perhaps, a lot about our modern day dependance on pixelated, digital media for entertainment and even socialisation.

These collages can be found in art collections in corners as disparate as the United States of America and Malaysia and his self-confessed fans include Italian fashion giant Luciano Bennetton and Chinese model Liu Dan.  

 

Where: Lightworx Gallery by Artbay, 1/110 Customs Street West, Auckland 1010
When: 22 April – 18 May 2021 
Admission: Free 
Find out more at lightworxgallery.co.nz

Latest video features

In the Coromandel, a home with a humble profile and a thoughtful design makes the most of a stunning location.

Built with awe-inspiring attention to detail, this Arrowtown home is a fresh interpretation of a familiar Otago rural vernacular.

This sculptural Northland bach is a perfect north arrow on a remote farm high above the sea.

With the sun on its bow and the community at its stern, this is a house in which the elements are always front of mind.

Trending articles

Homes

Sixty by six

Do the maths and this 60-metre by 6-metre house adds up to the complete package. At 360 square metres, it delivers 360-degree living — as

Homes

Dual vistas

Perched on the banks of the Waikato River, this home by Chow Hill Architects resists a singular orientation. With no real front or back, it’s

Bathrooms

To be free: Fantini’s Sailing tapware

Fantini’s Sailing tapware, with its precise lines and subtle maritime influences, anchors the 2025 Bathroom of the Year — a perfect foil to the room’s